Friendliness, Disaster Resiliance & Crazy Names

AMDG

So I have to leave the Philippines after a wonderful rich six months.  I would have liked to stay longer… but it is always good to leave  somewhere wanting more!!  I think it might be a joy of the Jesuit vocation – in the last 10 months I have lived in London, Tanzania, The Outer Hebrides and the Philippines and have been sad to leave all these places. Anyway I am on my way to India for three months and am excited about the prospect of visiting Fr Eric in Manvi and seeing how the school for ‘untouchables’ has developed over that last 6 years (since I lasted visited).  All the experiences give a sense of how magnificent the universal church is …. and how privileged we are to be able to live and be inserted into the local communities.  In Manila I had a strong sense of what an ex-pat bubble most of the foreigners lived in. They couldn’t believe it when I told them of living in the shanty towns, mountain villages, and leper colony islands!! And in each place receiving a beautiful welcome, eating and sleeping in the peoples homes, sharing a little of their joys and worries.

So to summarize a few thoughts on my time here.

Fr Rentax and the Sisters in Cebu… Joy!

1) Philippines is the friendliest country I have visited.  Everywhere smiles, wether it be children playing in th estreets, or pedicab drivers, or even soldiers and police. Big grins, obvious delight when you share greetings, unparalleled glee when you share a karaoke song, or pull a ‘Mr Bean’ face.  And this isn’t just me getting carried away. A recent survey by HSBC of expats living in 31 countries listed Philippines as top in feeling welcome at work and second in social life, work-life balance, and making friends. It is no coincidence that the Philippines is the text capital of the world.

2) A ‘Catholic’ Country more sacramentalised than evangelized. This is an intriguing comment I read in a report written by the Philippine Bishops conference.  Signs of devotion are everywhere – masses in the shopping walls, the black nazarene, the santa nino, longest Christmas season in the world…. but there is still a question about how much the ‘Gospel Values’ have penetrated day to day life.  For me the biggest sign of these would be corruption and graft, a disappointing political class (many educated by the Jesuits),  a certain turbo-consumerism manifested in an incredible array of shopping malls and the popularity of what I would refer to as ‘feudal’ day time TV shows (where a big-time host dishes out cash prizes whilst humiliating many guests).  What is the solution?  Maybe a reform of the clergy could be a good starting point – someone told me that some priest are being leftbehind by a better-educated laity, and there persists the stereotype of the lazy priest – mahjong before mass instead of preparing a good homily and cockfighting after mass…..

3) Craziest Names …  There is an interesting culture of names.  With large familes – kids are often given nicknames at a young age which stick. So the president is Ninoy, the Jesuit in charge of the Ateneo is Jet.  It is not unusual to be invited for dinner and find out that the Guy called ‘Bong’ is actually the CEO of a large company. Or to be in a meeting with a guy, obviously rich and powerful, dressed in suit who introduces himself as ‘Baby’ with a big grin on his face…..

4) Social strength – Power of the Family and Barkada.  The way people look after each other and families care for each other is impressive … including the ‘barkada’ …. the friendship group. There is a balancing act here – as too much social pressure can be stifling and have its dark side. At first it was puzzling to see how young people were prepared to sacrifice personal dreams for the sake of the family – particular in terms of educational goals. it is not ideal – but what is impressive is the desire to look  after each other. It was’t unusual to be sitting with a family and have one or two children from the local area wander in, join the table and be fed no questions asked!  The phenomenon of OFW (Overseas foreign workers) is honoured at a level I have not seen elsewhere.  They even have their own dedicated lanes and lounges at the airport. It is easy to see why they are valued – the huge amount of remittances they send back keeps the country afloat!   From a western perspective I have a growing feeling that the social isolation and fragmentation that  is not worth our promotion of  a culture of hyper-individualism. The Philippines is now the only country in the world where divorce is illegal (although unfortunately annulments are too expensive and out of reach for many).

5)Disaster Prone but not yet Disaster Resiliant.  Recently reported as the most disaster prone in South East Asia - whilst I have been here there have been two major typhoons, earthquakes, landslides, flooding…. The response from ‘civil society’ is very impressive – a generous and rich diaspora, dedicated volunteers, often coordinated by the church. But the real question has to be why are the structures not in place on a local and national political level….another lamentable example of corrupt politicians at a local and national level.  Of course a mitigating factor is that we live at a time where the urban populations is out stripping the rural population for the first time all over the world. I think this urban migration is deadly – for quality of life but also it is those in the shanty towns hit the hardest when the typhoon sweeps in.

