Kris Vekic, Education for Justice Coordinator, visited Uganda with a group of teachers from Irish Jesuit schools in November. It is the second year that he has brought a group to the country, as part of the ongoing collaboration between the schools and with the Jesuit Refugee Service.
Fr Leonard Moloney SJ visit to St Charles LwangaCollege, Chikuni. (L to R) Mr Lewis Chulu, Fr Moloney SJ, Fr John K Guiney SJ and Fr Felix Mwewa SJ
Leonard Moloney SJ, Provincial of the Irish Jesuit Province, spent two weeks in Zambia and Malawi with IJM’s John Guiney SJ this October. He was moved by the welcome he received…
John Guiney of the Irish Jesuit Mission Office, and I spent the first fortnight of October in Zambia-Malawi, a Province for which the Irish have always had a great love. I had looked forward to this trip since my appointment as Provincial of the Irish Jesuits in early 2017.
Fr Fernando Azpiroz SJ working the land together with friends in south Yunnan Province, China. (March 2018)
Irish Jesuits have been present in China for more than 90 years. The Irish Province sent 106 missionaries to China over the years and four Irish men still remain there.
In this article, Argentinian Jesuit Fr Fernando Azpiroz SJ, the Director of Casa Ricci Social Services tells of how working with people who are poor, ill or in precarious living circumstances has affected him.
“The Chinese character that expresses the idea of “humanity” is “Ren”. This character caught the attention of the first Jesuits who arrived in China, as it is at core of the Confucian way of understanding what makes us become human. The character is formed by two parts. At its left side, a human person; at its right side, the number two. Confucianism states that we learn how to become human not alone but in relationships. I believe that the bigger the gap or difference between these two people, the deeper the impact of the relationship on our identity.
Dedicated to the life of Fr Victor-Luke Odhiambo SJ, RIP, 1956 – 2018
South Sudan is a beautiful country; intense, scarred and complex. I spent a month there in July - August 2018 for the Xavier Network, a global network of Jesuit Mission Offices and development initiatives which is supporting projects in the world’s newest state. When I first drafted this article reflecting on my experiences there, I felt a deep conviction despite the pessimism of many commentators to write from a perspective of hope. In every brutal situation, without exception, there are always many good people and many positive dynamics at work. It is important to honour the dignity of a country and its people and God in the midst of all by protecting and nourishing all and any signs of hope.
Female farmers in Kasungu learn techniques such as manure making, afforestation, soil cover, and maize variety selection through JCED's Farmers Field Schools.
Jesuit Adrian Makasa’s work with the Jesuit Centre for Ecology and Development, which teaches women the methods and benefits of conservation farming gives him hope, in the midst of the struggle of people in rural Malawi who are disproportionately affected by the adverse impacts of climate change even though they have done very little to cause it.
Kasungu, a rural area in Malawi, about two hours away from the capital Lilongwe, has a population of more than 40,000 people and a rapid growth rate of 5.6 percent. The main occupation in Kasungu is farming.
