The excitement of the children was palpable. Dressed in their yellow and green school uniform, they lined the driveway, cheering and waving flags as the guests arrived. It was a big day for them. Their new school, Xavier Jesuit School, … Continued
“If you think climate change is bad, you’re not prepared to live in this world at all,” said Fr Pedro Walpole SJ in an interview recently, pointing out that climate change is but one of nine factors that can push the earth out of circulation. The other eight are ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, land-system change, biogeochemical flows, stratospheric ozone depletion, freshwater use, atmospheric aerosol loading and chemical pollution.
In 2014, the major superiors of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific decided that the youth had to be a priority for the Jesuit Conference. They saw a clear need to accompany young people in the way of St Ignatius, which is marked by cura personalis (personal care), discernment and magis (more).
For the last year, Magis Indonesia has been helping to prepare volunteers for the 7th Asian Youth Day. With Asian Youth Day taking place from July 31 to August 6, the volunteers are now in the thick of things, doing their part to ensure that the more than 2,000 youth from all over Asia leave Indonesia prepared to leave a mark on the world.
How do we accompany young people in the mission of reconciliation and justice? How do we engage students in this digital age? Who are we in what we do? These were some of the questions discussed in the first JCAP Meeting of Chaplains and Campus Ministers.
This year’s annual report puts the spotlight on two firsts for the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific. The JCAP Leadership Development Programme was launched in December 2015 and the fourth (and final) module was held in Seoul, South Korea in mid-May 2017. The Jesuit Conference-wide youth ministry also began in 2015, with the core team pulling off a successful Magis Asia Pacific gathering in Yogyakarta, Indonesia fr
Establishing protocols and procedures for the safeguarding of minors is not as easy as installing a software application. Protecting minors in Jesuit institutions from sexual abuse needs careful evaluation of how Jesuits and collaborators operate in their apostolates, discernment on policies and steps to take when cases arise, reparation when mistakes and harm have been done, and willingness to change and provide structures for children to grow fully.
Jesuit Refugee Service Australia has teamed up with Refugee Council of Australia to create a programme that gives young people the chance to meet a refugee and hear first hand the reasons why people are forced to flee their homes.
“We’re seeing the biggest migration crisis since WWII, and yet, it’s not the voices of those being forced to flee their homes we hear, but the voices of the powerful. At JRS we believe this needs to change,” said JRS Australia in its website.
General Congregation 36 (GC 36) dominated Jesuit life during 2016. The theme, “Row into the deep”, was derived from a message of Pope Francis to the Society of Jesus in 2014, echoing Jesus’ call to his disciples to “put out into the deep”. In the Congregation logo, the IHS represents the Society’s boat in the Church; the waves are the troubled seas of our times into which Jesuits are invited to row with faith.
International Jesuit leader Fr Arturo Sosa has expressed his support for a new Jesuit Social Services programme aimed at tackling violence and helping men and boys build better relationships with those around them.
Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards announced the new programme, The Men’s Project, at the organisation’s annual dinner on March 25, which also celebrated the organisation’s 40th anniversary.
The Men’s Project aims to help boys and men live responsible, accountable and healthy lives, and build loving relationships with those around them.