All in all I will miss this wonderful country!

Respect and Distance to Power

AMDG

There is a Filipino tradition of showing respect by raising the back of anothers hand and placing it on your forehead is called ‘Mano Po’ here. And it is very charming – once you get used to it.  When people find out you are a priest (the Jesuits very rarely wear clerical dress here) – they usually come and do mano po!  I was in a restaurant a month back and halfway through the meal the waitress asked if I was a priest having overheard my friends call me father – when I replied yes, ‘Mano po’ went on – quickly followed by the other waiters and even the chef came out!

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Another surprising ‘mano-po’ moment was when I had knee surgery six weeks ago. As I was lying on the (undersized) trolley read to be wheeled into to the theater both surgeons came up to ask me for Mano Po.  Lying awkwardly on the trolley in my surgical gown, with a drip hanging out of my arm, I flapped my arms about giving ‘Mano po’.  Then the lead surgeon also asked me for a  blessing at which stage the machine started beeoing alarmingly – indicating my blood pressure had shot up to 200!!  I think behind my smiles I was quite unsettled that I was being asked to give him a blessing – surely the hospitals chaplain should have been their blessing me!

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I think it is a beautiful tradition – and you often see the youngest in the family when they arrive acknowledging their grandparents and parents in such a fashion.  I think they maybe horrified if they saw how so many old people are treated in the West.  When staying with families I have often praised how strong the family is here in the Philippines but quite often although they agree – they also are quick to point that there can be a dark side too.  Too much pressure at times? Too much respect for certain authority? Perhaps…..

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It is fascinating to see how high up the Power Distance Index the Philippines lies.  Developed by Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede this basically measures how much a country respects authority and values hirearchies. The Philippines has the 4th highest power distance index in the world at 94. Thats suprisingly higher than China (88) and many Arab countries (80)…. the UK (35) is well down.  Now to be fair there are many countries without a score so it is not yet a universal measure, but still quite revealing. (Top of the List = Malaysia, Bottom = Austria)

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So how does that translate into behaviour? according to ClearlyCultural.com in a high power distance cultures the following may be observed:

. Those in authority openly demonstrate their rank.
. Subordinates are not given important work and expect clear guidance from above.
. Subordinates are expected to take the blame for things going wrong.
. The relationship between boss and subordinate is rarely close/personal.
. Politics is prone to totalitarianism.
. Class divisions within society are accepted.

So you can see how this could become dangerous in a strongly Catholic country like the Philippines.  It is precisely when the Church allows a clerical culture to thrive that people are attracted to church for the wrong reasons, for status rather than service.  To be fair among the Jesuits I have seen very little of this. Before I arrived I heard that some of the Bishops have a reputation of being prince-bishops but I have to say that each of the Bishops I have met have been very impressive. Archbishop Tagle – the new Archbishop of Manila, who works closely with the Jesuits here, especially in media work (click link) is talked of by some as a possible candidate to be the first Asian Pope.  I will certainly miss ‘Mano Po’ when I leave but I won’t miss being called ‘Father’ all the time…..

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A week of Ashes!

AMDG

Wearing her ashes with pride (in Kabul Kabul)

Apologies for the blog silence over the last week – I had a fairly exhausting tour of some of the 51 chapels / ‘destinos’ celebrating the Ash Weds liturgy. It was a fascinating experience. The island has a population of over 90,000 (but only 15 cars / jeeps).  The numbers stem from the time when it was the worlds biggest leper colony (6,000+).  The doctors, nurses and patients all brought their families with them – so the population has grown since. Now there are only 6 patients with leprosy and they are confined to a hospital ward.  We celebrate mass with them once a week and last night I took my laptop and projector and we watched Jurassic Park together.  I think it might have scared them a bit too much!  But they were very excited and lots of hugs when I arrived and left.

