Walking Together in Mission: Ordination, Learning, and Renewal
By John Francis Mukulu, SJ
These holidays and last few weeks have been filled with God’s graces at various dimensions and capacities, from ordinations, conferences, to province retreats and visits to Christian historical sites.
Grace of Ordination:
On 27 September, the Society of Jesus in Japan rejoiced as Fr. Phaolo Ngan An, SJ, a Vietnamese Jesuit who was ordained a deacon last year, was ordained to the priesthood at St Ignatius Church, Kojimachi. The Eucharist was presided over by Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, S.V.D. of Tokyo. This sacred moment reminds us of Christ’s words that we did not choose him, he chose and appointed us to go bear fruits in his vineyard (Jn 15:16). It was a witness of God’s faithfulness in calling laborers into His harvest.
Scholarly Mission in Age of AI:
In the same spirit of service, I was fortunate to present a research paper on ethical intelligence in educational AI at the 7th Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Education. The conference was held in Yokohama on 27-29 September 2025. My research seeks to integrate ethical intelligence in machine-learning throughout the development pipelines. The goal is to secure the future AI systems to serve with human dignity and justice in mind. It was an opportunity to recall the Ignatian ideals to find God in all things, even in algorithms.
Renewal in Mission and Service:
The end of this semester offered a time to take part in province retreat and refreshment. I had the chance to visit sacred sites in Kamakura and other places. It was also an opportune time of reconnecting with companions and missionary duties in East Africa. May we truly continue to seek and find the divine will of God in all things.”
We give thanks for the gift of the newly ordained priest, for pursuit of scholarly works for mission, and for the strength drawn from companionship, mission and prayer. May the Lord continue to be our shepherd that we may lack nothing (Ps 23:1). We also continue to pray for steadfast zeal in mission, courage to labor for the greater glory of God, and service for the Church and society. May this week’s graces guide us to ever deeper service and joy in Christ. Amen.