As this edition of In the Word is published, we are about to immerse ourselves once again in the extraordinary experience that is Holy Week.

Of course for many of us, perhaps especially those of us who are priests, this is a busy time with all the various Masses, liturgies and commitments.

The SVD AUS Province has today launched a special appeal for the people of Vanuatu whose lives have been devastated by Cyclone Pam.

From today and over the coming weeks, all funds donated to our Overseas Aid Fund will go directly to the people of Vanuatu to help them with their immediate desperate needs for food, water and shelter, but also for their needs as they seek to rebuild their lives.

The deadly cyclone Pam ripped through the tiny island nation of Vanuatu last Friday, 13th March 2015 at an incredible speed of over 300 kilometres an hour, leaving behind devastation and chaos.

Over the weekend the Australian media broadcasted images from Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, showing destroyed homes and uprooted trees. Seven people have been reported dead so far but the number will probably increase in the coming hours and days.

Please join us as we pray for five of our young confreres who will take their Perpetual Vows this Saturday, March 14.

The Society of the Divine Word gives thanks to the Triune God for the lifetime commitment being given by Anthony HongZhou, Marianus Supardi, Michael PenFei Wu, Laurensius Wae Woda and Uili Uvea as they take their Perpetual Vows at St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill at 10am.

The Divine Word Missionaries AUS Province has moved to honour its history in a new way, with the establishment of a professional archive room.

The archives were organised by Br Peter Fogarty CFC and were blessed by Fr Ho Bach Tran SVD, who has taken up the position of Director of Archives for the Province.

The Thai District of the SVD AUS Province welcomed the Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word, Fr Heinz Kuluke, on a short, but joyous visit recently.

Fr Heinz spent three days with the confreres in northern Thailand, seeing first hand their ministry with people affected by AIDS, as well as their outreach to the poor, parish ministry, youth work and other mission activity.
Br Damien Landers SVD says the Father General’s visit was a great occasion.

The first months of 2015 have seen the SVD AUS Province preparing new missionaries for their ministry in Australia with two orientation and acculturation courses getting underway– one in Victoria and one in Central Australia.

The Summer Orientation into the Australian Culture program in St Leonards, Victoria was held for the newly arrived young SVD seminarians/students and missionaries, while the Central Australia SVD Orientation and Acculturation Course got underway in Alice Springs for confreres recently assigned to the Central Australia District.

Diminishment is a term by the French Jesuit and philosoper, Theilhard de Chardin, that explains the spiritual dimension at the last stage of our life’s journey. Just as everything comes to an end, each one of us will be drawn to our final stage, a time of growing old and becoming frail that regularly needs special cares and supports.

I feel privileged to have spent my time over the last two semesters as a volunteer at St Vincent de Paul Nursing Home, Box Hill, Victoria. 

Blessed John Henry Newman famously said, “To live is to change and to be perfect is to change often”, and I think every missionary would recognise the truth in that.

As missionaries we are frequently asked to move to new ministries and take up new challenges, all of which require us to change. But we are not called to change for change’s sake. Rather we are called to respond to the promptings of the Spirit as we respond to need.

“Two years of mission experience, and already I have so many stories to tell,” said Fr Vinh in a farewell dinner with friends and confreres before heading to Vietnam for home-leave.

Why is it important to “tell our tales,” especially for missionaries? SVD Superior General, Fr Heinz Kuluke SVD, in his recent visit to Thailand, encouraged our SVD confreres to share more about their ministries and working with the people of God.