Fr Sacha Bermudez-Goldman SJ, a Companion of Jesuit Mission, left Australia in mid-January 2025 to join the Instituto São João de Brito (ISJB) in Kasait, Timor-Leste, as part of their teaching staff and their Ignatian Formation team.
Generously supported by our warm, wonderful Jesuit Mission family here in Australia, ISJB is an inspiring Teacher Training College that offers a four-year Bachelor’s degree in Teaching to over 400 students each year.
At ISJB, these young men and women receive the education they need to become the next generation of teachers who will help uplift the quality of education in Timor-Leste and create lasting change into the future. Excited by the challenge of his new role at ISJB, Fr Sacha first had to learn the nuances of a new language.
“Three days after arriving in Timor-Leste, I started four weeks of Tetum language training,” says Fr Sacha.
“Learning a new language is truly a great lesson in humility and patience!” Then, to further accelerate his language skills, Sacha moved to the small mountain village of Matataria, a mission site in Railaco parish. “I ended up celebrating seven masses in Tetum there,” he recalls.
With his preparation complete, Fr Sacha took up his place at ISJB, teaching English and Mathematics and working with the Formation team to offer pastoral care, spiritual programs, retreats and guidance to students, teachers, and staff.
“Jesuit and Ignatian values, culture and tradition are already very much embedded in the curriculum and culture of ISJB,” he says.
“Weekly masses, Ignatian accompaniment, annual retreats and several days of recollection throughout the year, are some of the activities students and staff are offered, but there is so much more that the Formation team would like to offer, and we are working on this together.”
Open-hearted and always ready to help, Fr Sacha is deeply thankful for all the messages of support, thoughts and prayers he has received from our Australian Jesuit community.
“I’m grateful to be here and hope to be able to contribute in some small ways to our mission in this beautiful country.”
Find out more
- This story featured in our Reflections Winter #635 – 2025. Download Reflections.
- About Instituto São João de Brito (ISJB).
- See all our programs and find out how you can have an impact.
