One of the best experiences I had with my parents was when in 2011 I toured them for four weeks around Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian Province of the Society of the Divine Word has celebrated the feast days of the two SVD saints, St Arnold Janssen and St Joseph Freinademetz, with special Masses and social gatherings of confreres, SSpS Sisters, parishioners, lay partners and partners in mission.
St Arnold founded the Society of the Divine Word in September 1875. He later went on to found two orders of Religious Women, the Servant Sisters of the Holy Spirit and the Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration.
Two SVD members from the Australia Province have recently returned from Europe where they took part in a Renewal Course which helped them re-charge their missionary batteries and return back to their ministry refreshed and re-invigorated.
Fr Viet Nguyen SVD, who is the Mission Secretary for the SVD AUS Province, travelled to Steyl in the Netherlands and Nemi, outside of Rome for the course, along with Fr John Quang SVD, who had been serving in a New Zealand parish.
Happy New Year! In this, our first edition of In the Word for 2024, I pray that the year ahead will be filled with God’s blessings for you.
Each new year begins with such promise. Perhaps you made a raft of resolutions, but as we reach the end of January they are starting to slip away. Fear not. At times like this, I am reminded of Mother Teresa’s words: God doesn’t require us to be successful, only faithful.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Have you ever felt amazed when you see something? If so, why do you feel amazed? Is it because the thing you see and observe is beyond your thinking?
One of the most important events in an Athletics competition is the relay race. And one of the most crucial moments of this race is the baton change.
Christmas is always a feast of Light, emphasising Christ is the Light born into the world and shining in the darkness. We see lot of lights in Christmas decorations as a symbol for that meaning.
Most of us would want to have an eventful day so that we may feel that our day has been productive for us. In the gospel for today, it is an eventful day for Mary and Joseph as they presented the infant Jesus at the temple.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Today, we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent. Today's Gospel invites us to concentrate on the figure of Mother Mary.
The theme of our SVD's 19th General Chapter and its reflections clearly indicate how missionaries need to deepen their understanding of mission, identity, charism, and spirituality. One aspect is crystal clear: we are called to become a light in the wounded world for oneself and for others.
The Divine Word Missionaries are completing a year with our presence at Tiwi Islands. During this year, it has been a time of reflection, understanding, walking along, appreciating the culture, being with the people in sorrow, and, above all, making the Tiwi people know that we are with them.
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