Religious formation is a radical reorientation of the whole person – where life is continually shaped in deeper encounter with God, honest awareness of self, and loving availability to others. It is the slow conversion of desire and direction, until everything is oriented toward communication and mission in Christ.

The Jesuit apostolate in the Chinese-Filipino community spans schools, parishes, and various pastoral ministries that nurture faith, education, and service. Through these institutions, Jesuits accompany families and young people in forming both character and Christian discipleship. A key dimension of this mission is a deep respect for culture. Jesuits value the rich heritage of both Chinese and Filipino traditions and engage them as meaningful paths for expressing the Gospel. In this way, faith is lived and celebrated within the life of the community.

We have seen the devastation brought about by our country’s (and our world’s) environmental crisis. Thus, the urgent call for action. The most heartbreaking of all is that those who are most affected by this crisis are the poor and vulnerable. The Lord has entrusted us with the planet, and our fait asks of us to cherish and care for it. Each one of us must take this responsibility seriously and care for creation and each other. Thus, this issue of The Windhover is focused on Integral Ecology and the environmental situation in Mindanao.

We have always recognized the power of the youth. Despite generation gaps and differences, young people and adults find ways to work together harmoniously. In this issue, the youth offer messages they have for the older people in their lives while the adults share their experiences working with teenagers, and how these have changed their perspective on the world. On the cover, Sch. Renzo Akiat poses with his students. In his article, he writes about how much he loves teaching junior high school at Ateneo de Naga.