01/09/2026
St Johns student Stefan J Solomona recently joined Acting Manukura Dr Andrew Picard at the Anglican Seminary Deans Network (ASDN) Seminar on Leadership and Management in the Age of Technology, held in Manila, Philippines.
For Stefan, one of the most meaningful parts of the experience was connecting with Anglican theological students from around the world and recognising shared histories across cultures, contexts, and communities.
During a visit to historic sites in Manila, Stefan learned more about the Philippines’ long experience of colonisation, including more than three centuries under Spanish rule. Although the context was different from his own, the stories felt familiar.
“We all have a resonating history,” he reflected.
What particularly struck Stefan was the way younger Filipinos he met were engaging with that history. Rather than seeking to bury painful parts of the past, they were asking how understanding them could help shape a better future. Stefan recognised a resonance with conversations in Aotearoa and across the Pacific about colonisation, identity, and the ways communities carry their histories forward.
The experience brought to mind a Pasifika understanding of time, in which the past is not behind us, but in front of us because it is known and can be seen. The future, by contrast, is behind us because it remains unseen.
“We’re rowing on this boat towards the future, but we’re rowing backward into the future,” Stefan explained.
For Stefan, the gathering raised important questions about how ancient wisdom can be brought into conversation with contemporary knowledge, and how students can be included in the relationships that will help shape the future of the Anglican Communion.
He hopes future regional gatherings will continue to make intentional space for students alongside seminary leaders, creating what he described as a “generational trend of discipleship.”
We give thanks for the opportunity for St Johns students to take part in these wider conversations, building relationships across the world and carrying forward wisdom for the future of the Church.
