July 2010

The next batch to join the Asia-Pacific Tertianship will meet the new Assistant to the Tertian Instructor, Fr Priyono Marwan (IDO). Fr Pri teaches psychology at Sanata Dharma University. In 2000-2002, he was the Socius to the President of the Conference, which was then held by Fr Ismael Zuloaga (CHN).

Fr. John Hayes was 36 years old when he died. He is buried in grave 7A. F. 24, Taukkyan War Cemetery, outside Yangon (formerly Rangoon) in Myanmar (Burma). He was the only Irish Jesuit chaplain to have died during the Second World War.

The Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) has developed a communications action plan aimed at pooling its resources, strengthening communications skills and articulating its vision and purpose in a unified way.

At a recent creative communications workshop held in Manila, professionals from the Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, East Timor, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Australia showcased their products and discussed ways in which they could work together to improve their communications function.

The Seven Fountains Spirituality Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand witnessed the gathering of a few of the Jesuits who are engaged in the area of Buddhism. It was for them, a first-time opportunity to communicate with fellow brothers face to face. The occasion was the Workshop on Buddhist-Christian dialogue held last April 23 – 25. The participants including Fr. Mark Raper were ten, of which two were from India. Fr Cyril Veliath (JPN), JCAP Coordinator for Dialogue with Buddhism, gave this report.

Australian Catholic University (ACU) intends to offer the Diploma in Liberal Studies to a new cohort of refugee students on the Thai- Burma border in 2010-2011. Coordinator, Duncan MacLaren, visited Thailand in February 2010, partly to tutor on the Third World Politics unit offered online by Fairfield University, Connecticut, partly to set up interviews to select a new cohort of students starting in late September 2010. The refugee students may now be joined by another important group among ‘people on the move’ – migrants, both legal and illegal.

On their way to China for a meeting, Fr Adam Zak (PME), the assistant of Fr. General for Central Europe, and Fr Antoine Kerhuel (GAL),  the assistant for Western Europe, visited Cambodia on April 10 to 15. The purpose of the visit is to get to know the Society of Jesus in other assistancies.

Rampant consumerism and religious extremism pose a dual threat to Indonesia's national character; Fr Franz Magnis-Suseno (IDO) of Jakarta's Driyarkara School of Philosophy warned speaking to about 80 participants at a June 2 symposium in Jakarta organized by the Democratic National, an organization dedicated to creating integral freedom in Indonesia.