A two-day ecumenical mission conference held in Melbourne this month brought together academics, missiologists and mission practitioners from Australia and beyond to engage in conversation about the history, development and current realities of being a missionary church.
‘Missio Dei: An Ecumenical Conversation’ was a joint project of the Australian Association for Mission Studies (AAMS) and the Society of the Divine Word and took place from October 2-3 at St Paschal’s, Box Hill.
The President of AAMS, Fr Albano Da Costa SVD, said the conference aimed to highlight and trace the roots of Missio Dei through the World Council of Churches, the Lausanne Conference, and the Second Vatican Council.
In his opening address at the conference, Fr Albano said the timing of the conference coincided with this year’s 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325-2025) and was an opportunity to consider its implications for mission today.
“The faith of Nicaea in its beauty and grandeur is the common faith of all Christians,” he said.
Fr Albano said the gathering was an important event for the Divine Word Missionaries who celebrated 150 years since their foundation with a three-day Australian Province Assembly preceding the conference.
“This ecumenical conference provided us with an opportunity to share and learn from each other, affirm faith, and strengthen ecumenical bonds in current mission practices,” he said.
“This was also an opportunity to widen the scope of the AAMS, nurture the ecumenical foundations of the association, boost AAMS membership, and be a prophetic voice in the context of Oceania.”
Keynote speakers at the conference included former Superior-General of the Society of the Divine Word, Fr Antonio Pernia SVD, whose presentation was titled: ‘Missio Dei: Today’s Mission Paradigm and the Conversions it requires’.
Also presenting a keynote address was Glen O’Brien, a Uniting Church Minister employed by the Salvation Army as a theological educator and a Professor of Christian Thought and History in the University of Divinity, Melbourne. He spoke on ‘Unity in Faith and Mission: The Current Work of the Methodist Roman Catholic International Commission’.
Columban Priest, Fr Patrick McInerney SSC, who was a missionary priest in Pakistan for more than 20 years and is now the Director of the Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations as well as a member of various interfaith and academic organisations and was recently appointed as a Consultor to the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims, delivered an address on ‘Interreligious Dialogue – A Hidden Treasure’.
New Testament Scholar at the University of Divinity and the Principal of the Uniting College for Leadership and Theology in Adelaide, Vicky Balabanski explored the missional implications in the ‘Christ Hymn’ in her presentation, ‘The Missio Dei according to Colossians 1:9-23’.
And Susan Pascoe AM, Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia, who was a member of the Vatican’s Methodology Commission for the Synod on Synodality and is a board member for various Catholic organisations and a leader in lay governance delivered an address on ‘Discerning Ecumenism’.
There were also a number of workshops and plenary discussions over the two days.
A highlight of the conference was the launch of a new book entitled ‘SVD Mission in Contexts: Creative Responses in a Wounded World’ edited by Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD.
The book (which can be downloaded for free here) commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Society of the Divine Word (1875-2025) with rich reflections on mission, culture, and faith in a world marked by woundedness yet sustained by hope. Grounded in the Jubilee theme, “Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere for Everyone,” the volume brings together insights from SVD scholars, missionaries, and pastoral workers across the global SVD community.
“The book is organised into two thematic parts and explores the mission of the SVD and the broader Church through the lens of the congregation’s four characteristic dimensions: Biblical Apostolate, Mission Animation, Communication, and Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC),” Fr Anthony said.
“These reflections engage pressing contemporary concerns, including care for creation, synodality, interculturality, and spiritual formation.”
Reflecting on the Missio Dei Conference, Fr Anthony said he thought the symposium, following directly after the SVD Assembly, was a valuable opportunity for SVDs—who are often engaged primarily in pastoral contexts—to reflect on mission from a more academic, theological, and ecumenical perspective.
“While academic discussions can be challenging, especially after two intense days of Assembly, they offer a meaningful chance to broaden our understanding and engage with emerging theological trends within the Church and beyond,” he said.
“In that sense, even if it wasn’t the most ‘exciting’ activity, it remains an essential dimension of deepening our grasp of and participation in God’s mission in today’s world.”
Fr Albano said he found the conference “enriching, inspiring and thought-provoking”.
“It called me to reflect upon the way I undertake God’s mission and ministry as inspired by the Spirit and challenged me to continue to attempt to break down barriers between different denominations so that we truly can ‘be one’,” he said.
“I truly appreciated the opportunity to have conversations with my confreres. Their love of Christ, their humility, and their ongoing passion is inspiring.
“May Christ continue to lead us, and may we listen attentively to the call of the Spirit as Pilgrims of Hope.”
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Fr Antonio Pernia SVD gives a keynote address at the Missio Deo conference.
MIDDLE LEFT: The conference was held at St Paschal's Chapel, Box Hill and was an ecumenical event.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD at the launch of the book 'SVD Mission in Contexts' during the Missio Dei conference.