American biblical scholar, Fr vănThanh Nguyễn, SVD will lead the Divine Word Missionaries AUS Province members in their annual retreat this year, despite not being able to travel from the US because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fr vănThanh, who is Professor of New Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, will deliver the retreat online on the topic, ‘The Love of Christ Impels Us: A Retreat with Saint Paul and the 18^th General Chapter’, to confreres from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Myanmar during July.

The St Maximilian Kolbe Parish Youth Group in Marsden, Brisbane is famous for its annual winter sleep-out fundraiser, but when COVID-19 restrictions meant it couldn’t go ahead this year, the young people, and the whole parish, decided to put their walking shoes on for mission instead.

The youth group came up with the idea of holding a We Are the World Winter Appeal, which aimed to raise funds for people in India who are struggling to provide the necessities because of the impact of the pandemic.

The Cantonese-speaking community in Melbourne has a new chaplain in Fr James Areechira SVD, who, although he is Indian, has spent 26 years of his missionary life living and working as a priest in Hong Kong.

Fr James says he first learnt Cantonese in 1988 when he took part in the SVD Overseas Training Program for two years in Hong Kong as a young missionary student.

Ever since I arrived to Thailand as a missionary in 2007, I have and continue to be engaged in many different ministries. One of my ongoing ministries is with undocumented Vietnamese migrant workers in this country. Being a migrant worker anywhere is quite difficult, but the undocumented status adds even more hardships to one’s life.

As expected, life as an undocumented migrant worker in Thailand has been extremely challenging during these times when the coronavirus pandemic has put a stop to the livelihood of a tremendous number of people. Most Vietnamese migrant workers in Thailand are facing a situation of joblessness, lack of income, and no way to go home because all the ways of leaving the country have been closed by the Thai government in order to fight the pandemic.

Pope Francis’ call for Church communities to provide a welcoming presence for migrants and refugees came to vibrant life at the SVD’s Marsfield community recently with the celebration of Multicultural Sunday.Pope Francis’ call for Church communities to provide a welcoming presence for migrants and refugees came to vibrant life at the SVD’s Marsfield community recently with the celebration of Multicultural Sunday.

The day began with Mass, followed by cultural performances by different ethnic groups. The celebration ended with a multicultural banquet under a clear blue sky.
Rector of the Marsfield Community, Fr Mikhael Loke says the day was timed to fit in with the worldwide celebration of Refugee and Migrant Sunday.

Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD loves his ministry with Vietnamese migrants in Bangkok, not only because he is able to serve these people on the margins and be part of their lives, but because he is also able to be a bridge to connect them with the larger church and the society in which they live.

Chaplaincy to Vietnamese migrants has recently moved from a volunteer ministry to one formally recognised by the Catholic Bishops of Thailand, a move he says which makes the ministry more systematic and effective.

Every year, as Christmas nears, people all over the world set up Nativity scenes in churches and in their homes to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. This is no exception in Thailand. Every church, from the grand cathedral to the humble village church, has a Nativity scene. However, in some churches around the country, not all of the Nativity scenes are set up by Thai Christians. Some of them are made by Vietnamese migrant workers.

Catholic Vietnamese migrant workers are no longer unfamiliar in Thai churches. They have become a familiar sight to the local parishioners.