The President

Ignatius Loyola’s gift to the Church was about choice: how to make the best decision in our lives. In the celebrations for Ignatius Loyola the readings speak of choice and of the mission that follows the choice.  Ignatius invites us to say ‘no’ to the self that is focused on itself: the surface self, the small, fearful, insecure self.  By contrast the Gospel reveals the sacred, unique, individual self, the person created and sustained in life by God, loved as a son and daughter, whom Jesus wants to be saved. 

The mid-year meeting of provincials held in Seoul this July 19-23 chose migration, the environment and the development of Colégio São José, Timor Leste as three apostolic projects for immediate Conference-wide cooperation.  Three ‘internal’ or Jesuit governance projects were also chosen:  continued comprehensive planning for a Jesuit formation that offers a heart for the poor and respect for cultures; the development of governance arrangements for Myanmar; and a decision to build a new fund to support our common activities.

The Jesuit mission in Asia Pacific flows from a centuries old vision. In 1540, the very same year the Jesuits were approved, Francis Xavier was sent to Asia. He arrived in Goa in 1542, in Japan in 1549, and died at the border of China in 1552. Now Jesuits in Asia Pacific number almost 1800, including those still in training. They serve in some 15 countries of this region, both in the intensely populated countries of Asia and in tiny Pacific nations.