As the Society of the Divine Word prepares for the 19^th General Chapter as well as its 150^th anniversary in 2025, the theme that has been chosen for reflection is, “Your Light Must Shine Before Others” (Mt 5:16): Faithful and Creative Disciples in a Wounded World.

As is indicative from the theme, there are many elements brought together to constitute the reality of today’s mission. How does this theme apply in our own Australian context? In this reflection, I would like to outline how the theme could be understood locally.

Building healthy parish communities is crucial if the Church is to become truly missional in today’s world, Fr Albano Da Costa said in his presentation for the first of the Divine Word Missionaries’ online lectures on mission.

The six-part ‘Mission and Dialogue Today’ lecture series is an education and ongoing formation initiative of the SVD Australia Province and attracted participants from around the country and around the world.

Well-known priest, lawyer and advocate, Fr Frank Brennan SJ visited Townsville and Palm Island recently and while there, presented information sessions to the local people about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Fr Manh Le SVD, parish priest at St Anne’s Parish on Palm Island, said Fr Frank’s visit, while primarily to attend a funeral for a local leader, was a great opportunity to share information on the Voice with the local Indigenous community.

As a new Syro-Malabar bishop begins his ministry in Australia, Fr Joe Jacob SVD says his own chaplaincy ministry to the Syro-Malabar community in Alice Springs brings him much contentment as he cares for the spiritual needs of migrants who are far from home.

Bishop John Panamthottathil CMI was ordained the second leader of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle in Melbourne on May 31.

SVD Communications Coordinators from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Manila, the Philippines, recently to share ideas and resources for spreading the Good News in effective and innovative ways.

Communications Coordinator for the SVD Australia Province, Fr Joseph Reddy SVD, said the purpose of the gathering was “to enhance the communication skills and media learning of the SVD Provincial/Regional Communication Coordinators of the ASPAC Zone”.

The theme for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday this year is ‘A New Life in Christ’.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council says the theme for this special day in the Church calendar, to be celebrated on Sunday, July 2, relates to “the transformative possibilities that come when we walk God’s Way of love”. What an invitation!

The Mission, Education and Research team of the Divine Word Missionaries Australia Province invite you to join in a series of online lectures on the theme of 'Mission and Dialogue Today'.

There will be six online presentations spanning the latter half of 2023, with the first taking place on Monday, June 26.

Pentecost is a Feast of Hope. The conviction that God’s Resurrected Love is alive in this world, reflects Fr Nick de Groot SVD.

There is also the experience of the hunger by the people on the margins, not so much for doctrine and teachings, but for presence and dignity and walking together in this love of the Spirit.

The Divine Word Missionaries and Holy Spirit Sisters in Papua New Guinea are hoping to gain fundraising support to help expand a university scholarship scheme, which has allowed about 80 students in the last four years to gain a university education.

Fr Philip Gibbs SVD from Divine Word University in Madang, PNG, was in Australia this month and shared the story of the Arnoldus Family Scholarships.

Sixteen seminarians and their formators from the major seminary of Laos have visited the ministries of the Divine Word Missionaries in Udon Thani Diocese, Thailand, learning about their care for people living with HIV-AIDS, as well as parish ministry.

Fr Toub Anisong SVD, who himself hails from Laos, says the visit by his countrymen to the SVD ministries was part of a broader visit exploring the main ministries of the Udon Thani Diocese.