As the Church celebrates World Mission Month in October, the Society of the Divine Word celebrates the 20th anniversary of the canonisation of its two saints – Saint Arnold Janssen and Saint Joseph Freinademetz.
St Arnold founded the SVD in 1875 in Steyl, the Netherlands and went on to also establish two orders of Religious Sisters. St Joseph Freinademetz was one of the first two SVDs sent out on mission - to China. They were both canonised by Pope John Paul II on October 5, 2003, and on this anniversary, we share with you St John Paul’s homily from that occasion
SVD Communications Coordinators from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Manila, the Philippines, recently to share ideas and resources for spreading the Good News in effective and innovative ways.
Communications Coordinator for the SVD Australia Province, Fr Joseph Reddy SVD, said the purpose of the gathering was “to enhance the communication skills and media learning of the SVD Provincial/Regional Communication Coordinators of the ASPAC Zone”.
Eight young Divine Word Missionaries who are students at Dorish Maru College in Melbourne renewed their temporary vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience recently.
The renewal of vows is a significant annual step in their formative years and a time for reflection and recommitment to their vocational journey.
SVD missionaries who have been professed for less than five years or have been in the Australia Province for less than five years gathered recently for the ‘Under Fives’ ongoing formation course.
Participants shared their ministry experiences and received formal input from a range of speakers in a program described by one of those taking part as “formative, informative and life-giving”.
He is Risen! Happy Easter to you!
As we make our way through the joy of the Easter season, I have been reflecting on the resurrection experience of my visit to the Tiwi Islands during Holy Week and Easter, writes Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD.
The friends and partners in mission of the SVD Australia Province raised more than $70,000 in recent months for two special mission appeals – one to assist the people affected by the war in Ukraine and the other, to purchase a campervan for ministry to remote communities in Central Australia.
“We are very grateful for the generosity of people who donated to these special appeals,” says Mission Secretary Fr Viet Nguyen SVD.
Here in Australia the idiom “turn something on its head” is used quite a lot, especially in sports. When a team is leading by a big score and then the opponent rallies and is now in the lead, you can hear commentators saying, “The game has been turned on its head”.
An invitation by the SVD Generalate in Rome to be an official Visitator to the SVD mission in Indonesia’s biggest Province paved the way for a positive experience, says Fr Henry Adler SVD.
Fr Henry was one of three Visitators to spend a month in the Indonesia-Java Province recently, meeting SVD confreres there and spending time observing the various ministries in action.
The halls of Dorish Maru College, the SVD’s formation house in Melbourne, are once again ringing with life following the arrival of five new missionary students – the first big intake since international borders re-opened after the pandemic.
The students are from Vietnam and China. Also arriving recently are two SVD priests, who are studying English before beginning their ministry.
After two years of pandemic lockdowns and restrictions in Melbourne, the SVD students finally got the opportunity to hit the road and travel out of Victoria as a formation community during the recent winter academic holidays.
The students from Dorish Maru College visited SVD parishes and confreres as well as the Holy Spirit Sisters, shared their vocational stories and spent time with families in Queensland and New South Wales, while also having the chance to explore some of what the different parts of Australia have to offer.