The Dominican Leadership Conference of the Asia Pacific region was held in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan from February 02 to 06. The conference was graced with fifty five participants from twelve countries across Asia and the Pacific region (Australia, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Viet nam), and some delegates from Santa Sabina, our General Curia in Rome. The three members of the Dominican Order: the friars, active sisters and the laities, all of whom are leaders of either province or entity of the Order in the region gathered together to talk about and work on the Dominican Leadership Today.
The conference officially began with all the participants coming together at the altar with Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, the former Socius for Asia Pacific region of the Master of the Order of Preachers and currently the prior provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines as the main celebrant with Fr Celestine Huang, the General Vicar of the Chinese Dominican Vicariate and the Head Organizer of the conference and Fr Dominic Ip, the Socius to the General Vicar of the Chinese General Vicariate and the Secretary General as co-celebrants along with other friars.
Fr Pedregosa prudently explained in his keynote address during the first day of the conference the quality of leadership we Dominicans should live up. In addition he stressed on the importance of the task of leadership but also emphasized leadership belongs to everyone and is a shared responsibility. Different sessions followed later where the participants were grouped according to their respective branches: the friars deal with the issue on migration, the sisters reflected, shared and concentrated on the content of Fr Pedregosa’s keynote’s message, and the laities dwelt on the challenges the Dominican laities everywhere are bracing out.
The branch meetings continued for the next two days with the three branches’ regional representative acted as facilitators of each session. The friars focused their discussion on academic formation, education and collaboration among the provinces and vicariates in the region, and came up with some suggestions on how to hold a general conference. Sr Cecilia Espenilla, the Coordinator for the Asia Pacific region of the Dominican Sister International made a brief introduction on the Dominican Sister International organization and its priorities, and introduced the different congregations of dominican sisters in the whole region as well. The laities on the other hand pointed out the need for more collaboration among themselves in order to respond to the call of the times and to find means on how efforts to resolve important and urgent issues will materialize.
The other days were spent for brainstorming on how to improve the quality of dominican leadership in the region today, highlighted the reports of the executive committees, a brief introduction on Dominican Volunteers International by its coordinator Sr Rose Ann Schlitt, planning and open forum, touring some of the famous spots both in Kaohsiung and Pingtung areas, showcasing of talents from the students of St. Dominic High School and from the participants, an evening banquet courtesy of St Dominic High School executives, and a paid visit to the convents, social institution and church of the Dominican friars and sisters in the southern part of the island.
The conference was officially closed with the participants coming together as one family at the banquet of the Lord, with Fr Hilario Singian, the current Socius of the Master of the Order for Asia Pacific region as the main celebrant. Fr Singian shared in his homily the importance of compassion in our mission, as persons called to be Dominicans. Leadership he said should primarily be rooted in compassion so that its very essence will be manifested and communicated. Compassion should emanate from the gift of vocation we all received from God, not only as bearers but as living witnesses of Truth whom we as the Lord’s Hounds constantly seek and desire to preach.
The Chinese Dominican General Vicariate
The conference officially began with all the participants coming together at the altar with Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, the former Socius for Asia Pacific region of the Master of the Order of Preachers and currently the prior provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines as the main celebrant with Fr Celestine Huang, the General Vicar of the Chinese Dominican Vicariate and the Head Organizer of the conference and Fr Dominic Ip, the Socius to the General Vicar of the Chinese General Vicariate and the Secretary General as co-celebrants along with other friars.
Fr Pedregosa prudently explained in his keynote address during the first day of the conference the quality of leadership we Dominicans should live up. In addition he stressed on the importance of the task of leadership but also emphasized leadership belongs to everyone and is a shared responsibility. Different sessions followed later where the participants were grouped according to their respective branches: the friars deal with the issue on migration, the sisters reflected, shared and concentrated on the content of Fr Pedregosa’s keynote’s message, and the laities dwelt on the challenges the Dominican laities everywhere are bracing out.
The branch meetings continued for the next two days with the three branches’ regional representative acted as facilitators of each session. The friars focused their discussion on academic formation, education and collaboration among the provinces and vicariates in the region, and came up with some suggestions on how to hold a general conference. Sr Cecilia Espenilla, the Coordinator for the Asia Pacific region of the Dominican Sister International made a brief introduction on the Dominican Sister International organization and its priorities, and introduced the different congregations of dominican sisters in the whole region as well. The laities on the other hand pointed out the need for more collaboration among themselves in order to respond to the call of the times and to find means on how efforts to resolve important and urgent issues will materialize.
The other days were spent for brainstorming on how to improve the quality of dominican leadership in the region today, highlighted the reports of the executive committees, a brief introduction on Dominican Volunteers International by its coordinator Sr Rose Ann Schlitt, planning and open forum, touring some of the famous spots both in Kaohsiung and Pingtung areas, showcasing of talents from the students of St. Dominic High School and from the participants, an evening banquet courtesy of St Dominic High School executives, and a paid visit to the convents, social institution and church of the Dominican friars and sisters in the southern part of the island.
The conference was officially closed with the participants coming together as one family at the banquet of the Lord, with Fr Hilario Singian, the current Socius of the Master of the Order for Asia Pacific region as the main celebrant. Fr Singian shared in his homily the importance of compassion in our mission, as persons called to be Dominicans. Leadership he said should primarily be rooted in compassion so that its very essence will be manifested and communicated. Compassion should emanate from the gift of vocation we all received from God, not only as bearers but as living witnesses of Truth whom we as the Lord’s Hounds constantly seek and desire to preach.
The Chinese Dominican General Vicariate
