Welcome to the August edition of In the Word.

We in the Australian Province of the Divine Word Missionaries are celebrating the news that Fr Henry Adler SVD is to become our next Provincial.

Fr Henry, who is currently the Mission Secretary for the Province, will take up his three-year term as Provincial in January, with my term coming to an end on December 31. Henry was elected to the position in a vote of his provincial confreres and the appointment was formally approved by the SVD Generalate in Rome.

This is wonderful news for the Australian Province and we receive it joyfully.

Fr Henry grew up with both German and Polish cultures in post-war Poland, and after joining the Society of the Divine Word, completed his initial formation in Poland and Germany, taking his final vows as a brother. He worked for some years in Germany and Papua New Guinea, before undertaking his priestly formation in Melbourne and being ordained in New Zealand. Fr Henry then returned to Papua New Guinea for five years, before coming back to Australia to work, first in formation of SVD seminarians and junior brothers, and then as Mission Secretary for the Province.

Receiving the news of his appointment while he was in Europe on home-leave, Fr Henry said it would be a privilege to lead the AUS Province, with God’s help and the support of confreres.

“I am deeply grateful and humbled by the trust and confidence that my AUS confreres have bestowed on me,” he said. “I am also very grateful for the kind support and prayers I have received from people.”

Of course, as you receive this eNews, our Australian readers are preparing for an election of a different kind – the Federal Election. It is easy to become dispirited with the political discourse and the policies on offer, especially on issues such as the treatment of asylum seekers, but we must always remember that our democracy is only as vibrant as we make it and it is a privilege that many in the world do not enjoy. I commend to you the statement of The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference which urges us to think about what it means to vote for the common good, and a prayer for Australia during the election, from Catholic Religious Australia.

Meanwhile, as Spring approaches, it is wonderful to look around and see so many signs of growth and new life in our Province. August is the month in which the Church in Australia celebrates and promotes Vocations Awareness Month and in this edition of In the Word, Br Bernadinus Asmon (Bedi) shares some insight into his journey towards a vocation as an SVD missionary.

We also have the story of Fr Elmer Ibarra’s leap into the role of a late night disc jockey in Wellington, New Zealand, a reflection from Fr Stephen Pilly on his World Youth Day experience in Rio De Janeiro and we take you inside our SVD Acculturation Programs – offered both to our confreres arriving from other countries, and as a service to the broader Church.
I hope you enjoy this edition of In the Word.

Yours in the Divine Word,
Fr Tim Norton SVD, Provincial.