Jesuit Educational Conference-East Asia and Oceania

The Jesuit Educational Conference--East Asia and Oceania (JEC-EAO) is a loose structure of national teams from all provinces and regions of the assistancy. It has brought a long term Ignatian renewal program to Jesuit and Catholic schools in the region.

When the Jesuit Network in 1979 was set up with Fr. Daven Day, SJ as executive secretary, its Ignatian programs were opened to all schools who wanted to participate. Twenty years later, there are hundreds of schools, Jesuit, Catholic and other Christian, that belong to the Network in every country of our region and beyond it.

In August 1995, Mrs. Jenny H. Go, was appointed as Executive Secretary, assisted by Fr. Alfred Deignan, SJ (HK). Fr. Riyo Mursanto, SJ (IDO) succeeded them on September 1, 2005.

Today, approximately 500 out of the 1700 Jesuits of the East Asia and Oceania assistancy work in education, together with over 5,000 lay academic and administrative staff, teaching nearly 100,000 students from elementary school up to doctoral levels.

JEC-EAO's Ignatian renewal program has touched every aspect of the school curriculum, which was defined in 1980 as "all those experiences in the life of the school over which the school has some control." The programs have kept up with the best developments in Jesuit education around the world, and have covered areas such as faith and moral development of teachers and students, school administration, faculty professional and spiritual development, parent programs, and in recent years, strategies for integrating faith and justice into the total school curriculum.

Since 1983, the main thrust of JEC-EAO has centered on the "Ignatian" spirit of school principals. The yearly gatherings of school principals still continue, and in the intervening years, international workshops to introduce Ignatian methods and approaches for second level administrators, student counselors, and directors of service programs have been established.

Personal contact between seminars is kept through mail and by visits. There is also the Ignatian Network newsletter which has correspondents in all countries where we have Network teams. The newsletter provides an exchange of ideas between schools. It also strives to disseminate the latest ideas on Ignatian education from Fr. General in Rome, from different Jesuit educational conventions, and from Jesuit writings.

The Xiamen project is another example of the outreach of JEC-EAO. After mutual trust was built up with the education authorities in Xiamen, Jenny Go set-up programs that have been functioning these past years. Jesuits, sisters, and lay people direct the Xiamen programs.

JEC-EAO is providing an important service at this time when Jesuit education is experiencing a new upsurge of creativity around the world. It is one of the few educational systems that provides both a theory and a pedagogy about how to educate the whole person. Its practical emphasis on forming young people of "competence, conscience, and compassionate commitment" (Kolvenbach) makes it a very attractive proposition to discerning parents and educators of all cultures.

More recently the JEC-EAO has made a determined effort to explore successful models of education for the poor. This will help the Jesuits and companions not only to face new educational challenges in Cambodia, East Timor and Thailand, but in areas where our long standing institutions wish to reach out more to the disadvantaged in the spirit of our recent statements of Jesuit mission.

Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities - East Asia and Oceania (AJCU-EAO)

The role of this body is to support and promote cooperation among Jesuit universities and colleges across Asia, and also to promote intellectual rigour in all our activities.

For more information, please visit http://www.ajcu-eao.org

Arrupe International Residence

This house is in the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines. Jesuit scholastics, mainly from East Asia and Oceania, come for juniorate, philosophical, and/or theological studies. Around 60 scholastics will be able to experience Jesuit internationalism.

Arrupe House opened in July 1990. The current rector is Fr. Koichi Matsumoto, SJ (JPN). Fr. Pham Van Ai, SJ is responsible for the Juniors’ program.
 

Asian Jesuit Juniorate

The Juniorate is a step in the long line of formation stages of a Jesuit. Normally staged soon after the novitiate, it is a time of preparation for later studies.

The Arrupe Juniorate started as an experimental program for six to seven young Jesuits in June 1999 with the objective of giving them an experience of one Society and the languages and other skills needed for international and cooperative apostolic endeavors. The program consists of three parts: progressive integration into the Society; help in psycho social growth and personal development; and academic learning. Thus there is intensive English for those in need of it, humanities or university courses according to individual needs, and regular input on Jesuit life, Ignatian spirituality and history. All of it emphasizes the experience of living together, developing Jesuit friendships, and growing in the reality of one Society. The Juniors are part of the Arrupe House community under the special care of Fr. Pham Van Ai, SJ (ASL).

