The first months of 2015 have seen the SVD AUS Province preparing new missionaries for their ministry in Australia with two orientation and acculturation courses getting underway– one in Victoria and one in Central Australia.

The Summer Orientation into the Australian Culture program in St Leonards, Victoria was held for the newly arrived young SVD seminarians/students and missionaries, while the Central Australia SVD Orientation and Acculturation Course got underway in Alice Springs for confreres recently assigned to the Central Australia District.

Formation Director Fr Boni Buahendri SVD says the Summer Orientation program for young missionaries recently arrived in Australia was held in January, and included participants from Indonesia, Argentina, Vietnam, Korea and Japan.

“It was a lovely and successful program,” Fr Boni says.

“Most of those who took part are Overseas Training Program (OTP) students and young SVD missionaries who are preparing themselves to work and begin pastoral ministry in Australia.”

Fr Boni says the three-week program is developed especially to help newly arrived missionaries come to better understand Australia and its people and culture.

“As young missionaries, everything is new for them,” he says. “Therefore, in order to feel at home in this country and to help them in doing good ministry in this country, they have to learn more about the language, culture, weather, food, way of living, and so on.

“This program helps them with the issues of culture shock, loneliness, and some professional standards issues in the Catholic Church in Australia. It helps prepare them for cross culture ministry and mission.”

The young missionaries covered topics including: the story of Australia as a nation, including the first and early migrants to Australia; the story of Catholicism in Australia; spirituality and pastoral ministry with the Indigenous peoples of Australia; plants and animals of Australia; how to behave in public; professional standards; women in Australian culture; and multicultural living in Australia.

The live-in program was held at the SVD house at beachside St Leonards and gave the newly arrived missionaries time to bond together and to experience an Aussie summer at the beach.

“When they weren’t in sessions they enjoyed swimming, fishing, bush walking and bike riding. They also played volley ball and soccer at the beach. Moreover, the bonding and solidarity among this group from all over the world became stronger, helping them to support each other on this journey of following Jesus and serving the Kingdom of God and his mission,” says Fr Boni.

In Central Australia, February saw the beginning of a new Orientation and Acculturation Course for SVD confreres, (and other interested Religious) assigned to the District.

Course Director, Fr Jim Knight SVD says that following the first decades of contact between European Australians and the Arrernte people of Central Australia, it was assumed that the Arrernte would die out. Today however, that expectation has changed, and thanks to a birth rate higher than any other populations in Australia, the survival of the Arrernte people is no longer threatened.

“The question that remains, however, is: Can the Aboriginal peoples of Central Australia thrive physically, culturally and spiritually, rather than merely survive?” Fr Jim says.

“A second question is: If they are to thrive, what is the mission of the Christian Church in their physical, cultural and spiritual thriving?”

Fr Jim says the SVD Orientation and Acculturation Course will attempt to address those questions and to prepare missionaries for their ministry with the Arrernte people.

The course will be held over four stages throughout 2015 and include obtaining a basic understanding of and fluency in the Arrernte language; gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of Arrernte culture and history (both before and after European contact); and pastoral and societal topics.

Workshops will be held on various pastoral issues including prison ministry (to equip confreres for weekly and monthly visits to the Alice Springs Prison); addiction – from medical, social and pastoral perspectives; suicide – from cultural, social and pastoral perspectives; unemployment and development; and marriage – it’s social/cultural and sacramental/pastoral dimensions.

AUS Provincial, Fr Henry Adler SVD says the orientation and acculturation courses are part of the Province’s deep commitment to preparing young missionaries for their ministry in Australia in culturally appropriate, supportive and life-giving ways.