Some of the remoter villages are electricity free, I remember one night showing a group of about 50 villagers webpages that I had saved on my laptop – their first experience of the internet!  The majority of the population in these areas are referred to as ‘IP’s’ (indigenous peoples).  The original inhabitants of the island they fled in fear to the remoter parts when the lepers started arriving.  The Jesuits have now turned their attention to helping them – with a literacy program ably assisted by the impressive Cart Wheel Foundation. The parish priest Fr Lito told me that this is already working wonders in terms of self-esteem and confidence.  When he first would go to the areas the IP’s would hide behind the coconut trees, too shy to come and talk. Now they are discussing and planning ways in which they can strengthen their communities.

The view from the Jesuit Community – the church built by the lepers. From this parish church the other 51 chapels are served by boat, jeep and foot

As a priest it has, paradoxically,  been one of the most enjoyable beginnings of Lent I can imagine.  As always the hospitality was wonderful – lots of crabs and freshly caught fish.  I suppose fasting is less meaningful when you are living a fairly subsistence lifestyle and life is more precarious for many as there are less fish and more competition for stock from technologically advanced mainlanders.

I have had my leg in a brace since my operation four weeks ago – so this became a useful prop for homilies.  The discipline of wearing a bandage and a leg brace to allow healing has its parallels with lent.   And slowly taking it off and unravelling the bandage certainly kept the children’s attention!  Many of them staring at me anyway – as though I was from another planet. It was said that for the younger children I was the first white person to visit their village.   One phenomenon that was unusual was that after 10 masses I would explain how I was available for confession – not one person took me up on it.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation certainly seems to be practiced more over here than in the West – so this lack of interest was a surprise.  I have since learnt that many priests have commented on the lack of the sense of personal sin amongst the people – which is an inheritance of the lepers colony.  I suppose that maybe a psychology of outcasts from the ‘morality’ of the world.  At one chapel – after mass they came rushing up to me – At last ! I thought, getting ready to celebrate the sacrament, but no they wanted to know if any of my friends wanted to buy their own island……

3 Million Pesos – (£50,000) – a snip if you ask me!  Anyone interested?

(Highlights of my week on video below)

Pride and Prejudice

AMDG

Although Culion has changed dramatically since its establishment as the ‘worlds biggest leper colony’ according to a history of the island that I am reading, there is still stigma attached to its name. I was told about an inhabitant of the island who recently appeared on one of the Philippines ubiquitous daytime TV shows, when he was asked where he was from he told the presenters that he was from Coron (a nearby island).  ‘Aren’t you from Culion’  the presenter replied puzzled, ‘No Coron’, he lied.   This denial of his origins caused outrage back here on Culion and lead to a stream of text messages threatening him and warning him not to think of returning!  The school here has an excellent street-dancing troupe, and they recently won the regional awards and can compete at a national level.  There success has provoked resentment and one of the proud mums reported that at a recent competition their winning time was heckled as being ‘only an island of lepers’.

Another example of the lingering prejudice is the difficulties the local fisherman experience. All the boats have their place of origin painted on the rear of the boat. San Ignacio is the only boat from Culion that is allowed to moor up in the various moorings on Coron – any other boat registered in Culion has to jostle for a place with outsiders boats.  The stigma of Culion seems also to be a barrier for one of the main strategies for the economic development of the island : ecotourism. The Jesuits have opened a hotel called Hotel Maya  – which by all means seems to be profitable. The idea behind the project is to develop eco-tourism as well as providing training for some of the local students at the Jesuit College in the tourist industry. The Hotel is even getting a listing in the next Lonely Planet, and are attracting foreigners already.  The difficulty is attracting visitors from Manila, Cebu or Davo, where the name Culion still has a stigma.

However when you walk around the island you get a sense of prosperity. There are many new motorbikes sitting proudly on the roadside, the shops are very well stocked, the island co-operative which is administered by the Jesuits always has people inside.  It is certainly true that the ‘stigma’ of Culion has also been profitable.  Money has been generously donated by NGO’s from Spain, Japan, Austria, Germany.  This has had a dual effect though – as well as prosperity and the many projects started up, I have been told that there may also be a ‘dependency culture’, or even as one local suggested a sense of entitlement. Obviously, being here for a short time it is difficult to see that myself, although reading the diaries of a previous parish priest there is certainly a lot of anecdotal evidence.