The East Asia and Oceania Tertianship

Another successful project in Jesuit internationalism, the East Asia and Oceania Tertianship takes at least half of its participants from East Asia and Oceania, with the remainder coming from different parts of the world.

Tertianship is the final period of formal religious formation for Jesuit priests and brothers.

There the mature Jesuit attempts to integrate his past periods of formation and intensifies his contact with God through another 30-day retreat, studies, and apostolic activities.

After tertianship though, Jesuit formation still does not end. It continues until the Jesuit finally retires — not from apostolic work, but to the eternal love of the Father.

The maximum number of tertians accepted to this program is ten. This tertianship program is also a way in which the Jesuit Conference is able to express its thanks for the men and for the financial assistance it continues to receive from around the world. Fr. Roger Champoux, SJ (PHI) is the Director, with Fr. William McGarry, SJ (MIC) as Assistant Director.

Visit the EAO Tertianship Website at http://www.jceao.net/tertian03
 

South Asia – East Asia and Oceania Joint Tertianship

The collaborative effort of the two Asian assistancies made possible the setting up of an international tertianship program. A Jesuit priest or brother spends his final period of religious formation in an atmosphere of deep prayer, intensifying his personal relationship with God, and sharing his experience with other Jesuits of varied socio-cultural backgrounds. Together, they become “friends in the Lord through an Asian way.”

The tertians are accommodated at Arrupe House, 15/10 Dutugemunu Mawatha Lewella, Kandy, 20000, Sri Lanka. For the September 2008 – February 2009 program, the directors are Fr. John Joseph Amalados (johnjoesj@yahoo.co.in) and Fr. Laurentius Priyo Poedjiono (IDO) (priyosj@gmail.com).
 

East Asia Theological Encounter Program

EATEP is a program of the Jesuits of East Asia and Oceania. The program was started in 2005 with the purpose of gathering Jesuits preparing for the priesthood in the Society of Jesus to do theology together in an Asian context. The emphasis is on both Enculturation of the Catholic Faith and Interreligious Dialogue. Michael Amaladoss , S.J., Director of the DiNobili Institute in Chennai , India has been the major Tutor. Lecturers from Thailand have provided understanding of both Islam and Buddhism. John Shea, S.J. has been the director of the program. Two successful programs were held in July-August of 2006 and April-May of 2007. The program is held in Chiangmai, Thailand at The Seven Fountains Spirituality Center , an apostolate of the Jesuits of the Thai-Myannmar Region. The length of the program is usually one month with presentations, discussion, personal reflection and field trips to Temples, Monasteries, Mosques in Thailand, particularly in the Chiangmai area. This program has been accredited by the Loyola School of Theology at the Ateneo di Manila in Manila, the Phillipines. Three credits are granted for successful completion of the program.

You may visit the EATEP website for more information.

Jesuit Communications - East Asia and Oceania (JESCOMEAO)

JESCOMEAO operates as a network of Jesuits and Jesuit colleagues involved in various fields of Church communications throughout East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.

The JESCOMEAO Secretary, appointed by the JCEAO, together with Secretaries appointed by each Provincial/Regional Superior, form JESCOMEAO's core.  Other Jesuits and Jesuit colleagues involved in communications make up the JESCOMEAO network.  JESCOMEAO's current way of operating is by initiating and supporting communications projects, which coincide with Jesuit regional priorities, the needs of the local Church, and the capabilities of its members.

By emphasizing projects of regional significance and which require regional collaboration, JESCOMEAO aims to maximize the limited manpower and resources of this relatively new ministry and provide needed support for its members.

Concretely, the JESCOMEAO Secretariat facilitates audio/video co-productions and publications on topics of Jesuit concern.  It organizes training courses, internships, and regencies for Jesuits and their colleagues interested in media literacy, video production, and program marketing.  It promotes the use of communications for ministry work in Asia.

For more information, visit the website: www.jescomeao.org