Society Matters | Volume 31 No. 2 | Winter 2021

Volume 31 No. 2 | Winter 2021 2 Message from the Provincial Superior Dear Friends, Welcome to the Winter edition of Society Matters. One thing about living a life geared towards Mission is that it’s never dull. We are always being called forward. Jesus commanded us to “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News” and that’s what we, as Divine Word Missionaries try to do every day, in one way or another. Because God is always active, always moving in our world, so too, Mission is always on the move, always creatively engaging with the world around us and the needs before us. In this edition of Society Matters you will read several stories highlighting the SVD’s missionary activity, including its work to help the poor in Madagascar and Thailand, as well as the final vows of several of our young missionaries here in Melbourne. This year we are continuing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Divine Word Missionaries in Epping, Australia. The history of the SVD in Australia is a story of grace and determination. St Arnold Janssen himself, the founder of the Society of the Divine Word, gave the green light in 1898 for the start of the Australian mission, recognising that Sydney was an important place to set up an SVD presence to support the missionaries in Papua New Guinea. It was a rocky start for the first priests and brothers who arrived in Sydney, but through their determination and the grace of God, they were able to establish a mission house in Epping, Sydney in 1920. The Provincial House moved to its current address on Epping Road in 1965. From there, the Holy Spirit has called us ever onward. A number of different groups have been accommodated at Epping Road over the years, including postulants, novices, graduate students, immigrant chaplains, asylum seekers, ill or retired SVD members and confreres providing ministry to the laity. From its shaky start, the AUS Province now has a range of strong and vibrant ministries with multicultural parish communities, Indigenous communities, ethnic chaplaincy, prison ministry, hospital chaplaincy, formation for missionaries who have been sent out all around the world, and more. The Province has also grown to include New Zealand, Thailand and Myanmar. We invite you, our dear partners in mission, to celebrate this 100th anniversary milestone with us. As part of the celebrations we will be producing a commemorative booklet, showcasing the history and growth of the SVD AUS Province. We are delighted to announce that this booklet will be sent to each of our Society Matters subscribers instead of the Spring edition of Society Matters magazine. Thank you for being such an important part of our story. Your support is crucial in helping us continue our story of mission and service to those most in need in our world today. Yours in the Word, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD Provincial Superior Cover Story: The Divine Word Missionaries are helping children and young people in Madagascar to get an education and provide hope for their future. See story on Pages 4-5. Appeal Office: 199 Epping Road, Marsfield NSW Locked Bag 3, Epping NSW 1710 Australia Telephone: +61 2 9868 2666 Victoria: 100 Albion Road, Box Hill, Vic 3128 Tel: +61 3 9890 0065 Queensland: 96 Lilac Street Inala QLD 4077 Tel: +61 7 3372 5658 New Zealand: 41 Britannia Street, Petone, 5046 Tel: +64 4 971 7885 Published by Divine Word Missionaries Incorporated, ABN 51 885 667 646