A Synodal Church is a listening Church, and the whole point of Synodality is mission, said Archbishop Mark Coleridge in the fifth and final Jubilee Webinar hosted by the SVD Australia Province.

Archbishop Coleridge, who is the Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Brisbane and an accomplished Biblical scholar, spoke on the theme: ‘Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere for Everyone – from a Synodal Perspective’.

The Provincial Assembly for the SVD Australia Province is underway this week, with about 70 missionaries from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Myanmar gathering together in Melbourne, along with guest speaker Fr Antonio Pernia SVD, a former Superior-General.

The Assembly began with an opening liturgy on Monday afternoon and will continue through to Wednesday. It also brings to a close the Society of the Divine Word’s 150^th Jubilee celebrations in the Province, and it will be followed by an ecumenical mission symposium later in the week, co-hosted by the SVD and the Australian Association for Mission Studies.

Fr Boni Buahendri SVD has been appointed as the new Provincial Superior of the SVD Australia Province for the next triennium, and will take up his new role in January, 2026.

Fr Boni, who is currently parish priest of St Mark’s Parish, Inala, said that while the role of Provincial has many challenges, he accepted it with humility and hope and looked forward to working together as a team with members of the Province, the communities that they serve, lay collaborators and friends.

As you receive this edition of our ‘In the Word’ e-news, members of the SVD Australia Province are gathering together in Melbourne for a Provincial Assembly and the celebration of the closing of the 150^th Jubilee Year of the Society of the Divine Word.

This coincides with the recent announcement that Fr Boni Buahendri SVD has been appointed as the next Provincial from January next year. All of these threads coming together at the same time are powerful reminders that mission is never stagnant. It is, guided by the Holy Spirit, always on the move.

Dear confreres, lay mission partners and staff,

With great joy I congratulate you on our 150th Jubilee and feast day of the birth of Our Lady.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, following his resurrection, he gave his followers an instruction which has become known as the Great Commission: ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.’ (Mark 16:15).

As the Society of the Divine Word celebrates its 150^th Anniversary, it is useful to consider what that commission means for carrying out Christ’s mission. Of course, it means many things, but one thing it tells us clearly is this: Communication is Mission.

A year ago, we began the SVD Jubilee Year. Before the final event, which will mark the beginning of a new cycle in our history, I would like to address with affection and respect those who made possible the mission that we Divine Word Missionaries have carried out during these 150 years: our benefactors, collaborators and friends, writes SVD Superior-General Fr Anselmo Ribeiro.

The celebrations of this jubilee have allowed us to take up once again the original charism of Fr. Arnold Janssen, source of our identity and inspiration for our current mission. We also return to Steyl, the place chosen by our founder to establish a missionary house. This small village became the cradle of the first community, which over time transformed into a worldwide missionary congregation under the leadership of Fr. Arnold Janssen himself.

The SVD Marsfield community celebrated the 150^th anniversary of the Society of the Divine Word recently, in conjunction with the annual Multicultural Sunday event, highlighting one of the most foundational of SVD characteristics – interculturality.

Following weeks of rain in Sydney, the skies cleared for a day of shared prayer, cultural entertainment and a mouthwatering shared multicultural meal.

Communication is the essence of mission itself and is the task of every baptised Christian, Bishop Tim Norton SVD told participants in the 4^th SVD Australia Province Webinar to mark the 150^th anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Divine Word.

The webinar explored the theme: ‘Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere for Everyone - From a Social Communication Perspective.’