Conversations On Asian Theologies And Cultures

Introduction

Conversations is a theologico-cultural online Asian “coffee or tea room” where we can converse with each other in 1.5-hour monthly or bi-monthly meetings. This virtual space features students, faculty, or alumni sharing their theological reflections on select aspects of our respective Asian cultures in the Jesuit Conference of South Asia and the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific. Selections may also include topics that discuss theologically those issues that are common to Asian contexts, such as poverty, globalization, migration, ecological degradation, etc.

Participating Jesuit Theological Centers in Asia are as follows:

• Jnana Deepa Institute of Philosofhy and Theology, Pune, India
• Vidyajyoti College of Theology, New Delhi, India
• St. Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• The Wedabhakti Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Theology, Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
• Loyola School of Theology, Quezon City, Philippines
• Fu Jen Faculty of Theology of St. Robert Bellarmine, Taipei, Taiwan
• Graduate School of Theology, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea Jesuit Scholasticate, Tokyo, Japan

Rationale

From its very beginning, Jesuit mission has considered “the entire world” as “the object of our interest and concern.” Moreover, “as this world changes, so does the context of our mission.” (GC 35, 2, nos. 23-24) Thus Jesuit mission has always been international and global. This means that all ministries of Jesuits, whether in their own country or elsewhere, are related to this wider reality… Our ministry of theological formation… must reflect this international and global dimension of Jesuit mission (Summary Brief on the Asian Mandate, Meeting of JCAP Rectors, Deans and/or Principals of Theologates, 23-25 November 2009).

The objectives of this joint project for our students, alumni, and faculty are as follows:

1. to know more about the variety and richness of our respective Asian cultures and to appreciate them;
2. to develop greater familiarity with theologies in and from particular Asian contexts in preparation for students’ core ministerial tasks in these contexts;
3. to understand and communicate the Gospel within their respective Asian contexts, enrich the Catholic tradition with concerns arising from these contexts, and reflect critically on our cultural contexts in the light of the Gospel. Our Conversations on Asian Theologies and Cultures thereby endeavors to enhance the quality of our students’ theological formation for mission.

Mechanics

1. Each 1.5-hour session will be hosted by an official of the host theologate,introducing the speaker, and facilitating the conversations and exchange.
2. Each presenter will show a short 5-minute video cultural presentation introducing one’s country, followed by 40 minutes of presentation. The paper should be a completed paper or an excerpt from a depended thesis or dissertation.
3. The presentation will be followed by a 5–7-minute response by a student or faculty preselected within the host theologate and around 35 minutes of interaction among participants either in plenary or break-out rooms.
4. The time schedule for participating theologates according to their respective time zones is as follows:

• 1:30pm: India
• 3:00pm: Vietnam and Indonesia
• 4:00pm: Philippines and Taiwan
• 5:00pm: Korea and Japan