The parish of St Clement Catholic Church in Chum Phae, in Thailand’s Khon Kaen Province is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Parish Priest, Fr Ben Bella SVD, said the relatively small parish is located in a rural area, surrounded by several villages with the church an important centre of faith and fellowship for the local people.
Fr Truc Quoc Phan SVD has bid a fond farewell to the parishioners of Emerald Parish in Queensland’s Central Highlands to move to Sydney and take up the role of Mission Secretary for the SVD Australia Province.
Fr Truc has been Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Parish in Emerald and its surrounding communities for six years, with his farewell Masses across the vast rural district having seen him drive a total of 900km.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish in Alice Springs opened its doors for an extended period of prayer following the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby in the Central Australian town last month.
Parish Priest, Fr Prakash Menezes SVD, said that on the day the little girl’s body was found, the parish remained open for prayer and lighting of candles until 9pm, with a steady stream of people making their way to the church.
The diversity of the SVD Australia Province was on full display over the past month as Provincial, Fr Boni Buahendri SVD was welcomed by confreres and faith communities in the South Island of New Zealand, Central West Queensland and the Tiwi Islands.
The visits were part of Fr Boni’s initial tour of the Province, in which he said his primary goal was to simply “be with” the missionaries and listen to their experience.
St Anne’s Parish, Palm Island is a small but mission-focused faith community built on outreach, presence, and accompaniment for the island’s mostly First Nations residents
Parish Administrator, Fr Manh Le SVD, says his ministry is largely one of personal encounter, taking the time to share in conversation with the people of the island as they go about their lives.
It was a triple celebration at St Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Marsden, recently when the community took part in the parish’s feast day, the annual Multicultural Day Mass and the installation of new parish priest, Fr John Quang SVD.
Archbishop Mark Coleridge presided at the Mass, which saw parishioners dressed in their cultural costumes, and was followed outside by a shared multicultural meal and entertainment.
Saints Peter and Paul Church in Lower Hutt, New Zealand has celebrated its 175th anniversary, with a series of joyous jubilee events.
Parish Priest, Fr Raja Kommareddy SVD, said the celebrations, which took place over the whole weekend of June 28 and 29, marking the parish’s patronal feast, were a wonderful testimony to the community’s vibrant faith and multicultural richness.
The Emerald Parish in the Central Highlands of Queensland is a thriving faith community which also embraces a cluster of small country churches in a rural district renowned for its warm welcome and hospitality.
Parish Priest, Fr Truc Quoc Phan SVD and Assistant Priest, Fr Francois d’Assise Andrianihantana SVD, say they are very happy in the fast-growing community of Emerald and its more rural surrounds, where they’ve enjoyed getting to know the people, the land and the significant cattle farming enterprises that drive the region.
The Divine Word Missionaries have taken up pastoral responsibility for the parishes of Murgon and Gayndah in Queensland’s South Burnett region.
Fr Mikhael Loke SVD was installed as parish priest on June 1, and says he is looking forward to getting to know the people and the local area, which is spread across hundreds of kilometres within the Archdiocese of Brisbane.
The SVD mission in the predominantly Indigenous, remote parish of Balgo-Kutjungka in the Diocese of Broome, Western Australia, is widespread, taking in the main parish church and six outstations, with the furthest one being 10 hours drive away.
But despite the big distances involved, Parish Priest, Fr Paulo Vanuitu SVD, says the mission is clear – to accompany the people in the daily challenges and joys of their lives and to share in their rich cultural and faith life.
