Fr Mars P Tan, SJ, President of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, was among the leaders of Jesuit higher education in the Asia Pacific who gathered in Hiroshima, Japan, for the annual Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Asia Pacific (AJCU-AP) CEOs Meeting. The event, hosted by the Elisabeth University of Music (EUM) from 24 to 27 August 2025, served as a platform for strategic planning and collaboration within the regional Jesuit network.
This year’s participants of the AJCU-AP CEOs meeting in Hiroshima, Japan
The core of the meeting was a workshop on Discerning Foresight, facilitated by Fr Johnny Go, SJ. The workshop aimed to help leaders reinterpret their institutions’ missions and navigate uncertainty with spiritual depth. The process encouraged them to read the critical trends and signs of the times to sense “where they are being led by God”.
Fr Johnny Go, SJ, during the Discerning Foresight workshop
The meeting also included crucial updates on new and ongoing AJCU-AP programs. Leaders received reports on a wide range of initiatives, including: Mental Health and Spiritual Well-Being, Integral Ecology, Artificial Intelligence and Democracy, Global Leadership Program (GLP), Service-Learning Program (SLP), and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Essential business matters, including the election of the new AJCU-AP President and Vice President, and determining the hosts for the 2026 AJCU-AP CEOs Meeting and the 2028 IAJU Assembly, were also discussed.
Other than the formal sessions, the gathering was rich with cultural and spiritual experiences. Participants attended Holy Mass at the Catholic Noboricho Church, toured the EUM campus, and enjoyed a short concert by the EUM faculty. A true highlight was the cultural immersion, which included a hands-on okonomiyaki-making dinner and a tour of Miyajima Island, famous for its floating Torii gate. The meeting concluded with a tour of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and a visit to the Nagatsuka Monastery, a powerful and reflective end to an impactful gathering.
The group is pictured here on Miyajima Island, with the famous floating Torii Gate behind.
Participants from the Philippine Ateneos, headed by Fr Roberto Yap, SJ (President of ADMU and AJCU-AP); also in
photo are Bro Jeff Pioquinto, SJ (ADZU), Fr Tony Basilio, SJ (ADDU), Fr Mars Tan, SJ (XU), Fr Ari Dy, SJ (ADNU),
and Fr Johnny Go, SJ (ADMU), with their corresponding International Networking Officers and meeting speakers
A reflective moment at the Nagatsuka Monastery, which once served as a Jesuit novitiate and played a significant role
in the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The AJCU-AP CEOs Meeting was more than just a business conference. It was a gathering that grounded strategic planning in spiritual wisdom, affirming the leaders' commitment to building resilient and innovative institutions while staying true to their core Jesuit values of wisdom, courage, and a deep commitment to justice in an ever-changing world.