Imagine if you felt God called you to explore the possibility of becoming a Divine Word Missionary, but then a global pandemic meant you had to wait more than a year to fulfill that calling?

That’s exactly what happened to Christopher (Boss) Hiranrattanajinda Bhumbodin from Thailand and Aaron Ong from Brunei, who were both poised to enter the SVD AUS Province postulancy program last year when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of international borders.

It’s been a period of fond farewells and new beginnings for Fr Sunil Nagothu SVD, as he hands over the leadership of St Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Marsden, Queensland and prepares to take up a new ministry at the Janssen Spirituality Centre in Victoria.

Fr Sunil has been Parish Priest at St Maximilian Kolbe for seven years and was farewelled by his parishioners in a heart-felt celebration earlier this month.

After years serving the sick and the poor through his vocation as a nurse, a doctor and an SVD brother, Br Ruel Bancoro SVD is about to begin a new chapter as he takes up Theology studies for the priesthood.

Br Ruel will undertake his studies through the University of Divinity in Melbourne – although due to COVID border closures, he will begin the first semester online from the Philippines.

Ecuadorian SVD student Luis Robles has concluded his Overseas Training Program (OTP) in Australia, saying his time here was “a journey full of unexpected surprises and priceless experiences”.

Luis arrived in Australia on March 17, 2019, and apart from learning English, he also spent time in SVD communities in Sydney, Melbourne and Central Australia.

Fr Joseph Reddy SVD has bid a fond farewell to parishioners at Mary, Mother of the Church parish in Macquarie Fields as he prepares to take up a new assignment in the Townsville Diocese.

Fr Joseph has been Assistant Priest at Macquarie Fields since April 2017 and says his time there taught him a lot.

Vietnamese SVD student Joseph Hoang Quoc Phan set off for Papua New Guinea as part of the Overseas Training Program wishing to gain experience “in a real mission area”, and, thanks to COVID-19 border restrictions, he got even more mission experience than he bargained for.

Joseph’s OTP training has reached its conclusion, but has been extended because of the pandemic-related international travel restrictions.

The SVD AUS Province is embracing the principles set out in Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’ by taking a series of small, practical steps to help protect the environment.

Recently, the Provincial Council and the Treasurer’s Office approved the installation of a 25.2KW solar panel array at Dorish Maru College in Melbourne.

Here we are in Advent, the beginning of the new liturgical year, and oh boy, are we ready for a fresh start.

After a year which began with bushfires in Australia, then floods and of course the unexpected arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are weary and are looking to turn the page. Advent is the perfect season to slow down and re-set.

Our Gospel reading for this 32^nd Sunday of ordinary time challenges us to be vigilant and wise. We often hear people say that “she has lots of wisdom or he has lots of knowledge”.

The SVD is taking up a new missionary assignment in Townsville Diocese, with a particular focus on indigenous ministry, including on Palm Island.

Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD, says the move comes at the request of Townsville Bishop Timothy Harris.