The first Divine Word Missionary assigned to the new mission in Myanmar will arrive next month, to begin offering the Biblical formation that the SVD has been invited to provide in the south-east Asian nation.
Fr Jacob Kavunkal SVD will arrive in Myanmar in early March, and says he is looking forward to helping get the new mission underway.
“At the moment, my vision is aligned with Cardinal Charles Bo's invitation to us: Biblical animation,” he says.
Other opportunities for teaching and inter-religious dialogue might be explored later.
“However, these are only possibilities that are to be studied only after experiencing the on-the-ground reality,” Fr Jacob says.
Fr Jacob will take up residence in the house in Hmawbi, north-west of Yangon, which has been made available for SVD use.
Mission Secretary Fr Truc Quoc Phan SVD and Fr John Hung Le SVD from the neighbouring Thailand District of the AUS Province have been working tirelessly over recent months to restore the house to a habitable condition.
Fr Jacob’s assignment to Myanmar comes after a long history in studying and teaching missiology.
Born in India in 1943, and now holding an Australian passport, Fr Jacob did his priestly studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum in Pune, India and a Masters from the University of Pune. Later, he achieved his Licentiate and Doctorate in Missiology from the Gregorian University, Rome. He was ordained in 1975 and worked for two years as Prefect of students before undertaking further studies in Rome.
In India, Fr Jacob served as Mission Secretary, Superior Delegate and the Director of the Missiological Institute in Pune. He taught at the Pontifical Athenaeum, Pune, for more than 20 years and was also the Head of the Department of Theology and Religions as well as Director of Postgraduate Studies. Fr Jacob has taught in several Indian Theological centres as well as in Chicago, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
“I was appointed to the Australia Province right after my doctoral studies at the request of the then Provincial, Peter O’Reilly,” Fr Jacob says.
“Since 1984 I’ve been a teacher at Yarra Theological Union, either as a full timer or as a visiting lecturer. I’m due to retire from YTU in November this year when I will have reached the retirement age of 75!”
Meanwhile, in Myanmar, Fr Jacob is looking forward to kicking off the SVD mission with two Biblical offerings for the Lenten season.
The first is a Biblical Retreat leading to an experience of Jesus of Nazareth through the Gospels.
“It’s oriented to have an impact on daily Christian living in the Joy of the Gospel,” he says.
The other is a Biblical focus on ‘The Passion Narrative And the Mission of the Church Today’.
It will look at questions including: Why was Jesus executed like a criminal though the Gospels present him as a man of absolute integrity?
“The account of the passion of the Lord is a major portion of all the four gospels,” he says.
“In fact, Jesus looks forward to the hour! The reflections will lead to the discussion on the prophetic edge of following ‘The Way’.”
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Fr Jacob Kavunkal SVD
BOTTOM LEFT: The SVD house in Myanmar, under renovation last year, is now ready to live in.