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News & Events
Wednesday, 26 August 2020 12:46

Myanmar missionaries visit refugee camp

Fr Tuyen distributes aid to refugees in Myanmar 150The SVD community in Myanmar has visited a refugee camp on the outskirts of Hmawbi Township, the town where they live, taking supplies to help the people survive in their precarious situation.

Fr Tuyen Nguyen,Fr Deva Savariyappan and Fr Mariusz Kubista  visited the Rakahine refugee camp in Taikkyee Gone village to assist the people who have fled from their conflict-torn home, leaving behind their houses and livelihoods.

Thursday, 27 August 2020 12:37

Man proposes, God disposes - a reflection

Man proposes God disposes 150The pandemic has thrown all our plans up in the air, forcing us to rely more on the providence of God.           

The title of 1864 oil-on-canvas painting by Edwin Landseer is “Man Proposes, God Disposes”. This saying is true today, in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Looking back to the last six months almost of all people in the world have had to make changes in their lives.

Fr Asaeli Raass profile pic 150If there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us it is how deeply the globe is interconnected.

This interdependence is something I’ve been pondering on as Christians across the world prepare to join together over the next month to celebrate the Season of Creation.

Bishop Charles Gauci with schoolkids Santa Teresa 150The Divine Word Missionaries are extending their ministry in Central Australia, especially their outreach to Aboriginal communities, at the invitation of the Bishop of Darwin, Charles Gauci.

Bishop Gauci recently spent time staying with the SVD communities in Alice Springs and Santa Teresa, listening to their needs and meeting the people.

Toub in Laos 150When Fr Toub Anisong Chanthavong SVD took the short trip from Thailand to Laos in December for three months of home leave with his family, it never occurred to him that a worldwide pandemic would prevent him from returning to his ministry for many months.

Toub had been set to take up a new parish assignment as assistant priest in Ban Phongsoung, Thailand upon his return from home leave, but instead, has been keeping himself busy in various forms of ministry and service in Laos.

Truc and Yon in Emerald Catholic Leader 150The coronavirus pandemic kept Emerald’s new priests away from their flock for a while but not from their garden, The Catholic Leader reports.

Divine Word Missionaries Fr Truc Quoc Phan and Fr Firminus (Yon) Wiryono are new to Emerald, in the Central Highlands of Queensland, and to Rockhampton diocese.

St Arnold Janssen 150"May the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all." This statement speaks about St Arnold Janssen’s vocation and it could be a mantra prayer for Arnold throughout his religious life, writes Fr Phuong Vu SVD. 

I believe this statement prayer has been embedded in all the SVD confreres’ hearts. It is comfortable to all of us, it also motivates our mission ministries, and it nurtures our spiritual life. 

Tommy Lehan SVD 150The SVD AUS Province is to receive a new member as soon as the pandemic allows, with Fr Tommy Lehan SVD due to take up a mission assignment in Thailand.

Fr Tommy was born in Boas, Indonesia in 1990 and raised in Atambua, the main city of the Belu district.

Fr Long Nguyen SVD with parishioners in Vietnam 150Born and raised on the Mekong Delta river in South Vietnam, Fr Long Nguyen SVD could have ended up a businessman, but instead he chose to become a missionary priest and he is looking forward to taking up his first assignment, in Australia.

It’s not Fr Long’s first time in Australia though. He spent a year here in 2012 as part of his training with the Divine Word Missionaries, as well as a year in Thailand, and he couldn’t wait to come back.

Fr James Areechira with Cantonese chaplaincy group 150The Cantonese-speaking community in Melbourne has a new chaplain in Fr James Areechira SVD, who, although he is Indian, has spent 26 years of his missionary life living and working as a priest in Hong Kong.

Fr James says he first learnt Cantonese in 1988 when he took part in the SVD Overseas Training Program for two years in Hong Kong as a young missionary student.

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