After two years of pandemic lockdowns and restrictions in Melbourne, the SVD students finally got the opportunity to hit the road and travel out of Victoria as a formation community during the recent winter academic holidays.

The students from Dorish Maru College visited SVD parishes and confreres as well as the Holy Spirit Sisters, shared their vocational stories and spent time with families in Queensland and New South Wales, while also having the chance to explore some of what the different parts of Australia have to offer.

Seminarians Gusty Siga Buu Araujo and Neftali Fabian, who compiled a report on their winter break experience, said they were grateful for having had such a variety of experiences.

Their first stop was Sydney, where they stayed at Marsfield, the SVD’s central community, which allowed them to get to know some of the Province’s senior confreres.

“We shared stories during our mealtimes and introduced ourselves to our senior confreres,” Gusty said. “The next day, we had the chance to explore the city. For some of us it was our first time. We were so excited to see new things. We spent almost the whole day walking around the city and taking a lot of beautiful pictures in various places in the city. The most beautiful part of the day was probably catching the sunset from the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.”

From Sydney, the excursion headed north to Brisbane where they were warmly welcomed by SVD confreres and parishioners.

Staying at St Mark’s Parish, Inala for a week, the students were divided and allocated to three different Vietnamese families.

“On the one hand, that was quite challenging, since we had never met them before,” said Neftali. However, we slowly built communication with them until we felt almost at home. We were no longer strangers or guests but part of their families. We got to know each other by sharing stories and love.”

Over the weekend they took part in the parish’s Eucharistic celebrations and presented their vocation stories, along with a video they’d made of life at Dorish Maru College.

They also visited St Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Marsden, where they once again shared their vocational stories, sang a Communion song during Mass and after Mass, shared a gathering and dinner with the parish youth.

“Both parishes have people with different cultural backgrounds,” said Gusty. “They were very generous and kind to us.

“At St Mark’s Parish, we had a special gathering with the youth, organised by Fr Yon Wiryono SVD, the Vocations Coordinator of the Province. That was a wonderful opportunity to get to know many young people in the parish. We encouraged and enriched each other with our stories and made new friendship networks.”

As well as exploring the city of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, the students went on a pilgrimage to the Marian Valley in the hinterland and prayed the Rosary together for their vocation.

“That night, we were invited to have a special dinner together with the Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane, Tim Norton SVD,” Neftali said.

“It was hosted by the Holy Spirit Sisters in Carseldine. As we gathered in the love of St Arnold Janssen, we shared our experiences and encouraged each other to live faithfully in our mission.”

The students also had the chance to visit the former SVD novitiate and cemetery at Marburg.

Back in Sydney, the students spent time in the SVD parishes of Macquarie Fields and Ingleburn, along with more sight-seeing and a visit to the tomb of Australia’s first saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.

“We concluded our journey in Sydney by having a farewell party and dinner together with our senior confreres, playing music and singing together. That event made us realise the richness of our missionary family, which is expressed in different ways in our communities,” said Gusty.

An important part of the students’ winter holiday was a series of seminars and talks held in Sydney to help them gain a deeper understanding of mission the world.

One of the seminars was presented by Fr Ennio Mantovani SVD, an Italian missionary who spent many years as a missionary in Papua New Guinea.

“Overall, he emphasised the importance of respecting and learning how to appreciate the local people’s culture,” Neftali said.

“Fr Ennio wanted us to realise that humility and respect are two important values that we, as future Divine Word Missionaries, should cultivate and treasure.”

The students were also treated to presentations from three visiting SVD scholars – Austrian missionary Fr Christian Tauchner SVD, Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD, who is a member of the Australia Province, based in Bangkok, and Fr Stephen Bevans SVD, a renowned theologian and missiologist from Chicago.

Fr Elmer Ibarra SVD, parish priest at Santa Teresa in Central Australia, also presented to the students on his ministry with indigenous people.

“For some of us, this was the first time we had encountered this ministry,” said Neftali. We got to know how we can learn so much from the first inhabitants of this land through our missionary work.”

Finally, back home in Melbourne, the students had a week-long retreat at the Arnold Janssen Spirituality Centre in Boronia before returning to Dorish Maru College ahead of their next academic semester.

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: The Dorish Maru College contingent visiting Bishop Tim Norton SVD and the Holy Spirit Sisters in Brisbane.

MIDDLE LEFT: Student Neftali Fabian shares his vocation story at St Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Marsden.

MIDDLE RIGHT: The students take part in a special gathering for SVD Youth at St Mark's Parish, Inala.

BOTTOM LEFT: A visit to the Marian Grotto, outside of Brisbane was also part of the itinerary for the winter break.