By Antonio F. Moreno SJ
Commentary by Mike Baños
When Fr Antonio Moreno SJ firs requested me to do a review of his book “Imperfect Leadership (A Jesuit Reflects on His Journey), I reluctantly said yes, though I warned him I greatly feared the fires of hell should I come up short of his expectations.
After all, who was I to pass judgement on an opus of the former president of my alma mater, the Ateneo de Zamboanga University; the former Provincial Superior of the Philippine Jesuit Community, and later President of the Jesuit Conference of the Asia Pacific (JCAP)?
So willy-nilly, I was gingerly tiptoeing through his book which he graciously provided for me to review, then Voila! When I got up Thursday morning to do my Daily Devotional with The Upper Room, the day’s reading leapt up to me:
But Moses said to the LORD, “My Lord, I’ve never been able to speak well, not yesterday, not the day before, and certainly not now since you’ve been talking to your servant. I have a slow mouth and a thick tongue.” 11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who gives people the ability to speak? Who’s responsible for making them unable to speak or hard of hearing, sighted or blind? Isn’t it I, the LORD? 12 Now go! I’ll help you speak, and I’ll teach you what you should say.” 13 (Exodus 4:11-13)
I first met Fr Tony when he was the chaplain of our Circulo Zamboangueño de Cagayan de Oro, the group of Zamboangueños residing in Cagayan de Oro. Every year until recently, this group would hold a novena leading to the Feast of Nuestra Señora de la Virgen del Pilar (our Lady of the Pillar) our beloved patron saint of our Ciudad de las Flores every October 12th.
During the holy mass he celebrated in 2006 at the XU Loyola House Chapel for us on Fiesta Pilar, Fr. Tony acknowledged the enormity of the task facing him as he prepared to take the reins of Ateneo de Zamboanga as its next president, but remained confident that God would give him the strength to do a good job as reflected in his brief homily, “What can you do for Zamboanga?”
I was surprised that he was able to converse with us in Chavacano, our local language, and learned that he taught at the Ateneo de Zamboanga High School in 1987. I met him again in 2012 when Ateneo de Zamboanga University (My Alma Mater, when it was still a college in 1978 when I graduated) celebrated its centennial. However, due to the hectic schedule of events, I only managed to converse with him briefly when I visited the campus a few days before the centennial.
Fast forward to 2021 and I was deep in the fight against the ennui induced by the restrictions imposed by the global pandemic collating World War II stories of Mindanao. One of those I stumbled upon was the story of the Fighting Moreno Brothers of Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, one of whom was 3rd Lt. Rodolfo A. Moreno who happened to be Fr Tony’s late father. We corresponded and collaborated in retrieving his military records from the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) which Fr Tony shared with me, and which was crucial in helping me put together the stories of the four Moreno siblings who fought as guerrillas during the Second World War. (For those interested, here’s a link to that story in my blog: https://www.metrocagayandemisamis.com/2025/01/31/the-history-and-legacy-of-the-fighting-moreno-brothers/)
Why did I mention this? In his book, Fr Tony relates how his father (nicknamed Pong) was one of the early influencers who shaped his leadership journey. As a local history buff, I thoroughly enjoyed walking beside him as he walks the reader through his humble beginnings, family history, and early influencers like Rafael Cecilio (A teacher who dared to be different), Fr Antonio “Derps” Cuna SJ (A Jesuit who modeled cura personalis), and Fr Pedro Arrupe SJ (A person for and with others) then Superior General of the Jesuits.
Fr. Tony shares a deeply personal reflection on leadership — one marked by service, humility, and grace amid imperfection. Through stories and insights from his own Jesuit journey, he invites readers to a renewed understanding of leadership as accompaniment and discernment in mission.
In these aspect, I defer to the better words and wisdom of two fellow Jesuits of the author who couldn’t have said it better:
“Tony has edified us, his Jesuit brothers, through his unassuming and gentle style of leadership – one marked by integrity, competence, and deep compassion. He continues to do so in his ongoing journey as a Jesuit serving the Society of Jesus and the Church. His unique gifts reveal a leadership that is both profoundly human and deeply spiritual – accompanied by humility and grace, even in imperfection,” wrote Fr Primitivo E Viray Jr SJ, current President of the Jesuit Conference of the Asia Pacific in one of the book’s forewords.
“In a world that often celebrates flawless execution and invulnerable confidence in leadership, Imperfect Leadership is a refreshingly honest, humble, and deeply human offering. This book is neither a manual or a memoir – it is a pilgrimage. And like all pilgrimages worth taking, it is marked not by perfection but by profound learning, surprising turns, and the grace that comes through vulnerability,” writes Fr Mars P Tan SJ, current president of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, in the book’s other foreword.
“Whether you are a spiritual leader, an educator, a public servant, or someone navigating the quiet responsibilities of everyday leadership, Imperfect Leadership offers a companion on the journey – real, reflective, and rooted in the conviction that imperfection is not a weakness, but a source of strength and authenticity.”
A few final words from the author himself:
“My journey has taken me from being withdrawn to engaged, from local to global and back to local, from being accompanied to leading others and being led. The mission narrative is larger than what I thought. Along the way, there are strange surprises and humbling moments, pulling me into moments. The key in all this includes availability, trusting in the spirit (“willingness to be led”), and sheer self-giving to be placed “totally in his hands,” despite the imperfections.”
“Although there are moments when friends laud my efforts and tend to overrate me as a leader, I see myself only as someone whose main assets are simply availability, a willingness to be led, openness to surprises, and the courage to take risks and make difficult decisions when needed. Nothing more.”
“I offer this book with the hope that readers’ experiences may intersect with mine in some aspects of the story, for as Kierkegaard puts it, by reflecting on our past, we may draw some lessons for the future.”
The Lord said to Moses, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” – Exodus 4:12 (NIV)
Get your copy through this link: https://forms.gle/sqo9652TD7YYY8U8A
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