Vietnam 2018 Jescom-AP meeting's participants
The meeting took place at the pastoral center of the Saigon Archdiocese in Hochiminh City, Vietnam, where participants were warmly welcomed by Fr. Thadeus Nguyen Van Yen, SJ and his team.
The first day of the meeting opened with presentations of communications representatives about their activities and challenges faced during the past year. Each country’s delegate also introduced their future communications projects and products. Leading sessions of the meeting, Fr. Emmanuel L Alfonso, SJ, Coordinator for Social Communications of the Conference, emphasized that “annual meetings of the Jesuit Communications of the Asia Pacific (Jescom-AP) are good opportunities to learn from experiences and continue to support each other.”The tour to Mekong delta was another activity of the gathering in which participants experienced rural lifestyles, explored culture and enjoyed food of the Mekong delta which is the heart of Vietnam’s agricultural south and is the country’s largest site for rice fields, coconut palms, fruit orchards and sugarcane groves.
During the morning of the third day, the meeting honorably welcomed the presence of Fr. Antonio Moreno, SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, and listened to his remarks on the renewal of the governance and apostolic preferences of the Conference. Fr. President also reminded delegates the main mission of communications is to “go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News.”The three-day meeting came to a close with the Mass presided by Fr Antonio Moreno at the chapel of the pastoral center. For participants, their first visit to Vietnam – not only provided opportunity for discovering the Vietnamese culture and history but also helped them to learn, share and build friendship and collaboration among communicators of the Conference.Chinh Tran, SJ
