“The Whanganui river in New Zealand is the first river in the world to be recognised as an indivisible and living being, after being granted personhood in 2017. It has been granted the same legal rights as a human being.”

No doubt this sounds very strange to us, but a couple of weeks ago I started reading a book by the late Fr. Denis Edwards called: “Ecology at the heart of faith” published in 2006. I highly recommend reading it and meditating on the various sections, reflects Fr Nick de Groot SVD.

The Arnoldus Family across the Australia Province celebrated the SVD’s 148^th Foundation Day this month, with confreres, Holy Spirit Sisters and lay partners coming together in prayer and thanksgiving.

SVD Foundation Day falls on September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the date on which St Arnold Janssen founded the Society of the Divine Word in Steyl, Holland in 1875. St Arnold also went on to found the Holy Spirit Sisters and the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters.

As Christian communities around the world celebrate the Season of Creation this month, some green-thumbed members of the Divine Word Missionaries AUS Province are proving that caring for creation can begin with small actions, close to home.

The Season of Creation is an annual ecumenical celebration of prayer and action to protect creation, beginning on September 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, established by Pope Francis in 2015 and running through to October 4, the Feast of St Francis, who is the patron saint of ecology in many traditions. This year’s theme is ‘Let Justice and Peace Flow’.

Parishioners of Mary Mother of the Church parish in Macquarie Fields came together recently for the first Multicultural Day celebration since before the COVID pandemic, carrying flags from more than 50 countries in a spectacular procession which highlighted the parish’s unity in cultural diversity.

The Multicultural Day has been a popular part of the parish’s tradition over many years and parishioners and visitors were delighted to see it return.

This week I departed for Rome to take part in the Synod of Bishops on Synodality.

I have been appointed by Pope Francis to be a small group facilitator during the Synod discussions, and while I am certainly aware of the enormity of the task ahead, I am also honoured and excited to be a part of it.

Roger Kyaw Thu SVD, from Myanmar, is nearing the end of his initial formation to become a missionary priest and has been assigned to the Australia Province, saying he was attracted to missionary life by the idea of going to places where he is most needed.

Roger is to be ordained a deacon on October 1 at Our Lady of Africa Church in Chicago, Illinois, an SVD parish in the United States not far from where he has been undergoing his formation.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Today, we celebrate the 25th Sunday in ordinary time year A. Today's gospel is about the generosity of an employer who gives equal pay to workers. All workers were paid one denarius a day, even though they worked in different hours.

The Gospel on this 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time presents us with Jesus’ beautiful teaching on forgiveness and an encouragement for us to forgive one another, as God forgives all our wrongdoings.

When I was a seminarian, we had an evaluation system called “Fraternal Correction”. My classmates would write positive things about me and also things to be improved about me. And did the same for them.

As I walked through the heart of European cities Cologne, Brussels and Amsterdam, I saw so many gothic church buildings standing in the midst of high energy bustling crowds below.