The SVD’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation coordinators from across the Asia Pacific region met in Bangkok recently to share their work and resolved to further step up their commitment to collaborative efforts and sharing resources across the ASPAC Zone.

Vice-Provincial for the SVD Australia Province, Fr Albano Da Costa SVD attended the meeting which was being hosted by the AUS Province in the Thailand District.

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”.

The SVD Australia Province is hosting two General Visitators over the next month, who will make their way around the various districts in Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand to spend time getting to know the confreres and observing our ministries in action.

Fr Yosef Masan Toron SVD, who is currently serving as the General Chairperson of the Indonesian Biblical Institute, is one of the Visitators appointed by the SVD Generalate in Rome. He is joined by Fr Jose Antunes da Silva SVD, who is Vice Superior General and was the provincial superior of Portugal.

The SVD Annual Mission Day 2022 will be held on Saturday, October 8, under the theme: For a Missionary Church in a Wounded World: Culturally Aware, Interreligious Solidarity & Faithfulness.

The Mission Day will be held at Yarra Theological Union Study Centre, 98 Albion Road, Box Hill, VIC, starting at 3pm AEDT.

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.

I have to admit that for quite some time I have not read many SVD publications. I feel I don’t find anything new. The familiar messages of multi/intercultural, international, dialogue(s), mission, ‘world is our parish’, ‘unity in diversity’… all sound too familiar from the novitiate days and almost slogan-like. It’s the same message, just under different packaging. Social justice and climate change! Oh yeah, great! Who would not stand up for such lofty ideas in this age of the globalisation, unless one is a bigot.

Like doubting Thomas, instead of taking ideas for granted, we must keep asking questions and re-examine what is passed on to us. Renew and revive!