December 2007 New Vietnamese Province celebrates GC35G questionsq aand Learning english hhopes MAGiS08 labouring away p3 Asia prepares p10 p11 JesuitsJesuits inin EastEast AsiaAsia andand OceaniaOceania Snapshots from the region Delegates meet Birth of the Vietnamese Province In preparation for General Congregation The growth of the Jesuit enterprise in our Asian 35, delegates from the Assistancy met region was highlighted by the 50th anniversary in Vietnam. This new initiative enabled of the refoundation of the Society in Vietnam. them to reflect together on the key issues At the same time, Vietnam became an independent for the Congregation, and also to come Province. Fr Kolvenbach attended the celebrations jesuits to know each other better before the in Ho Chi Minh City. in East Asia and Oceania Congregation begins. Editor Andrew Hamilton SJ Graphic design Maggie Power Jesuits in East Asia and Oceania is published two times a year by: Jesuit Communications Australia, 326 Church Street, Richmond, VIC 3121 Australia. ACN 004 238 948 in association with: Jesuit Conference of East Asia, PO Box 1264, Quezon City, Philippines © Jesuit Communications Australia 2007. To order copies of Jesuits in East Asia and In the steps of Ignatius Oceania contact: Jesuit Communications As part of their Assistancy Tertianship, the Australia. PO Box 553, Richmond, VIC Jesuits participating undertook a pilgrimage 3121 Australia. to Ignatian sites in Spain and Italy. The pilgrimage Unsolicited articles, photographs and letters are welcome. Requests for helped them to imagine in fresh ways the life permission to reprint material from the of Ignatius and the great themes of the Spiritual magazine should be addressed to Exercises that are so tied up with his life. The editor, Jesuits in East Asia and Oceania, PO Box 553, Richmond, VIC 3121 Australia. Tel: +613 9421 9613 Fax: +613 9421 9600 Email: [email protected] This magazine is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, MAGiS08 in the Assistancy research, criticism or review as permitted The MAGiS08 programme is moving under the Copyright Act, no part may be to the stage of experiments. These reproduced by any person without written are opportunities for young adults to permission. Enquiries to be addressed to reflect on faith in a different environment Teaching in Dili the publisher. Responsibility for editorial content is accepted by: The publisher, Jesuit accompanied by Jesuits. Experiments The Colégio de São José in Dili is still seeking Communications Australia, 326 Church Street, will be held in the Philippines, Indonesia, land to build a new school. In the meantime, Richmond, VIC 3121 Australia. Cambodia and India. three scholastics are already teaching there: Agus Tanudjaj and Eugene Koh from Malaysia Printed on Impress Satin using wood fibre from sustainable forests. Elementally chlorine free. and Bert Boholst from the Philippines. They join an already international community. 2 Jesuits in East Asia and Oceania Six hopes for the Congregation Can we be Realistic? Can we be Accompanied? hierarchy—are not happy Cann we bebe Short?Short? By speakingsp of being TheThe bbest of with the changes. They miss We wouldwould notnot likelike realisticreal I am a GGeneral something important in us. GC35GC to become confessingcon my CongregationCon We must ask: Is it enough to anotherano exercise age.age. Old. But I is ttheh ‘event of be happy with our life and in patience.p cancan ststill remember thethe hheart’. People with improving our service A CCongregationo GC34.GC34. FonFond,d humorous and pray,pray, think,think, discern,d and ministry? todaytoday ddoesoes notnot need to be challenging memories. But the change, exchange, are freed so long. Neither does it have hero of the day was Patience, from positions, are led to I hope that in GC35 we to do the work of the whole by a long shot. encounters, live for a few begin to reflect openly on our Society through its ordinary weeks in the middle point religious life. The Society Government. Nor is it a Just imagine. A gathering of between the Kingdom of panacea for all the problems will then be re-created for our 220 Jesuits decides to tackle God and the joys and sorrows we face. A Congregation 46 topics, work on them of our world; between the times. Not only the services is a place for discernment for three months, produce Cross of Jesus Christ and the we offer, but the quality of and decisions. It can 26 Documents and solemnly Cross of humanity, hearts the personal and community help the whole Society handle and approve 416 filled with the shared hope of witness to the Church and the to grow in the Spirit and Complementary Norms. the Resurrection. world we give will be touched. the apostolate. Next year we will be close to 