The newest endeavour for the SVD AUS Province is the establishment of a presence in Myanmar at the invitation of Cardinal Charles Bo SDB of Yangon.

Cardinal Bo invited the SVD to establish a presence in his archdiocese to promote the Biblical Apostolate.

The SVD presence in Myanmar began in August 2017 when Fr Truc Quoc Phan SVD and Fr John Le SVD began work to make the structure that the Society had been given liveable.

Fr Jacob Kavunkal SVD, the first of the four member team appointed by the SVD Generalate, arrived in March 2018 and started to work giving Bible retreats, classes, animation talks and teaching English.

The SVD house in Myanmar, named the Divine Word Centre, was blessed by Cardinal Bo in December 2018. It will be an institute for the Biblical apostolate that the SVD has begun in Myanmar.

Currently there are three SVD members in ministry in Myanmar.

Introduction to SVD Safeguarding Policies

The Society of the Divine Word, also known as the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD), is an international religious-missionary congregation of men and women with more than 8000 members worldwide. The Australia Province includes Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Myanmar. We are present in the following states of Australia: Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

This document sets out essential policies and procedures to safeguard and protect all children, young people and vulnerable adults, who are under the care of, or who come into contact with, any members of the Divine Word Missionaries, their associates and employees, in the Australia Province.

Commitment to Child Safeguarding

Compliance. The Australia Province of the Society of the Divine Word is resolutely committed to ensuring that all Province members and associated personnel comply with the child safeguarding laws and norms of the States, Territories, Dioceses and Archdioceses wherein we live and work. 

Safeguarding Statement. The Divine Word Missionaries commit to providing a safe environment for all children, young people and vulnerable adults, especially their cultural safety and wellbeing, and proclaim Zero Tolerance for all forms of abuse and neglect, particularly of a sexual and/or physical nature.

We commit to safeguard and protect all persons entrusted to our care in the houses and communities where we live and work, and in the pastoral ministries in which we are involved. This responsibility of care is extended also to our conferes who are retired, receiving medical treatment, or who are living with a disability.

Healing and Redress. The Province resolves to assist in every way possible any persons who have suffered sexual, emotional or physical abuse through the wrongdoing of SVD Province members or personnel.  The Province endorses the National Redress Scheme, and has been accepted as a Participating Institution in the Scheme. 

Purpose and Scope of this Policy

Upholding Article 34 of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, the overall purpose of our safeguarding policy is to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults who come in contact with the members of the Society of the Divine Word (the Divine Word Missionaries), their associates and employees, from harm and abuse of all kinds. This includes physical, mental and sexual abuse whether by intention, omission or neglect.

Our safeguarding policy achieves its purpose through protocols and procedures which ensure compliance with the child safe legislative frameworks of Australian States and Territories, with the National Principles for Child Safe Organizations (2018), and with the Church standards set out by Catholic Professional Standards Limited (2019).

To whom does the policy apply? This safeguarding policy applies to all members of the Society of the Divine Word in the Australia Province, to our employees,  and to those who associate with us in our ministries and activities. The policy applies to students in formation, to SVD overseas visitors whether staying in one of our communities or living externally, and to those who are permanently or temporarily resident in our houses and communities.

Report a Concern:  Contact the Divine Word Missionaries Professional Standards Office on 02 9868 9002 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

E-mail:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Policy Documents

Click here for:  pdf Safeguarding Policy (67 KB)

Click here for:  pdf Policy on the Use of Social Media (68 KB)

Click here for:  pdf Procedures for Reporting a Concern (65 KB)

Through your Will you can help light the way for thousands of people to learn to love God and live happy, healthy and dignified Christian lives.

You may like to help the Divine Word Missionaries in their work throughout the world by leaving a legacy or bequest in your Will.

   pdf Click here to download our Bequests Brochure (889 KB)

A brief profile of our Society

The Society of the Divine Word or Divine Word Missionaries, as we are commonly known, was founded by Saint Arnold Janssen, a German priest working in the Diocese of Muenster in Germany. While the government was expelling religious orders and repressing the growth of the Church in Germany, St Arnold Janssen was creating a missionary training centre across the border in Steyl, Holland. The Society of the Divine Word opened its first mission house in Steyl in 1875.

We are an international, multicultural community of Priests and Brothers. At present there are over 6000 members of the Society working in 67 countries around the world, in the mission frontiers of the Pacific, Asia, Africa, India, North and South America and Europe. Our Society is predominantly missionary, however, we have established schools and universities around the world.