Meanwhile I am just enjoying every minute in this little piece of paradise. Beauty all around – the nature – the people.  At one of my masses to day – in a remote village – everyone bar one of the 40-odd congregation were women!  The catechist – Kiboy – came up to me with a big grin on his face to tell me when we arrived that they said I reminded them of James Bond…… it makes a difference as usually I get Mr Bean!!  (Maybe they were getting me confused with Johnny English who is very popular here!)  Next week I have an intense schedule of ash weds masses (beginning on monday and ending on friday).  By Boat – Jeep and Foot.  The day and time are very flexible out here!!

Leper Colonies, Coral Reefs and Pearl Farms

AMDG

This last week in Culion has been a delightful experience.  A fascinating place with an impressive Jesuit presence, an important mission and a unique history.  The former leper colony on the edge of the West Philippine Sea (or the South China Ocean) is now a buzzing town with a population of 10,000+. Breakthroughs in leprosy in the 1940’s and 80′s  means that the disease can now be controlled, if not fully curable. So for many on the island in reality it is only a memory. However there is still a ward in the hospital with a few ‘abandoned’ patients suffering from the disease. It was a memorable experience sharing the mass with them on Valentines Day.  It also struck me that last Sunday’s gospel was about Jesus curing the leper – slightly awkward timing for me.  How does a visitor and an outsider preach sensitively about such a Gospel especially when I had only a few days to get to know some of the islanders?   Luckily the dilemma was resolved by having a Jesuit novice preach as part of his ‘parish experiment.’ He did a great job.

Culion also happens to be the setting of one of the most beautiful parishes that I have visited.  The parish has its own boat (or Bangka) called ‘San Ignacio’.  I was met at the airport and taken to a jetty where the boat was awaiting me.  The parish has 51 chapels associated with it in surrounding islands – it is a wonderful experience going to celebrate mass over the shimmering water, passing over coral reefs, and then as the water changes from emerald green to deep blue we glide past the many (Japanese owned) pearl farms that float in the inlets and passages.  Schools of flying fish leap out of the water in the distance and you glimpse the occasional crocodile peering out greedily from the mangroves.  One of the two nuns on the island told me they were followed in their small boat by a huge croc the other week – a stimulus to praying the rosary!  It is wonderful to stop the boat on the way home for half an hour of snorkelling. I was very impressed with the corals and the array of curious fish that come right up to your mask, the varieties and colours of the coral seemed pristine t o me, but I was told by the parish priest that there has been a lot of damage due to cyanide fishing.

Loyola College Prom night - bringing a bit of glamour to Culion

There are two young Jesuits on the island – one who is parish priest and the other director of the Jesuit College – Loyola College of Culion.  It was a pleasant surprise to be invited to the ‘Junior and Senior Prom’ of the College on Friday night. The students looked stunning in their dresses and tuxedos, and I was glad to have avoided being invited to be one of the judges…. One of the novices ran the gauntlet of having to choose the Prom King and Queen, whereas I could enjoy telling everyone I met how beautiful / handsome they looked.  The one beauty salon on the island seems to have been very busy considering some of the impressive hairstyles on show.

I have to admit High School Proms are a very ‘American’  phenomenon for me – and quite alien to my experience.  On reflection it is a great testament to the commitment of the Jesuits and the success of their college that such a celebration is a regular occurrence.  It certainly challenges the stigma and the stereotype of Culion as being the ‘Isle of Despair’.

Below is a small clip to give you a sense of the sights and celebrations of Culion! 

“The Last Frontier”

AMDG
I will be spending the next three weeks in the remote Palawan Islands in Southern Phillipines (painted blue).   In what is called our ‘elective’ experience, I will be available to help at the Jesuit Mission in Culion (one of the 1700 islands that make up the archipelago).  There are 51 chapels that are served from the parish at Culion – scattered around the islands as well as a High school and College.  Having had knee surgery a couple of weeks ago – the consultant in the hospital was somewhat relieved I am not heading back into the Mountain Province.  Having just discarded my crutches – the mangroves, beaches and coral reefs of Palawan will be much more conducive to recovery than the rice terraces and mud slides of Kalinga!  (I hope!!)  The islands of Palawan are called “The Last Frontier” because it is the last unsettled area in the Philippines. Home to many tribal groups such as the Tau Batu, the Batak, the Tagbanua, and one such Palawano tribe was just discovered as late as 1997.

