The SVD Generalate in Rome has announced that Fr Asaeli Raass SVD has been elected as Provincial of the AUS Province and will take up his role in January 2020.

The current Provincial, Fr Henry Adler SVD says the news of Fr Raass’ election by his province confreres arrived from Rome this week. Fr Raass is currently Vice-Provincial and is the Parish Priest of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Alice Springs.

“Raass has been involved in many ministries including leadership roles within the AUS Province and in the Diocese of Darwin,” Fr Henry says.

“Raass has had extensive and varied experiences over the years and will be a very suitable and capable leader. I wish him all the best in this role and pray for him as he takes up the reins and leads the Province into the future.”

Fr Raass was born in Fiji on March 23, 1968. His father was a Melanesian Fijian Chief and his mother is of Polynesian Tongan heritage. He comes from a devout Catholic family and has 12 siblings.

He began his SVD journey in 1993, taking up his Postulancy and Novitiate in Australia. During his formation he spent time in Ghana as part of the Overseas Training Program and then headed back to Australia for Theology studies and ordination to the Diaconate. He was ordained to the Priesthood on December 14, 2002 in Fiji.

Fr Raass says he plans to take his upcoming new responsibilities “one day at a time”.

“Up here in Central Australia, one of the favourite hymns of the Aboriginal people is ‘One day at a time, Sweet Jesus’, and that’s exactly how I’ll be taking things,” he says.

“I humbly accept the role and I thank my confreres for their trust in me.”

Fr Raass also says he will be stepping into the role of Provincial at an exciting time for the Church in Australia and for the Divine Word Missionaries.

“I’m excited about where the Church is headed,” he says.

“I’ve been reading the themes that have come out of the Plenary Council process and I’m excited about them.

“The themes talk about an inclusive, participative, merciful Church and those themes fit in with the SVD idea of mission and also with my personal understanding of the Church. I find them very refreshing and I’m excited to be part of this new movement that is emerging in the Church.”

Fr Raass has been assigned to Central Australia for the last 10 years and has been Parish Priest in Alice Springs for the past six years. He has been Chaplain to the Eastern Central Arrernte people and served as Head of Catholic Mission and Faith Formation for teachers in the Darwin Diocese Catholic Education Office, as well as Vicar of the Southern Region of the Diocese.

“It will be really hard to leave Central Australia,” he says.

“Being part of the struggles of Indigenous Australians and seeing them strive to find their place in the Church has been a big thorn in my side. I want to keep encouraging people not to overlook the First Peoples of this land and to help them find their place in the Church in the way that St John Paul II spoke about when he was here.

“As the Church moves forward, I want to urge us not to forget all those who might be struggling and in danger of being left behind.”

As Provincial, Fr Raass says he will have good guides to help him in his task.

“I hope to build on the strengths of the leaders of the past and work towards implementing the resolutions of the 18th General Chapter in Rome,” he says.

“And those resolutions were all about going back to our roots, to the spiritual roots of who we are as Divine Word Missionaries – rooted in the Word.

“So we have a good foundation in that. We’re not just about activities, but going back to why we are here in Australia and why we are Divine Word Missionaries.

“I know that being Provincial is not going to be an easy task. It is a massive responsibility. But I am comforted by the fact that I’ve got really good support and I’m looking forward to the election of a good Provincial Council and we’ll definitely need the Holy Spirit guiding us.

“But I’d love to explore the uncomfortable boundaries of SVD life and mission and really see how much we can continue to bring the reign of God in this part of the world.

“I’m a collaborative leader. I love to listen. And hopefully with God’s help, I can make a difference.”