Just as the weather in Zamboanga City, Philippines, was warm, so too was the welcome extended to the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific Brothers during our Brothers’ Circle meeting in this vibrant city, fondly known as “Asia’s Latin City”.
Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU), in collaboration with the Philippine Province, hosted the gathering. Br Howard Tu of the Chinese Province and Coordinator of the Brothers’ Circle, led the preparations together with Filipino Br Jeffrey Pioquinto, Director of the Global Path at AdZU’s Internationalisation Office.
Twelve Jesuit Brothers from the Chinese Province, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam took part in the week-long meeting from 22 to 28 October at the Lantaka Campus, AdZU’s retreat facility situated by the Sulu Sea—a serene setting that became a home for moments of bonding, conversation, and reflection. It was a time for rekindling old connections, forging new friendships, and, above all, listening—both to the sounds around us and to the quiet stirrings within.
Listening to each other
The meeting opened with a large-group spiritual conversation, giving each Jesuit Brother the opportunity to share about our backgrounds, current ministries, and present experiences of our vocation.
It was a meaningful opportunity for everyone to listen and learn more about the rich diversity of people and apostolates within the Society of Jesus. Some Jesuits serve as teachers, formators, and house ministers; others are assigned to parishes for pastoral work. There are also artists and agriculturists, those engaged in organisations that serve refugees and asylum seekers, and Brothers currently pursuing philosophy studies as part of their intellectual formation.
During his talk, Fr Ernald Andal SJ, AdZU President, reflected on the enduring value of the vocation of a Jesuit Brother. He shared his personal story of having been deeply influenced by the life and witness of the late Br James Dunne, whose example played a key role in inspiring his own Jesuit vocation. For Fr Andal, Br Jim embodied the essence of Jesuit brotherhood—a man ever ready to give of himself to students through his quiet presence and his generous gift of listening.
Listening to the world
This year’s JCAP Brothers’ meeting also gave participants the chance to explore the beauty of Zamboanga and to encounter its people more closely.
On the third day, the Brothers visited the Kreutz Campus, engaging with AdZU’s grade school students. Dressed in Jesuit soutanes, we entered classrooms and shared lively conversations about our home countries, vocation as Jesuit brothers, and answered many curious questions from eager students. Most importantly, the encounter became a moment for us to listen to the voices and stories of the young.
Later, we spent time with nature during a beach trip to Basilan, an island province just off the coast of Zamboanga. It was a time of recreation and quiet wonder, allowing us to marvel at the gift of our Common Home and to attune ourselves to its gentle rhythm.
Listening to the God who calls
On the final day, Br Raymund Belleza from the Philippines shared key reflections from his recent engagement with the International Commission on the Jesuit Brothers, of which he is a member.
The Commission’s inaugural meeting, held earlier this year at the General Curia in Rome, was convened by Fr General Arturo Sosa to sustain a serious and ongoing reflection on the vocation of the Jesuit Brother. This initiative continues the momentum begun during General Congregation 36, which called the Society “to deepen the identity of the Jesuit and of the Society of Jesus as an increasingly complex universal apostolic body”.
Br Raymund explained that over the next three years, listening will be central to the Commission’s work as it seeks to create spaces for Jesuits, young people, and other religious to express their perspectives on the vocation of Brotherhood and its role within both the Society of Jesus and the Universal Church.
He also reflected on some of the common pitfalls in discerning the identity of the Jesuit Brother—such as defining brotherhood only in relation to priestly ministry, adopting extreme views that see it as either inferior or identical to priesthood, and reducing it merely to the functions performed.
Ultimately, Br Raymund underscored that an authentic understanding recognises that both Jesuit priests and brothers share the same consecration and call from Christ to be companions in His mission as Jesuits.
The session concluded with an invitation for the Brothers to pray for the grace to root our lives and vocation deeply in Christ, who has called each of us by name.