I must confess that I also noticed that Palawan is rated by National Geographic Traveler magazine as the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia region in 2007, and the 13th best island in the world having “incredibly beautiful natural seascapes and landscapes.  I have been told that I will have a small boat and that maybe inbetween masses – baptisms – catechesis – there will be a chance for a spot of snorkelling or even scuba diving! Considering the famous French underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau  once described the province as having one of the most beautiful seascapes in the world – it would be rude not to take up the opportunity! However before I get too excited – I have also been told – that the islands have a large population of reptiles such as Cobras, Pythons, and Monitor Lizards which range in size from 3 ft. to 8 ft in length.  It is also home to a sub-species of the Asian Scorpion which is found nowhere else in the Philippines. This Scorpion grows to be an average length of 7 inches…….

Someone had to volunteer to make the Parish rounds....

Finally just an interesting note specifically about the history of Culion and the Jesuit Mission there.  The treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, 1898, wherein Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States for 20 million dollars. The Americans wished to establish some form of public health policy in the Philippines as part of their long-termplan. The traditional belief was that the maintenance of public health required the isolation of cases of leprosy from the rest of the public. After an investigation of a number of sites, the island of Culion was selected as a segregation colony .  The government enacted a policy of  the compulsory segregation of the lepers, and confinement and treatment in Culion. Between 1906 and 1910 they rounded up 5,303 leprosy afflicted individuals and brought them to the colony. The Jesuits accompanied them – and established the parish with its network of chapels on other islands, as well as a high school and Loyola College. You can read more about its fascinating history here.   The beautiful Jesuit church in Culion (below), was built by the lepers.   Although leprosy in Culion has been totally eradicated, it is said the stigma still remains.   I don’t know how much I will be able to update the blog the next three weeks –  so don’t be too alarmed if there is a period of ‘radio silence!’.  Once again thanks for all the interest shown and all the comments – either by email or left on the blog itself.

God’s Boxer?

AMDG

Blessed are the ….. er….. peace makers….

Hot off the press – the Catholic Bishops Conference in the Philippines has just announced that they intend to enlist  Manny Pacquiao as a ‘Bible Ambassador’.  Pacquiao – as I’m sure you realise – is considered by some to be the best pound-for-pound boxer of all time. The small Filipino Boxer - is the first and only boxer to win world titles in eight different weight divisions.  From a background of acute poverty, which forced him to drop out of education, he has fought his way to the top.  Pacquiao has always been upfront about his Catholic Faith – within the ring, he frequently makes the sign of the cross and every time he comes back from a successful fight abroad, he attends a thanksgiving Mass in Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila. (click here to see a previous blog about the intense devotion to the Black Nazarene). They say that there are two things that bring the country to a halt, when Ateneo (the Jesuit University) play De la Salle at basketball, and when the ‘Pacman’ fights.

Pacquiao – currently a congressman in his spare time – has the reputation for being devout in the sporting world – although some Jesuits have a wry smile when I ask them about this.  It seems as though he had a bit of reputation for a certain lifestyle in his early days, but the last few years has cleaned up his act - which many people put down to the influence of his wife ‘Jinky’. His role will be part of an impressive campaign by the Bishops who want to make the Bible more available to the poor. Their aim is to produce 5 million Bibles for 5 million poor Filipinos and Catholics within 7 years.  The plan is to subsidise them at P50… (about 80 pence each).  From a British perspective it is nice to see a celebrity who is serious about his faith – in an unaffected way – able to express this faith with confidence that he will be respected.  In the UK – there is more cynicism, sneering and angry atheism about. Its famously not politically correct to ‘do God’.  In that we are out of step with the vast majority of the worlds population, whether Christian, Muslim or any faith. 

It would be fair to point out that Boxing may have more in common with the violence of the Old Testament that the ethos of ‘turn the other cheek’ in the New Testament. Boxing doesn’t sit comfortably with middle-class sensibilities – and spirituality in the ‘West’ seems to becoming more and more an exclusive ‘middle class industry’.   Boxing’s working class roots have always had difficulty assimilating into a middle class value system – even with the big money, prime time pay-cheques. But the Church has often been one of the few reliable presences in the urban slums – and parish gyms were a way introducing discipline to boys, as well as channelling some of the adolescent anger and rage that can be magnified by poverty. It was often the priest as a mentor/teacher who could straddle those two socioeconomic classes least awkwardly. In my own Christian Brothers school in Liverpool – a legend of a teacher ‘Jimmy Heighton’ who  celebrated his 50th year teaching when I was a student had been on an Olympic Boxing Team.  My memory of teaching  in London is that one of the most effective ways of keeping the boys out of gangs was by getting them on the football or rugby pitch.  So before we become too ‘sniffy’ about this unholy alliance of pugilism and the Word – in an Olympic year lets remember the virtues that come from sporting discipline too!  Would more gyms have made a difference to the London riots?

