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.

Fr Elmer Ibarra SVD may be serving in the middle of the Australian desert, but that remote location hasn’t stopped him being recently appointed as Coordinator of the Biblical Apostolate for the SVD Asia-Pacific Zone.

Fr Elmer, originally from the Philippines, is the Parish Priest of Santa Teresa in Central Australia and he is also the Biblical Coordinator for the SVD AUS Province.

Three retiring members of the SVD AUS Province Finance Advisory Committee have been presented with Papal Blessings in recognition for their work in helping the Province to provide good stewardship of its resources, in the service of Christ’s mission.

Peter Dent, Brian Rigney and Lou Youssef received the framed blessing from Pope Francis during a special presentation at Marsfield last month, as well as an official thank you letter from the SVD Superior-General, Fr Budi Kleden.

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.

Who is Jesus Christ? This has been an age-old question that many people particularly theologians have tried to answer.

The Divine Word Missionaries AUS Province had cause for great celebration earlier this month when five young confreres from three different countries made their Final Profession of Vows and were ordained to the Diaconate.

The profession of vows and ordination to the Diaconate took place over the weekend of March 13-14 at St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill.

While many Australians hit the beach over the Summer holiday period, some SVD students at Dorish Maru College headed out to work – taking on jobs in fruit-picking and factory employment.

The Summer work experience is part of their program of missionary formation and enculturation, helping them to better understand and empathise with the working people they will serve.

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.

Happy New Year! I trust that as you receive this edition of In the Word, you are feeling rested and refreshed after a break over the Summer period.

As 2021 begins to unfold, it’s hard not to wonder what is in store for us after all the turmoil of 2020. And yet, our faith tells us it is better to take each day as it comes than to worry about the future.

It was a full, joyous house at St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill earlier this month as two young Divine Word Missionaries, who have undertaken their formation in Australia, were ordained to the priesthood.

Toub Anisong Chanthavong, who is the first person from Laos to join the SVD, and Simon Dominguez Prospero from Mexico, were ordained by Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli and will now take up their first missionary assignments in the AUS Province and Central European Province respectively.