The SVD Lay Partners group in Marsfield is continuing its journey of growth and formation in SVD life and spirituality, with a recent presentation on the life of founder, St Arnold Janssen.

The presentation was delivered by Fr Frank Gerry SVD, who has rich experience in SVD formation, and Fr Dom Flores SVD, who is accompanying the Lay Partners group.

As the world celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the moon landing this month, almost 20 men gathered in Queensland to mark a 50 year reunion of Divine Word Missionary seminarians.

The reunion of those who had been at the former seminary in Marburg, was held under the title of ‘Marburg Moon Muster’ and saw the coming together of men from various walks of life.

The SVD AUS Province recently celebrated  as two of its students took their final vows as Divine Word Missionaries and were ordained to the Diaconate.

The two events were significant milestones on the missionary journey of Toub Anisong Chanthavong, the first person from Laos to become an SVD, and Simon Dominguez Prospero from Mexico.

There’s nothing quite like on-the-ground experience for young missionaries in training, and the SVD Overseas Training Program aims to provide exactly that.

The Overseas Training Program (OTP) started in the AUS Province and is now seen an important part of SVD formation around the world.

Is religious life dying or is it simply changing? I pondered this question again recently as I presided at the final vows of two of our young missionaries who are giving themselves freely and joyfully to a life which, let’s face it, is slightly out of vogue.

I believe it’s changing, rather than dying, and while change is always uncomfortable and challenging, it usually leads us to new growth and, in this case, I believe, to greater authenticity.

Among the new missionary students to arrive in Australia for the start of the academic year are two young men from Mexico.

Neftali Velasco Fabian and Ruben Aguirre have travelled across the world to continue their SVD formation and academic studies with the AUS Province at Dorish Maru College in Melbourne.

Divine Word Missionary communities throughout the AUS Province and the world have had much to celebrate in January, with the commemoration of two SVD saints – St Arnold Janssen and St Joseph Freinademetz.

St Arnold’s feast day was on January 15, the date of his death in 1909 in Steyl, Holland. He was the founder of the Divine Word Missionaries, as well as two orders of Religious Women, the Servant Sisters of the Holy Spirit and the Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration.

The senior confreres of the SVD AUS Province might have stepped away from missionary duties in Papua New Guinea and other places, or full-time ministry in Australia, but you’ll still find most of them up and out of bed by 6am and continuing to pursue mission in different ways.

The seniors, who among them all have hundreds of years of missionary experience, live in the Province’s Marsfield community, pursuing their personal interests, various small ministry activities, and shared prayer and meals.

Two Novices for the SVD AUS Province, Cuong Quoc Peter Dang and Chalerm Naruemankanthon, have professed their first vows as Divine Word Missionaries in a ceremony in the Philippines.

The two young men, from the Thai District of the AUS Province, have been undertaking their Novitiate in the Philippines for the past year and will now continue their formation and studies in Australia.

The Superior General of the Divine Word Missionaries, Fr Heinz Kuluke, is visiting the AUS Province to spend time with the SVD missionaries here, to learn about their ministries and encourage them in their work.

Fr Heinz, who is based at the SVD headquarters in Rome, will visit Melbourne, Central Australia, Sydney, Brisbane and New Zealand. He has previously visited Thailand which is also part of the AUS Province.