Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) President Fr Tony Moreno SJ led a workshop on the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) for the Jesuits and collaborators in the Cambodian Mission. The workshop was held on 19 February, the anniversary of the promulgation of the UAPs confirmed by Pope Francis.
Fr In-don Oh SJ, Delegate of the Korean Provincial for the Cambodian Mission, welcomed Fr Moreno and the 26 Jesuits, and 13 collaborators and staff members who attended the workshop.
Fr Moreno began by asking all the participants to enter into prayer to internalise the UAPs. He shared the experience of the Committee who worked on the UAPs, particularly on the process. Each Conference, after a process of discernment in common, was asked to submit their suggestions. There was so much similarity in what all the Conferences had proposed, Fr Moreno related.
He reminded them that the UAPs are a Mission of the Church entrusted to the Society, and stressed that it is not only the doing that is important but also being what the UAPs expect of the Jesuits.
The group was then divided into seven smaller groups with an assigned coordinator and secretary. Each group met for Spiritual Conversations at a certain place allotted to them.
For the first Spiritual Conversation, the participants were asked to reflect and share on what the Spirit was telling them personally in praying with the UAPs, and what areas of conversion they were being drawn into individually and as an apostolic body. Their responses were presented in the plenary session the next morning.
The participants were then given time to reflect and pray on Our Life and Mission in the Light of the UAPs for another round of Spiritual Conversations.
Korean Scholastic Yoon-ho Do SJ shared: “For Jesuits, the UAPs help us to put Christ at the centre of our hearts and also to prove our own vocation. As a newcomer in Cambodia standing on the starting line of Regency, this workshop will remain as a precious moment that helped me to understand the vision of our Mission and to carve in my mind the values of the UAPs once again.”
Fr Oh concluded the workshop by thanking Fr Moreno for having taken the time to be with the Mission in spite of his busy schedule. He also thanked all the participants, a few of whom expressed their gratitude as well as their feelings about the workshop. Finally, everyone proceeded to the church for the concluding Mass.
Noel Oliver is a Jesuit brother from India. He has served in Cambodia for nine years from 1990-1992, 2003, 2004, and 2015 until the present. He is currently the Mission’s treasurer and secretary.