The Ignatian Initiative for Teacher Excellence (IGNITE) is happy to offer a new workshop for our educators in Asia Pacific: THE PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION FOR JESUIT EDUCATION, to be held from September 24 (Sunday) to 30 (Saturday), 2017 at Seven Fountains Spirituality Centre in Chiangmai, Thailand.
The workshop aims to provide an overview of the history and tradition of Jesuit education and invites Ignatian educators to appreciate the personal vocation in the context of the Jesuit mission of education, as well as to appropriate the Jesuit vision for the educational apostolate—particularly, the so-called Characteristics of Jesuit Education, as well as its aims as captured by the 4 Cs (Conscience, Competence, Compassion, and Commitment).
“The Principle & Foundation of Jesuit Education” is designed as the introductory module for two IGNITE streams: WISE (Workshop on Ignatian Spirituality in Education) and TILT (Training in Learning and Teaching).
The team of facilitators will include myself, Fr. Chris Gleeson (Australia), and Fr. Stephen Chow (China).
We hope you will consider attending the workshop and bringing one or two other administrators and colleagues from your school. The workshops organized by the Asia Pacific Conference have always provided an excellent opportunity for our educators not only to learn from one another’s experiences, but also to build networks among themselves.
The deadline for registration is 31 July 2017. Please make sure to register when you have secured approval from your School Head or Principal. The registration fee for this workshop is 300USD.
For the online registration, kindly click HERE.
Meet your facilitators
Christopher Gleeson SJ has spent most of his working life as a teacher and administrator in Jesuit schools, nearly 21 of which as Principal of both Xavier College in Melbourne and St. Ignatius’ College, Riverview, in Sydney. His peers elected him to serve as Chair of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia from 1999 to 2001. Since leaving Riverview at the end of 2002, he has been Director of Jesuit Publications (now Jesuit Communications) in Melbourne, and inaugural Director of both the Faber Centre of Ignatian Spirituality and the Archdiocesan Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre in Brisbane.
In January 2011, he was appointed to be the Provincial’s Delegate for Education and Mission Formation, and in January 2016 took on the new role of Provincial Delegate for Ignatian Formation. Over the years he has written four books for parents and teachers – Striking a Balance: Teaching Values and Freedom (Aurora Books 1993); A Canopy of Stars – Some Reflections for the Journey (David Lovell Publishing 2003) – in the process of being revised and relaunched in May, 2017; Releasing the Angel – Saluting all who strive to teach (Australasian Theological Forum); and in 2011, The Front Page – Everyday Ignatian Spirituality (Australasian Theological Forum).
Fr. Stephen Chow SJ, a native of Hong Kong, entered the Society of Jesus in 1984 and was ordained a priest in 1994. A Jesuit in the Chinese Province.
Stephen has been involved in Jesuit education since he was a regent at Wah Yan College, Kowloon in 1988. Except for the years when he was studying abroad, his apostolic energy has been engaged in our schools. Enjoying his service and learning as teacher in Ethics and School Chaplain.
From 2007 onward, Stephen became the Chairman of the Education Commission of the Chinese Province with the portfolio of developing Jesuit education in the Jesuit schools where there are only one or two Jesuits serving full time/part time. He found himself learning more about Jesuit education on his job and participating in workshops offered by JCAP. Jesuit education, though based on the Ignatian Spirituality, is an evolving construct influenced by the changing spatio-temporal dimensions and communal construction.