The first Divine Word Missionaries arrived in Australia in 1900. Initially the base in Australia was set up to logistically support and provide medical respite for our missionaries in New Guinea, which was under the control of the Germans. In 1977 Australia became an independent Province of the Divine Word Missionaries.

Some of our missionary activities include:

• Pastoral care of immigrants;
• Service to the poor;
• Biblical Apostolate;
• Inter-faith dialogue; and
• Formation.

Making a Will, an important decision

Making your Will is very important. It is the way that you can make sure the interests of your beneficiaries are protected and that your assets are distributed as you want them to be.

When planning a Will the financial implications for your family are very important. As well as deciding who is to benefit and how, you need to determine who is to be your executor, who should be guardian for any minor children and what charitable interests you want to support with a final gift.

After a lifetime creating a satisfying and fulfilling life for themselves and their family, many people reach their later years wishing they had been able to do more to help others. Fortunately, it’s not too late—a simple bequest to Divine Word Missionaries in your Will could mean a whole new life for someone or a whole community somewhere in the world who still lives a hungry, unhealthy, undignified life of despair.

A few will get the chance to rise above their poverty and make better lives for themselves and their families—thanks to your help and the work of Divine Word Missionaries around the world.

All they need is an encouraging hand and a real chance to make it on their own. By making a bequest to the Divine Word Missionaries in your Will, you can support us in the work we do to help the underprivileged:

• Educate them by building schools and universities;
• Feed them by showing them how to develop their own resources and how to grow, harvest and process food;
• Keep them healthy by building clinics and hospitals;
• Train young men who wish to become Divine Word Missionaries and spread the Word of God and His great love by their actions.

Form of Bequest

If you would like to help the Divine Word Missionaries in their work by leaving a legacy or bequest in your Will, retain this form of bequest and give it to your solicitor when having your Will prepared or updated.

“I bequeath to the Provincial Superior for the time being of the Society of the Divine Word, Marsfield, NSW, Australia, the sum of
$________________________
for the charitable and missionary work of the Society of the Divine Word, and I direct that the receipt of the Society shall be sufficient discharge to my executors for this bequest.”

Types of Bequests

• Specific - You nominate a specific sum of money or item of property to be left to a particular beneficiary.
• Proportionate - You nominate a specific portion of your estate to be left to a particular beneficiary eg. 10% or 1/3 of your estate.
• Residuary - You nominate the remainder, or part of the remainder of your estate after all other bequests have been settled.

Whichever way you choose, we hope that you will remember God’s work and the Society of the Divine Word in your Will.

If you would like to discuss a special legacy or bequest to the Society of the Divine Word, or would like more information on the Society’s work, please write or call:

Divine Word Missionaries
199 Epping Road, Marsfield NSW 2122, Australia | Locked Bag 3, Epping NSW 1710, Australia
Telephone: +61 2 9868 2666
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This brochure is for your information only and you should consult with your solicitor or trustee organization in respect of making your Will and administration of your estate.

For all vocation enquiries, please contact the Vocation Director:

Phone: 02 9868 2666 (+61 2 9868 2666 from outside Australia)

Or email by filling out the form below.

Provincial Office: 199 Epping Road, Marsfield, NSW 2122, Australia

Postal: Locked Bag 3, Epping, NSW 2122, Australia

Phone: +61 2 9868 2666

Two day workshop on Leadership and Intercultural Living for SVDs under 50 years of age followed the National Mission Conference “One Heart Many Voices” in Sydney in the first week of May 2013.  

In his opening address the AUS provincial Fr. Tim Norton emphasised the importance of developing leadership skills in the light of the upcoming elections for a new AUS provincial and a new provincial council.

From a career in banking to a life as a Missionary – it’s been a long and winding road for Paulo Vatunitu SVD, and as he celebrates the Profession of Final Vows, Paulo is aware of both the blessings and the challenges that lie ahead.

“I’m a bit nervous about it,” he said, before taking his Vows on Saturday, March 9 at St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill.

The launch of the e-news is part of a new digital era for the Australian Province of the Divine Word Missionaries, which includes a new website as well as a Facebook and Twitter presence.

As Divine Word Missionaries, our vocation calls us to continually be in dialogue with the world around us and with the people we serve. This e-news is just one more way of doing that.

Published each month, the e-news will drop straight into the inbox of all who choose to subscribe.