As you receive this edition of ‘In the Word’, we are embarking on Holy Week, with all the solemnity and beauty of the Paschal Triduum just a couple of days away.
Beginning on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and concluding with the Resurrection joy of the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening, the Triduum invites us to truly enter into the commemoration of the passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus.
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.
Three young SVD seminarians professed their final vows as Divine Word Missionaries this month and were ordained as deacons as they continue their journey towards the priesthood.
Agustinus Buu Araujo Siga, SVD (Gusty), Antonius Kristanto Papalesa, SVD (Krisna), and Anthony Khanh Ngoc Nguyen, SVD (Khanh) made their final profession at St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill, in Melbourne on Saturday, March 21, before being ordained to the diaconate in the same chapel the following day.
Today is a very meaningful Sunday for me, as I have just begun my first mission here in this parish. I am still learning your names, your stories, and the life of this community. Thank you very much for your kindness and warm welcome.
Karma is something that a lot of people ask me about, as to whether it is a Christian belief or not. Well, I would politely say that it is not. For us Christians, we believe that retribution or judgment will be happening not in this life but in the next.
The gospel for this week, which is pretty long, is about knowing who Jesus is from the efforts of the woman at the well. And as we read along the gospel, we will learn that the woman at the well slowly discovered who Jesus was - from a Jew, to a prophet and then a Saviour.
When I look back on the months I have spent in Rome, I often find myself caught between wonder and disbelief, writes Fr Clement Baffoe SVD. Rome, with all its centuries of whispers and layers of history, now forms part of my own personal story — a story I never imagined would unfold in such depth and colour.
I share this as a friendly journey through the corners of my life in the Eternal City. It is a story of grace, vulnerability, laughter, study, growth, and a fair share of unexpected moments.
The SVD mission in Thailand and Myanmar has been split into two Districts, a move which confreres say will help overcome challenges of distance and enhance unity, collaboration and effectiveness in ministry.
The two new Districts, which are part of the Australia Province, will be known as the Bangkok-Myanmar District and the Udon Thani District, and it is hoped the new arrangement will also provide further support for vocations and early formation for those discerning missionary life in the region.
Fr Shiju Paul SVD has arrived to take up ministry in the Australia Province after almost 30 years as a missionary in India, various parts of Africa and the United States.
Fr Shiju said he is open to working wherever he is assigned in the Province, but has a special interest in living and working with Australia’s First Nations peoples and providing presence, deep listening and accompaniment.
Fr Boni Buahendri SVD has embarked on the first of many visits to SVD ministries around the Province, with a recent trip to North Queensland.
The new Provincial’s visit to Townsville and Palm Island coincided with celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the priestly ordination of Fr Joseph Reddy SVD.
