FINDING GOD IN ALL THINGS
By Netty Horton
Executive Officer, Jesuit Social Ministries Australia
In mid-September this year, I was delighted to take up this new role. I was looking forward to learning more about the Jesuits in Australia, while being daunted by the inevitable information overload that comes with any new appointment.
I was trying hard to remember which acronym referred to what. I heard many mentions of “JCAP” which I learnt referred to one of the six regions of the Society of Jesus across the world – the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, and the one to which Australia belongs. Shortly after, I was invited to attend the meeting of the delegates of the JCAP Social Ministries in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
I discovered this group had been meeting online but had not been able to come together in person since the beginning of COVID. The Indonesian Province had accepted the invitation to host a face-to-face meeting which they organised with grace, efficiency and wonderful hospitality. I felt enormously privileged to attend such a gathering – and grateful for the chance to hear first-hand about the work of Jesuit Social Ministries across the region so early on in my tenure.
Julie Edwards, the new JCAP Secretary for Social Ministries, (and also the CEO of Jesuit Social Services here in Australia) ably chaired the meeting and called on us to consider the Jesuit and Ignatian foundations and how these inform the Jesuit identity of the Social Apostolate.
Fr Jun Viray SJ. Photo by David McMahon.
There were 26 of us who attended, including a delegate from a social ministry in each Province within JCAP. We were grateful to be joined by Fr Jun Viray SJ (above), President of JCAP, and Fr Roberto Jaramillo SJ, Director of the Secretariat for Social Justice and Ecology, both of whom gave keynote presentations and made valuable contributions to the meeting. Along with Fr Benedictus Hari Juliawan SJ, Provincial for the Indonesian Province, they were able to offer us reflections from the global, Asia Pacific and Indonesian contexts. This was a great introductory setting to our gathering.
As a new member of the wider Jesuit family, the meeting was a wonderful opportunity. I was able to meet with the Social Ministry delegates from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam, in addition to my Australian colleagues. I was struck immediately by the diversity of our social ministries, ranging from food banks, meals services, working with people with disabilities, providing training and education and employment services. Support, emergency relief and accommodation are provided by various Jesuit communities to refugees, migrants, people in prison, and to many people living in poverty.
There are large services with many employees and volunteers, and small programs provided by a few volunteers or staff members. Clearly, the JCAP social ministries provide support to many thousands of people across the Asia Pacific. The delegates also described their work in very different social and political contexts. The sharing of experiences and effort provided an energy and an optimism about the potential of collective efforts of the region in bringing about positive change for many who are disadvantaged in the community.
On a personal level, I was humbled by the dedication and commitment of the Social Ministry delegates who displayed such commitment to their work and their communities – often with a tenure of many years, and sometimes in very difficult circumstances. I was also invigorated by the opportunity to be part of such an effort across the region.
One of the major themes of the meeting was the deep connection between the environmental challenges faced across the world, and the impact on people in poverty. In the context of Laudato Si’, and reflecting one of the JCAP goals of responding to the calls of poverty and reconciliation with creation, the gathering considered the broader implications of climate change for many, as well as ways in which we can effect change at individual, local and broader levels.
Fr Pedro Walpole SJ spoke about the purpose and work of the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network, (GIAN) also known as EcoJesuit, which is the global ecology network of Jesuits aiming to facilitate dialogue with many stakeholders, including the very important voice of local communities. The Australian Province was also able to provide the example of Jesuit Social Services’ efforts in the area of ecological justice.
As we were meeting in Indonesia, we were treated to presentations by Fr Klaus Heinrich Radito SJ and Dr Dahliana Hasan as voices from the local context looking into the immediate future with the election of Prabowo Subianto and his installation as President of Indonesia in October 2024. I found this information enlightening as it brought understanding of the key drivers within the political and social environments across Indonesian society.
Throughout the presentations, the discussions, the prayers and the discernment, there was great recognition of the benefits of coming together and the valuable learnings gleaned from our collective experiences. Indeed, Fr Roberto Jaramillo SJ focused much of his own presentation on the greater need for networking and acknowledgement that no group or individuals could effect change without working across groups, stakeholders, faiths and individuals.
I believe we departed the meeting feeling nurtured and inspired by our experiences which encompassed new or enhanced understandings of our work and our JCAP community, as well as the benefits of further work together as part of the JCAP Social Apostolate. I personally had been provided with an intense and welcome opportunity to learn about the work of the Jesuits in social ministries, the structure and scope of JCAP, in addition to meeting my counterparts and making new friends and contacts across the region.
Photo courtesy of JCAP.
We were able to visit the beautiful and serene Prambanan and Borobudur temples and learn about the very ancient history of Indonesia, while experiencing the generosity and friendship of the local community as well as the fabulous culinary offerings.
We were also able to think about what the future holds for the JCAP Social Apostolate and what this should look like in the future – acknowledging the great benefits we found in coming together either virtually or in person. The core group, Fr Jun Nakai SJ, Fr Gabriel Lamug-Nanawa SJ, Fr Paul Tu Ja SJ, Fr Pedro Walpole SJ, Sylvia Miclat, Fr Fernando Azpiroz SJ and Julie Edwards were able to synthesise our discussions and articulate our next steps. These include:
- Communications: to include enhancing our website with both internal and external functions, making a map of our various works and providing regular information and updates on the activities of social ministries throughout JCAP;
- Connections: via regular Zoom meetings and face-to-face visits where possible;
- Capacity building: to include connections as well as sharing skills and knowledge across the Social Apostolate, for example regarding ecological issues, and the issue of gendered violence, and to include and offer support to interested younger Jesuits in formation;
- Advocacy: internally, to maintain the ecological and social mission as a high priority for JCAP, and externally, to highlight issues and concerns that impact many people provided with support by Jesuit Social Ministries.
Some great and ambitious aims – but if the energy I witnessed in Yogyakarta is anything to go by, then I am confident they will all be achieved. There is a lot to look forward to!
Photo courtesy of Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP).