Formation

I have been involved in the broadly defined social apostolate from the time I studied philosophy during formation. I worked in a shelter for homeless women in Krakow, and later did my regency at the Jesuit Refugee Service in Berlin.

In April, as part of a three-week seminar on Catholic social teaching, my Jesuit novitiate visited the Louisiana State Penitentiary, better known as Angola Prison. Though in the past I worked for a program that assists recently released prisoners, until this day, I had not interacted with the permanently incarcerated.

Kyabé is located in the Lake Iro Division, in the southwest of the Republic of Chad. It is the capital of this division and is 900 km from N'Djamena, the capital of Chad. It is a rural environment where Arabic speakers live alongside the Sara-Kaba, the indigenous people of the region.

"Our lives depend on the flow of the Mekong. When it comes up to high tide during the rainy season, the waters of the river flood the riverbank. That is the right time for planting; we become farmers. When the river is in its low tide, the land is drained and there is no possibility to water the riverbank and to continue planting. Then we turn to be fishermen again."

I would like to speak about a foreign worker I tried to help. When I met him, he asked me to help him to change companies. From the first, I realized it would be difficult. At present our Korean government imposes some impediments toward migrant workers changing companies because employers want the migrants to continually serve their company.

My involvement with the Tertians – Jesuits who are undergoing a final formal period of formation before taking their fourth vow - began at a joint birthday party. The Tertian Master, Pat O’Sullivan SJ, was pleased to meet me there.