Bringing Light to Dark Places

AMDG

Solar Bottle

Last weekend I went back to stay with the family who had kindly hosted me in October in Navotas.  We had a great time singing karaoke till 3am – lots  of Beatles of course!  Navotas is a ‘squatter area’ i.e. what might be referred to as a slum area in Manila – overcrowded and under-served with utilities.  Over the years it has become better established with electricity and running water in some areas, but there are still many areas where there is none.

That is why I was very excited to find out about this Philippino initiative – called ‘a litre of light‘.   Fantastic!   Just by getting an empty plastic bottle and filling it with water and household chemicals – and placing half of it so that it catches the sun.   This ‘solar bottle’ could make a big difference to the life of many people around the world. It is also recycling waste products.  I can’t wait to see it  being installed in Navotas.  The video below shows you how it works.  You can also find more about it by clicking on their website – click here.

This wonderful project reminds me of another story i have just posted on my other storytelling blog – click here.  A wealthy Chinese businessman was now old and wanted to retire. He called his three sons too him and said to them, ‘ I have decided not to divide the business into three, but will give it to the one of you who proves himself to be the best businessman. You can prove this to me by passing a simple test.’  Each son was given $10 and instructed to use the money to purchase something that would fill a big empty room.

The first son went and bought a big tree, after cutting it down, he dragged it to the room, it filled up about half the room with its leaves and branches. The second son went and bought the kunai grass that some of the farmers were cutting in their fields, this filled up most of the room. The third son went and bought a small candle for 25 cents, and in the evening after dark, he called his father over to the large empty room. He put the small candle down in the middle of the floor and lit it. After a minute he turned to his father and said, ‘Dad can you see any corner of this little room which is not filled by the light of the candle?’.  He won the business.

The Soft Power of Dragons

AMDG

Happy (Chinese) New Year!  Today begins the Year of the Dragon.  It is also – for the first time in Philippino history – a national holiday here. Perhaps this is significant – a testament to the growing influence of China and Chinese ‘soft-power’ in the Pacific Rim?  The US has exported is soft-power (cultural influence) through McDonalds, Coca Cola, Denim Jeans, Hollywood all over the world …. even the UK punches above its weight particularly with Music (Adele and Jessie J are always on radios here!) Film and TV, (I was amazed to see how popular Johnnie English is here!). The success of  British historical drama and comedy is well documented, but I’m not sure we should be so proud of our new global export – reality TV formats and talent shows! China as an emerging super-power, has a growing desire to project its image and increase its influence abroad. The lack of Chinese soft power has been analysed brilliantly in the Economist – click here.  The Chinese are looking for a figurehead – Confucius or Sun Tzu?

Today millions of Chinese – and Vietnamese and Koreans –  say goodbye to the year of the rabbit and welcome the year of the dragon.  The dragon is considered to be a symbol of power from heaven. Associated with the element of Fire – confidence, passion, intensity, excitement and unpredictable nature. But don’t be alarmed if you are an introvert – I was assured this morning by a sinologist that each year is ‘qualified’ by one of the 5 chinese elements - and this is a Water Dragon year – the element of Water will temper the fire of the dragon. It opens ‘dragons’ up to listening to others, which gives them the perspective to be better leaders! Good year for a US presidential election then….The twelve animals in the zodiac calendar ensure a 12 year cycle – so it is a special year in Asia for 12, 24, 36, 48 year olds etc  Fireworks and firecrackers are purchased,  homes are cleaned and dumplings prepared. This will be a fourteen day celebration, welcoming wealth, longevity, and prosperity, and releasing any negative ‘chi’ from the past (new years resolutions!).

I predict that this year will also be a good year for Dragons in other ways – the Christmas release of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit – will introduce a new generation to Smaug the dragon.  But also the phenomenally popular George R R Martin‘s Fire and Ice series will surely grow, and with it the popularity of the great character Daenerys Taegerean – Mother of Dragons.  Perhaps this is the year to buy shares in companies that make Dragon memorabilia – you heard it here first!

