Fr Satheesh Voora SVD has arrived in Wellington, New Zealand to take up his first overseas missionary assignment, following his recent ordination in India.

He said his arrival in the Australia Province has been met with warm hospitality from both SVD confreres and the parishioners of the Te Awakairangi Parish in Lower Hutt, to which he has been assigned as assistant priest.

Fr Satheesh was ordained to the priesthood on January 8 last year in Nirmala Catholic Church in the Diocese of Nalgonda in India.

He was born in the southern part of India in the state of Telangana and has one elder and one younger brother, both of whom are married with families.

After completing lower high school, he decided to join the Society of the Divine Word.

“Having been inspired by the selfless and missionary services of the parish priest and religious missionary Sisters of the Immaculate in my parish, I realised God’s call to be a missionary,” he said.

“I joined the Society of the Divine Word on June 10, 2010 at Jyothi Niketan, Narasaraopet.”

In the following years, Fr Satheesh completed his higher secondary studies, earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola College and completed his Novitiate, being formed in prayer, study and community. He professed his first vows on June 10, 2018, before studying Philosophy and undertaking a year of mission experience in Meghalaya, and studying Theology in Maharashtra.

Fr Satheesh professed his final vows on January 2, 2024 and the following day was ordained to the diaconate, which he served at St John’s Church, Ramachandrapuram, Hyderabad, before being ordained to the priesthood.

He said he was delighted that his first missionary assignment, to Australia Province, aligned with is first choice.

“From the moment I learned of this assignment, I began to prepare myself with sincerity and openness to serve in this Province,” he said.

“I felt grateful for the trust placed in me and I committed to embrace the multicultural and missionary spirit of the Province.”

Fr Satheesh said he is particularly looking forward to getting to know the people of the Te Awakairangi Parish in the Lower Hutt region of Wellington Archdiocese.

“With humble heart I look forward to contributing to the pastoral and spiritual life of the communities in Te Awakairangi Parish,” he said.

“This opportunity has strengthened my dedication to serve the people of God with compassion, respect and a genuine desire to grow in my missionary vocation.”

Fr Satheesh said he had received a warm welcome so far.

“The first impressions of parish life in New Zealand are of a warm, hospitality from the confreres and the people,” he said.

“This is a multicultural community with people from Maori, Pacific, Filipino and Indian cultural heritage, typical of SVD parishes.

“I can see there is a strong involvement from the parishioners and priests in the ministerial and spiritual activities, and a collaborative structure across multiple churches and schools in the parish.”

As he embarks on his new assignment, Fr Satheesh said he has a range of hopes for his ministry.

“Some of my hopes for the ministry are to support multicultural unity in the parish and among confreres, a core SVD mission priority; to accompany the families, the sick, and youth in their faith and life formation; to strengthen parish life through pastoral presence, sacraments, and community engagement; and to contribute to the missionary identity of the SVD congregation through ministry in the parish and in the Archdiocese at large.”

PHOTO: Fr Satheesh Voora SVD (left) with confreres at Te Awakairangi Parish, Fr Bill Burt SVD and Fr Raja Kommareddy SVD.