January 15 is the Feast Day of the founder of the Society of the Divine Word, St Arnold Janssen.

Special masses and events will be held at SVD communities around the AUS Province.

The St Arnold Janssen Chapel at Marsfield was full to overflowing when friends from many different language and cultural groups came together to celebrate a very multicultural Carols by Candlelight.

The packed program featured about 20 groups singing Christmas carols in a variety of languages, as well as English. Many of the groups were in traditional cultural dress, adding to the beauty of the occasion.

Fr Mike Knight SVD says he was determined not to cry when the community of the St Arnold Janssen Chapel in Marsfield farewelled him in early December, but the tears crept up on him anyway.

Up to 180 people gathered for Sunday Eucharist at the Chapel, followed by the blessing of the new “The Word Centre”, and the farewell gathering for Fr Mike, who is finishing his term as Rector of the SVD Marsfield community.

On Christmas Eve in Redfern Park, Sydney, a group of people – some of whom live with mental or physical illness or are at risk, with nowhere to go, and others who are volunteers - will gather to share the Eucharist and a meal together.

The Cana Communities Christmas Eve gathering brings people together in a celebration of shared humanity.

“The experience of the Eucharist in the group and the singing of carols all combine to remind us that there is something bigger than us in the world,” says Cana Communities coordinator, Sr Anne Jordan PBVM.

It was all engines revving when a group of motor cyclists rode into Thailand’s Mother of Perpetual Help Centre on their Harley Davidsons to spread some Christmas cheer among children and teenagers whose lives have been affected by the HIV virus.

The Mother of Perpetual Help Centre in Nong Bua Lamphu, Thailand, is a centre for the care and development of HIV infected people, as well as the poor, under the care of the Divine Word Missionaries Australian Province.

The relief distribution and operation continue in some parts of the affected areas, especially among those who are still in desperate or have no means to survive after the typhoon. In my last update, I mentioned that the affected areas of the city of Tacloban were the next target area for relief supplies to be distributed.

As the JPIC-IDC (Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation - Integrated Development Center), with its staff and volunteers, continues to extend help and to map out plans to effectively reach the victims of typhoon Yolanda, the challenge of helping and supporting them to recover and build up their lives remains a tremendous task.

Students and staff at Dorish Maru College have celebrated the end of the academic year with a Mass and Thanksgiving Party, but rather than head to the beach for the summer, the students are continuing their formation with challenging pastoral work and cultural immersion.

Celebrations to mark the end of the academic year began with Mass, followed by the Thanksgiving Party in which the students expressed their gratitude to all who have helped them with their studies through the year.

Friends of the Divine Word Missionaries in Sydney are invited to bring the family to what promises to be a multicultural spectacular Christmas Carols celebration, on December 13, filled with prayer, song and cultural sharing.

The theme for the evening is: “From Every Nation, People, Language – Together Come Let Us Adore Him”.

Mission Secretary and Provincial-Elect, Fr Henry Adler SVD, says the Carols evening has become a much-loved tradition at the St Arnold Janssen Chapel in Marsfield.

November is the month that we remember those who have gone before us, and parishioners at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish, Alice Springs celebrated the Feast of All Souls with a prayerful Memorial Walk from the parish to the Old Telegraph Station, just outside of town.

Parish Priest Fr Jan Szweda SVD, Indigenous Chaplain and Acting District Superior Fr Mikhael Loke SVD and OTP Seminarian Paul Aquino joined the parishioners on the Memorial Walk, during which the whole group prayed for those who have died.

The Divine Word Missionaries, who have a strong presence in the Philippines, have been on the ground in the areas worst hit by devastating Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), spearheading a massive relief effort to help the injured, homeless, starving and bereaved.

To support this effort, the SVD AUS Province set up a special Philippines Disaster Appeal, to direct donations straight to the relief teams and to the people in desperate need.