230 members. I hope that this happens to I believe that this process So my final hope is the whole Society of Jesus. is so deep that it will carry that we will be so clear I hope that we will be into GC36. about the purposes of the I hope that those who do not realistic about what a GC Congregation, and so focused can do well, what it cannot, go to Rome will monitor and Can we be Practical? A GeneralGe in our work, that we can and what it should leave to follow events closely, with the CongregationCon serve the Society and the same willingness to change the new Father-General and takestake place within Church within a reasonably and be led by the Spirit of our his team. a well-triedwe short time. Lord. The GC will succeed if frameworkfframe that Can we be transparent? it continues in the life of the reflectsreflects the prapracticalc wisdom TransparencyTrans has Society and all its members of centuries. But these becomebeco more and communities. limitations and rules make difficultdiff in our small its going slow, heavy and world.wor Yet our GCs I know that this is a very very impractical. havehhave aalways started by big hope. acknowledgingacknowledgin honestly where We live, and our younger we are going wrong, what is Can we be Creative? Jesuits will inherit, a world missing in our lives, what has I havhave an elusive of very rapid change. New been distorted or wounded of feelingfeeli that technologies and forms of our spirit. somethingsom communication make a importantimp in our great difference. We shall I hope that the Commission religiousreligio life needs use some but will not feel on the State of the Society attentionattention andand iis not getting it. free to use others. presents to us a clear, honest We have certainly changed, responded to new calls, new I hope that the coming and courageous picture of challenges. We are basically GC prepares for future where we are and what does happy with that. We feel called Congregations by giving not fit with God and God’s to the core of our vocation, the new General and his call to follow Jesus. where only God, and Christ and his Mission count. Council the freedom to This is the necessary discern and to choose the beginning. But others—significant best ways to prepare and among laypeople and the to run them. 3 JesuitsJesuits inin EastEast AsiaAsia andand OceaniaOceania Pathway to a Province Jesuits have come to and left Vietnam because of When Saigon fell to the were jailed, Jesuit life would expulsions. Vietnam twice benefited when Jesuits Communist army in 1975, still continue. were prevented from going to other lands. A fierce 80 Jesuits worked in Vietnam. persecution in Japan led to the arrival of the first Of these, 57 were foreign For ten years there was Jesuits in 1615. Jesuits preparing in Macao for the born. Anticipating that no space for ordinary Jesuit Japanese mission were instead sent to the kingdoms foreign missionaries would community life. Jesuits worked of Indochina. They came first to the southern kingdom soon be expelled, Fr Arrupe in the army, in schools, in of Vietnam, and later to the northern kingdom. immediately sent Fr Nguyen factories and labour camps. Cong Doan to Vietnam as Novices lived at home, and The most notable missionary power in China, Jesuits were mission Superior. visited their novice master in was Alexandre de Rhodes expelled. A few years later secret. Not surprisingly, few who devised a romanised the Society was asked to help This third expulsion shaped of the Jesuits who joined the script, complete with marks the church of South Vietnam. subsequent Jesuit history Society between 1975 and 1990 to distinguish the six different The country had been in Vietnam. The Jesuits overcame this disruption to tones. This is the basis for divided a few years earlier. continued their work, hoping continue to live as Jesuits. the modern Vietnamese As a result many Jesuits who that the Alexandre de Rhodes script. Although he was had prepared themselves for centre would be a place for subsequently expelled from the Chinese mission came to dialogue. But in 1980 the Vietnam, Jesuits remained in Vietnam. The founder of the Society went underground. Vietnam until the Society was Mission was Fr Ferdinand Fr Doan, with six other suppressed in 1773. In all, 53 Lacretelle. He bought a house Jesuits, was jailed and later Jesuits worked there. in Saigon, later to become the sent to a re-education camp. Alexandre de Rhodes centre, He remained the public After the restoration of the and also began the Pontifical face of Jesuit leadership. But Jesuits, many Provinces sent College of Pius X in Dalat. In a succession of Superiors missionaries to China. But 1960 he opened a novitiate, was secretly drawn up to when the Communists seized also in Saigon.