A special “Circle” in JCAP
By Scholastic Damo Chour, SJ
One of the great traditions of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific is the SBC: the Scholastics and Brothers Circle. The tradition had been threatened by the pandemic: the last edition took place in 2019. But on 19 to 26 December 2022 the Circle took shape again.
This year’s in-person workshop, brought together some 56 participants from over 18 countries around our Asia Pacific Conference along with some coming from other Jesuit Assistancies. They all gathered at the Xavier Learning Community, Chiang Rai, Thailand. The topic for this gathering was, “Youth Ministries and Vocations Promotion in Minority Catholic Countries”.
The
theme was chosen to be in line with one of the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus:
accompanying youth. Furthermore, this topic also aimed to explore the possible
connections between what is broadly seen as “Youth Ministries” and the more
specific work of “Vocations Promotion”, with special attention to the “Gifts of
Ignatian Spirituality”, something that JCAP had been discussing recently.
Small groups sharing.
Some testimonies?
A first one from Scholastic James Santos, from the Philippines. He feels grateful for the Jesuitcharisms, especially the gift of discernment, which can be shared with young people to guide them in their prayer life and vocation... Why? Because, on the one hand, it can assist the youth in making decisions in their life while, on the other hand, it also invites each Jesuit to live out palpably this charism so that it will not be just a theory but a true inspiration for the young to follow through loving accompaniment.
Scholastic Septian Marhenanto, from Indonesia, shared that this workshop did not simply foster friendship but also a sense of connection, which reminded him that crossed ministries must start from our willingness to collaborate with one another whether on the local, regional or global level. “It all boils down to the friendship that we share with one another.”
Here
are some photos of our Scholastics and Brothers Circle.
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