Fr Elmer Ibarra SVD may be serving in the middle of the Australian desert, but that remote location hasn’t stopped him being recently appointed as Coordinator of the Biblical Apostolate for the SVD Asia-Pacific Zone.

Fr Elmer, originally from the Philippines, is the Parish Priest of Santa Teresa in Central Australia and he is also the Biblical Coordinator for the SVD AUS Province.

As Melbourne emerged from its recent COVID lockdown, Sydney, parts of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have headed into a new outbreak of the virus. School holidays and other plans have once again been ruined for many. It seems that just when we relax a little, the pandemic returns to bite again.

And yet, the situation in other places is so much worse than we are experiencing. We think of India, South America and even the UK and US. We are constantly reminded that the pandemic isn’t over anywhere until it’s over everywhere. Where can we find God in all of this?

Three retiring members of the SVD AUS Province Finance Advisory Committee have been presented with Papal Blessings in recognition for their work in helping the Province to provide good stewardship of its resources, in the service of Christ’s mission.

Peter Dent, Brian Rigney and Lou Youssef received the framed blessing from Pope Francis during a special presentation at Marsfield last month, as well as an official thank you letter from the SVD Superior-General, Fr Budi Kleden.

There was this story of a boy who was playing on a cruise liner with his alphabet blocks. Then in a few minutes, the ship encountered a storm.

This week is the 11^th Sunday of ordinary time. We continue our journey of faith, from Sunday to Sunday, to be nourished by Christ through his Words.

As this edition of In the Word arrives in your inbox we are still rejoicing in the recent feast of Pentecost and the great gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our Church.

St Arnold Janssen, the founder of the Divine Word Missionaries, had a particular devotion to the Holy Spirit. He felt, that in his lifetime in the late 1800s in Europe, the Holy Spirit was the underrated personage of the Holy Trinity and that more emphasis was placed on the Father and the Son.

Mother earth, mother nature, or as we hear in Isaiah, if a mother should ever forget the child of her womb, I shall never forget you, says God. I am THE MOTHER of all that is. I have born you in my womb, and my joy is complete when you are in my arms, happy and complete. It is my joy to give you life and for you to have it to the full. Remain in my love.

The power of giving life is not only a biological reality, as precious and special as that is, but giving life also includes those who nurture, those who listen, those who care for, those who reach out to others, reflects Fr Nick de Groot SVD.

Children from low-income families in SVD parishes in Beungkan Province, Thailand are preparing for the new school year with fresh educational supplies thanks to an initiative from their Parish Priest, Fr Truong Le SVD.

Fr Truong cares for the parishes of Immaculate Conception Church and Jesus of Nazareth Church in Beungkan Province, near the Mekong River, bordering Laos. It is the newest province in Thailand and one of the poorest.

There has been a saying going around our Community that the Feast of the Ascension reminds us that Jesus decided thereafter “to work from home”. 

The Gospels show Jesus teaching the people of His time about His Father using parables, stories, and metaphors that they were very familiar with.