Asia Pacific Hosts II Colloquium JESEDU-Global2021

By Jennifer Rose Ramirez
Jul 7th, 2021

From June 28th to July 2nd, 2021, leaders and educators from the Jesuit Global Network of Schools congregated online for their second Jesuit education global colloquium. The first was of course historic–held nine years ago in Boston College, USA, where over 400 delegates participated.

This second gathering, however, was just as historic. Due to the pandemic, the planned on-site colloquium in Jogjakarta last year was cancelled. Instead, this fully online colloquium took its place.

Poster design by Jem Gemzontan

The theme of the colloquium was “Discerning for a Hope-filled Future”–a reference to one of the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus: “To journey with young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.” The discernment process was focused on seeing our educational mission today through four lenses–or four strands–each of which was presented by two handpicked resource speakers.

  • Educating for FAITH: Fr. James Hanvey SJ (Rome) and Agbonkhianmeghe Orabotor SJ (Africa)
  • Educating for DEPTH: Margaret Silf (Ireland) and Fr. Joe Arun SJ (India)
  • Educating for RECONCILIATION: Dr. Jasmin Nario-Galece (Philippines) and Fr. Elias Lopez SJ (Spain)
  • Educating for GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: Dr. Fernando Reimers (USA) and the Secretariat Task Force on Global Citizenship

From the outset, the organizers were mindful of the differences between an onsite and an online colloquium. “It’s all about designing the experience,” Fr. Johnny Go SJ, Education Secretary for Asia Pacific, said. “The goal was to optimize the online environment so that the entire experience is meaningful and even powerful without exhausting everyone. So as we conceptualized the colloquium–including the pre-colloquium–we placed the audience’s needs and context top of mind.”

For this reason, for example, global plenary sessions were deliberately kept to a limit. There were only two: the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

However, for a full month before the colloquium opened, the participants already set to work, watching the eight keynote addresses and engaging in the global conversations made possible by Educate Magis. These conversations–posted in the participants’ mother tongue, but thanks to the technology, readily translatable to readers–were intended to prepare the participants for the discernment process embedded in the colloquium.

Between the Opening and Closing, participants were expected to participate in an online spiritual conversation in a smaller group of 20 called “Discernment Circles.” Constrained only by time zone and language, each Discernment Circle was a diverse mix, giving the participants an experience of the global nature of our network of Ignatian educators.

The Opening Ceremony began with an adapted Contemplation of the Incarnation by Mrs. Frances Tilly, Coordinator for Mission Formation, Jesuit Ignatian Spirituality, Australia.

Our very able hosts for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies were (L-R): Fr. Manuel Uy SJ (President, Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu Philippines), Mr. Felipe Carrillo (Executive Secretary, FLACSI), and Ms. Ciara Beuster (Global Citizenship Coordinator, Educate Magis).

Our three bilingual hosts set the tone for the rest of the ceremony with their energy and positivity.

Due to time zone differences, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies inevitably transpired very early in the morning in some parts of the world or in others, far too close to midnight. Nevertheless, attendance at the Opening Ceremonies was remarkably high: Over 400 participants joined the global community.

Fr. Jose Alberto Mesa SJ, Worldwide Secretary for Jesuit Education, welcomed the over 400 participants who joined the virtual Opening Ceremony.

President of Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, Fr. Antonio Moreno SJ, closed the Opening Ceremony with a prayer and a blessing on the participants for the discernmetn in common for the week.

The Opening Ceremony featured a powerful performance by students and teachers from Asia Pacific, who gathered virtually to sing the song “Amore et Servire” in their mother tongues–a fitting celebration of Ignatius 500. The participants left the Opening Ceremony inspired and motivated to attend their Discernment Circles.

On July 2nd, the Closing Ceremony was held after a week of online discernment in common among our Ignatian educators. Mr. Brian Maraña, Principal of Loyola Blakefield, shared experiences and insights from his Discernment Circle and led us through a prayer that also allowed us to interpret our own experiences of our Discernment Circles.

The ceremony–once again hosted by Fr. Manny, Felipe, and Ciara–featured faces and voices from various Discernment Circles: facilitators and participants who shared how unique, enriching, and graced their online experience of Ignatian spiritual conversations had been.

In response to the UAPs’ call to “journey with young people in the creation of a hope-filled future,” the colloquium participants listened to our students’ and young alumni’s hopes and aspirations for the future. In an enlightening and inspiring video, students and young alumni from different parts of our Jesuit Global Network of Schools expressed their wishes for tomorrow.

The finale of the Closing Ceremony could not have been more powerful. Marvin Ong, an alumnus and currently teacher of our school in the Philippines composed a fitting song for the Ignatian Year called “Against the Wind”–a reference to that familiar image of the pilgrim Iñigo walking against the wind. The song was performed by students from our Jesuit Global Network of Schools.

In case you missed it, watch the Opening Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony of the II Colloquium JESEDU Global 2021.

It took no less than a virtual global village to organize and run this colloquium. The colloquium aimed to fuel collaboration within our network, but all the efforts that went into organizing this event were themselves collaborative on a global scale.

