The Divine Word Missionaries have accepted an invitation from Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci to take up the pastoral care of the people of the Tiwi Islands and Daly River.

The SVDS are already active in Darwin Diocese, having been present in Central Australia for the last 20 years, in Alice Springs, Santa Teresa, and in the Aboriginal Catholic Chaplaincy.

SVD student Tin Trinh professed his final vows as a Divine Word Missionary this month and was ordained to the Diaconate, as three of his confreres renewed their temporary vows.

With the nation’s borders open once more, Tin’s parents were able to join him for the special occasion, travelling from Vietnam to be part of the occasion.

As the remote Aboriginal community of Santa Teresa in Central Australia grapples with its first COVID-19 outbreak, forcing many families into isolation, the parish is reaching out to support the people with online prayer and other pastoral care.

More than 150 people from a population of just 500 are currently isolating, either because they are infected by COVID or have been classed as close contacts.

Being a Christian, in this time, is not easy. To be a disciple of Jesus is very challenging, but not impossible. We call ourselves disciples because we have identified ourselves fully with Jesus’ mission; with His vision of life.

The Arnoldus Family has this month celebrated the 125^th anniversary of the founding of the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration (SSpSAP).

The Sisters were founded by St Arnold Janssen, who also founded the Society of the Divine Word and the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (SSpS) in Steyl, Holland in the late 1800s.

Staff, residents and hospice patients came together at the SVD’s Mother of Perpetual Help Centre in Thailand this week to celebrate Christmas with a shared meal and fellowship.

The Mother of Perpetual Help Centre, located in Nong Bua Lamphu, in the North-East of Thailand, about 100km from the Mekong River on the Thai-Laos border, works to make a difference in the life of people living with HIV/AIDS. The Ban Mae Marie Home for Teenagers began as a home to care for orphans of AIDS, but has now been opened up for care of non-HIV-related teenagers and the elderly.

Five young Divine Word Missionaries have been ordained to the priesthood and, if international borders remain open, will soon leave for their missionary assignments in countries across the globe.

Duc Le from Vietnam, Edward Teye from Ghana, Hai Nguyen from Vietnam and Francois Andrianihantana and Marius Razafimandimby, both from Madagascar were ordained on Saturday, November 27, by Bishop Terence Curtin, Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, at the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine in Keysborough, Victoria.

Recently I was reading the book “Seeking Spirituality” by Ronald Rolheiser, reflects Fr James Aricheera SVD. I found this book to be a good guide for those who are seeking spirituality. According to him, three main things hinder one from interiority and spiritual experiences. They are “Narcissism, pragmatism and unbridled restlessness”.

To get a general understanding of them he writes, “Defined simply, narcissism means excessive self-preoccupation; pragmatism means excessive focus on work, achievement, and the practical concerns for life; and restlessness means an excessive greed for experience, an over-eating, not in terms of food but in terms trying to drink in too much of life”. When I reflected further on this, I realised that many of us have those things in us, but we are not aware of it.

As world leaders prepare to gather for the COP26 United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, the Divine Word Missionaries are undertaking a series of local and global initiatives to help play their part in tackling the climate crisis.

SVD communities across the world are committing to Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ Action Platform which proposes a seven-step, seven-year set of goals towards preserving and restoring God’s creation which is seen as a vehicle for all human life.

This month has been a time of celebration and thanksgiving for the Australia Province of the Divine Word Missionaries. We have marked the conclusion of our 100^th anniversary year of SVD presence in Marsfield, Sydney, and also the 20^th anniversary of our presence in Central Australia.

As we look back to our foundations in Australia, we give thanks for those dedicated and tenacious missionaries who left their homeland and came across the seas to share the love of Jesus Christ in this part of the world. And we give thanks for all the fruits that have grown over the ensuing decades.