The 19th General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word concluded on Sunday, July 14, with a Thanksgiving Liturgy featuring the installation and commissioning of the new Superior General, Father Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro SVD, and his General Councillors, marking a significant leadership transition.
Australian Provincial Fr Asaeli Rass SVD and Provincial delegate Fr Prakash Menezes SVD both said the month-long Chapter had been hard work, but was a positive experience of the global life and mission of the Society of the Divine Word.
“It was absolutely necessary that we all put our heads and hearts together to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Society of the Divine Word,” Fr Rass said.
Over the course of the Chapter, the Working Document was further refined to become the SVD action plan for the next six years.
Fr Rass said while the document is yet to be formally released, it outlines six major wounds affecting humanity and the SVD’s responses to those wounds.
The wounds identified were: Social and cultural wounds; Economic and political wounds; Physical and Psychological Wounds; Environmental wounds; Wounds in the Church today; Our own woundedness as SVDs.
“It was hard work to try to embrace these wounds, which we recognised in the Church, the world and within the Society itself,” Fr Rass said.
“The idea is to build capacities for communities within and outside the Church. We realise that the Church and the world are one – we need to work all together.”
Presentations from practical theologians and former Superior General Fr Heinz Kuluke SD, on how to address the wounds helped the delegates to discern the path forward.
“What really struck me was the energy of the capitulars, and how they were willing to really have a go at it,” Fr Rass said.
“I came away feeling good about the movement of the Society, trusting in the Spirit and what we have come up with through our discernment. And I felt that despite the many challenges we face, we are doing okay as a religious order, indeed the sixth largest religious order in the world.”
Fr Rass said it was wonderful to have the other members of the Arnoldus family, the SSpS Sisters and SSpS Adoration Sisters, present at the Chapter as well as a strong presence of lay partners.
Fr Prakash, Parish Priest in Alice Springs, who had been part of the Second International Preparatory Commission which helped produce the Chapter’s Working Document, said he was impressed by his first SVD Chapter.
“I was very struck by the global scale of the gathering, with everyone coming together from all over the world, meeting the leadership and looking at the Society in a global perspective. It was the first time I have had that experience,” he said.
“Going to Rome before the Chapter as part of the Preparatory Commission gave me a great head start in understanding the issues.
“It was interesting to see that common themes came up from all over the world as we looked at different issues. One thing that came through strongly was the need and desire to support our lay partners in their formation, and also, responding to the woundedness of the world and coming up with concrete ways to be creative and faithful disciples in mission, while also leaving the space for people to respond creatively within their own particular context.”
One of the key events of the Chapter was the election of Fr Anselmo as the new SVD Superior General following the appointment of his predecessor, Fr Paul Budi Kleden SVD as the Archbishop of Ende in Indonesia.
Fr Anselmo was formally installed as leader during the final Thanksgiving Liturgy. The nearly two-hour ceremony was rich with symbolic rituals and biblical readings, emphasising the familial unity within the Society. Father Anselmo and his Councillors formally accepted their roles, supported by heartfelt words from their predecessors.
Fr Budi delivered an inspiring homily, highlighting the missionary purpose of being “prophets, brothers, and collaborators”. He stressed the new leadership’s role in guiding the Society towards these ideals, emphasising the importance of a synodal and collaborative approach that values each member’s contribution. Father Anselmo expressed profound gratitude to the outgoing Council, reflecting on his journey and the importance of this approach.
The liturgy was vibrant with cultural diversity. It featured an African capitulars’ procession of the Word of God, accompanied by drums, and a Filipino offertory procession with the traditional Sinulog dance. Placing the image of the Child Jesus on the shoulders of the outgoing and incoming Superiors General was a symbolic gesture of unburdening the leaders, emphasising the unity and shared mission that binds all together.
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: The new SVD Superor General Fr Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro SVD
MIDDLE LEFT: Australian Province Fr Asaeli Rass SVD speaks during the General Chapter.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Australia Province delegate Fr Prakash Menezes SVD (second from left) says he appreciated the global perspective brought to the Chapter by delegates from around the world.
BOTTOM LEFT: A group shot of those participating in the SVD 19th General Chapter.