We have to thank the following:

  • Our two Prayer Leaders who helped us connect to God at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies: Mrs. Frances Tilly (Coordinator for Mission Formation, Jesuit Ignatian Spirituality, Australia) and Mr. Brian Maraña (Principal, Loyola Blakefield, USA).
  • Our 8 Keynote Speakers for their enlightening and provocative presentations: James Hanvey SJ, Agbonkhianmeghe Orabotor SJ, Joe Arun SJ, Margaret Silf, Jasmin Nario-Galece, Elias Lopez SJ, Fernando Reimers, and the Secretariat Task Force on Global Citizenship.
  • The COJESEDU Team for overseeing the preparations: Jose Alberto Mesa SJ, Jonjee Sumpaico SJ, Johnny Go SJ, Felipe Carrillo, Eamonn McGuiness, and Jennie Hickey. Special thanks to Catharine Steffans and the Task Force for Global Citizenship.
  • The Steering Committee–also called the “J-Team” (because all their names started with J!)–for working hard to design and run the colloquium: Jonjee Sumpaico SJ, Johnny Go SJ, Jude Liao, Jeraldine Ching-Wu, Jem Gemzontan, Jesus Avila Landeau, and Jennie Hickey. Special thanks to Tyler Boone for the technical assistance.
  • The Philippine-based Video Production Crew for their powerfully inspiring “labors of love”: Ali Figueroa (Director & Editor), Toto Sorioso (Sound Engineer & Mixer), Fr. Manoling Francisco SJ (Songwriter), Marvin Ong (Songwriter) and Jem Gemzontan (Director for the Students’ Interviews and Colloquium teasers and logo animation).
  • ICAJE for all their support: Bob Reiser SJ (JSN), Ilse Dekker and Brian Flannery (JECSE), Raimundo Barros (FLACSI), Joe Arimoso SJ (JASBEAM), and John Ravi SJ (JEASA).
  • The Educate Magis team for all the intense work for an online environment that was user-friendly and effective: Eammon McGuiness, Jesus Avila Landeau, Ciara Beuster, Karina Zapata-Roche, Gellert Merza, and Marc Cummins.
  • All the students from the Jesuit Global Network of Schools who participated in our videos and their teachers who helped us get the recordings done (see credits at the end of the videos).
  • Finally, our awesome Discernment Circle facilitators from across the globe. Without their leadership, patience, and magis, we would not have been able to conduct 27 Discernment Circles!

The amazing Educate Magis team working from Galway

FACILITATORS FROM JSN

Cindy Davis
USA
Principal
Bellarmine Preparatory School
Adam Green
USA
Theology Teacher
Walsh Jesuit High School
Ashley Woodworth
USA
Teacher
Fairfield College Prep School
David Laughlin
USA
President
Rockhurst High School
Stacy Dainard
Canada
Chair, Guidance & Counseling
St. Paul’s Winnipeg

FACILITATORS FROM FLACSI

Luz Silva Román
Ecuador
Coordinadora Pedagógica
Red de Unidades Educativas Ignacianas
Carlos Caballero, S.J.
Paraguay
Rector
Colegio Cristo Rey
Silvio Avilez Cevasco 
Nicaragua
Rector
Colegio Centroamérica
Juan Manuel Montoya SJ
Colombia
Rector
Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé
Huber Flórez
Colombia
Director de Pastoral
Colegio San Ignacio
Orlando Rodríguez
Ecuador
Coordinador Académico de Básica Superior
Unidad Educativa Javier

FACILITATORS FROM JECSE

Brian Flannery
Ireland
Education Delegate, Irish Province
JECSE ST CO
Jimmy Bartolo SJ   
Malta
Education Delegate
EUM Province
Ilse Dekker
Netherlands
JECSE Director
Antonio Allende SJ
Spain
Education Delegate
Spanish Province
Miguel Poza
Spain
Education Coordinator for Formation
Spanish Province
Joachim Molina
Spain
Education Coordinator
Spanish East Zone
Sylvain Chariou SJ
France
Education Delegate
French Province

FACILITATORS FROM JEASA

Melwyn Lobo, SJ
India
Principal, Karnataka School

FACILITATORS FROM JASBEAM

Arthur Garande
Zimbabwe
Africa Region Delegate
Director of Jesuit Ethos
Augustine Kalubi SJ
Congo
Education Delegate
Central African Province (ACE)

FACILITATORS FROM JCAP

Geraldine Niña Rocel Libron
Philippines
Grade School Headmaster
Ateneo de Davao University
Roberto Joseph Galvan
Philippines
Junior High School Principal
Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu
Jane Cacacho
Philippines
Grade School Principal
Xavier School
Joseph Seth Saga
Philippines
Junior High School Assistant Principal for Formation,
Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan
Jervy Robles
Philippines
Grade School Headmaster
Ateneo de Manila University
Thomas Renshaw, SJ
Australia
Rector
St. Ignatius College, Riverview, Sydney

 

The Steering Committee at our last Technical Rehearsal on the eve of the Closing Ceremony

See you in Jogjakarta next!

This article was originally published on jcapedu.org