Geek alert : I confess that I am already on the third book of Martin’s seven book cycle ….. one thing is true is that both Tolkien and Martin project huge cultural influence, fanatical fan bases , both entertaining, but soft power is about values and culture . ASoFaI is much bleaker than LOTR and so far I think lacks its nobility and depth – but I would still prefer it to Harry Potter (sorry!).

But all this talk of Dragons is fantasy right? it’s all myths… children’s stories in Tolkiens case or Adult stories in Martins case?  ………… Well think again.  I was riveted last night,  cradling a small glass of whisky to celebrate the Chinese New Year, as I listened to an Indonesia Jesuit tell me all about his encounters with the Komodo Dragon.  That is one scary beast ….. can grow up to 3m’s long due to the evolutionary phenomenon of Island Gigantisism  ….. is pretty fast…. has poisonous saliva (no fire breathing) …. can smell prey 6 miles away… even crocodiles are afraid of it!  The ‘pièce de résistance’ :  they seem to be Parthenogenic (i.e. can reproduce asexually) – as was demonstrated by Flora of good old Chester Zoo! (according to this Wikipedia entry!).

The Joy and Frustration of Home

Stefan with Pedro in Mindanao

Today’s post is from British Jesuit Stefan Garcia – who witnessed the destruction of the Tropical Storm first hand. His mother is English and his father is Filipino.  Before joining the British Province Stefan grew up in Cebu in the Philippines.  He studied zoology before joining the Jesuits – and has just flown to Guyana for Regency.

Home visits. For me they’re about 3 parts joy to 2 parts frustration. After ten years of “living abroad”, a trip back to the Philippines was needed to remind me of where I come from, what made me the person I am, and using a more zoological tone, what kind of environment has shaped me into the Jesuit I am. Coming home for me meant supping from love in abundance, with my family. Sadly, my body reacted not so well; immediately my childhood omnipresent dust allergies fired up.The doctor says I’ll always have this reaction to my homeland. Allergens are most violent when most familiar because your body has an overreaction to the things it has had to deal with. It’s a good metaphor for my emotional life as well. Seeing family and friends after such a long time is genuinely wonderful, but being in this country angers me quite often: the corruption, the greed, the disregard for human life. I guess that’s everywhere, but I never feel it as strongly as when it so close to my heart.

The recent floods in Mindanao were for me especially heart breaking, not only because I was actually there and saw all the devastation, but because I love so many people in those places that were worst hit. And to know that much of this damage could have been easily prevented had the cities placed effective city planning to get people out of living in the most dangerous flood areas makes my blood boil. Being back home, in the Philippines, makes me angry. But it is the right kind of anger, the kind that should propel one to action, the kind that made me say “enough is enough” and so I dedicated my life to try and help others the best way I knew how, by being a Jesuit. Seeing it on the ground in the Philippines, the work of our good Jesuit brothers has been deeply consoling. In particular, my time with Pedro Walpole SJ has shown me what can (and cannot) be done. Pedro is a pioneer in the Philippine province; he works tirelessly to improve both the education of young tribal people (and in turn providing a model that could be adopted by the Philippine education system), and he has developed our knowledge of environmental sciences in the Philippine context. For example, his organisation Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC) will soon be publishing a textbook on landslides. His marriage of both incisive science, involvement with the people most affected, and personal prayer and reflection has shown me a “way of proceeding” that should be emulated by all our sisters and brothers in our apostolates. His team of workers at the ESSC also made me deeply hopeful, to see a group  of young, intelligent, dedicated Filipinos actively working to make their country and the world a better place, especially for those most in need.

It is old timers like Pedro that feed us young ones with the expertise and experiences we need to grow into sincere apostles. For me, the work of the ESSC has given me both the technical knowledge I need and the desire to work skillfully and realistically in what can seem like the bleakest of endeavours. But God leads them through the mire of their difficulties, and like them, I hope to be lead by Him. Through such amazing people, God energises us to do better, not to settle for what clearly is not good enough. I pray that the Lord provides me with the strength and courage that I have experienced in others so abundantly in the Philippines.

All the best in Guyana Stefan.

The website of the Jesuits in Guyana is here – clicky clicky!