Members of the SVD AUS Province and Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters joined together in July for their annual retreat, based on the theme of ‘A holiday with the Lord’.

The retreat was led by Fr Gregory Pinto SVD, who travelled from Rome, where he is currently serving his second term as a member of the General Council of the Divine Word Missionaries.

“The retreat takes the psycho-spiritual approach,” he says. “We often try to separate human beings into the spiritual and the emotional, but they are so interconnected.

“The theme, ‘A holiday with the Lord’, indicates that it is a time to just listen to God and look into our priorities, our directions, our commitment in a very friendly manner.

“The Lord wants to spend time with us and he invites us to spend time with him after working so hard.”

Fr Gregory says he hopes that the retreatants will go away feeling more energised and focused for their missionary work.

“I also hope they will feel affirmed in what they are doing, while gently directing them in certain things that can be helpful in their life and mission,” he says.

Fr Gregory was born and raised in India and joined the SVD minor seminary during his high school years.

He took his final vows in 1977 and was ordained a priest in 1978, going on to do missionary work in India, mostly in the formation of seminarians. He completed a Masters and a Doctoral degree in Clinical Counselling and was elected Provincial in Bombay.

During his term as Provincial Fr Gregory was elected to the SVD General Council in Rome and has been there for 11 years.

He says the role of the General Council is to deal with the ‘big picture’ of the Society of the Divine Word across the world.

“We are involved with animation, administration and coordination as well as making Visitations to the various Provinces,” he says.

“But this visit is not a Visitation. I was simply invited to give the retreat here and I obliged. I enjoy doing it.”

The retreat was held in both Melbourne and Sydney.