Born in a small town in Madagascar, Marius Razafimandimby could not have imagined in his childhood that he would one day be living in Australia and completing his final studies towards becoming a Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) priest.

But, he says that coming across the world to complete his formation at the SVD formation house, Dorish Maru College in Melbourne has broadened his horizons.

What is a vocation? 

In this video to mark Vocations Awareness Week, Fr Bosco Son SVD and Fr Henry Adler SVD explore the different vocations of marriage, single life, and religious life.

Growing up in Madagascar in a community that could only celebrate Mass once every three months because of a shortage of priests, Andrianihantana Francois d’Assise felt the initial stirrings of a call to the priesthood.

It wasn’t until high school, when he joined a school holiday missionary activity conducted by a Divine Word Missionary (SVD) priest that he began to consider the idea of becoming a missionary priest.

Life is all about constantly looking forward and moving on. Be it on the road while you drive towards a destination or looking expectantly towards a career, the binding rule is the same: to keep constantly looking forward, while on the journey.

It was 3pm on 23rd July, upon the request of Br Martin, I embarked on a car journey to the Sydney Domestic Airport to pick up Fr. Olivier Svd. While on the journey, Br. Martin Svd pointed to the car in front of us and exclaimed, “This guy is in a hurry. He wants to reach his destination faster than others.” We noticed the driver overtaking the other vehicles and moving ahead with quick precision and speed, only to be held up by the next set of traffic lights! 

Two Novices for the SVD AUS Province, Cuong Quoc Peter Dang and Chalerm Naruemankanthon, have professed their first vows as Divine Word Missionaries in a ceremony in the Philippines.

The two young men, from the Thai District of the AUS Province, have been undertaking their Novitiate in the Philippines for the past year and will now continue their formation and studies in Australia.

After three years in Italy and the United Kingdom undertaking higher studies in missiology, Fr Albano Da Costa SVD is headed back to the AUS Province, to place his new knowledge and experience at the service of Christ’s mission in this part of the world.

Originally from Goa in India, Fr Albano,  took his final vows and was ordained in 2011. He was assigned to the AUS Province, and took up his first mission appointment in the Archdiocese of Wellington, New Zealand, where he was part of a new form of collaborative ministry for three-and-a-half-years.

The Society of the Divine Word has elected a new Superior-General, Fr Budi Kleden SVD, during a General Chapter which affirmed a commitment to the Word of God, renewal, and lay partnerships.

Speaking after his election, Fr Budi, from Indonesia, identified two key priorities as the Bible and the poor.

The Santa Teresa Parish in Central Australia has been celebrating this month, with hard-working, but humble, parishioner Miriam Dieudonne being awarded a Service to Community Award from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC).

Miriam was the winner of the Non-Indigenous category in the awards which recognise and celebrate the efforts of those involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ministry. Fellow long-time parishioner Bill Ryan was also awarded a certificate of recognition in the same category.

“Our time is short, so we must spend it with the people, not structures."

This was one of the key insights from the outgoing Superior General of the SVD, Fr Heinz Kuluke, at the recent General Chapter in Rome, and I think he’s hit the nail on the head.

"As shared variously in the past years, right after the first visits, a thought came to mind that stayed until the end of my term and was confirmed along the way again and again: The world without religious congregations such as the Society of the Divine Word would be a much poorer place," reflected Fr Heinz Kuluke, the Superior General of the SVD at the opening Mass of the General Chapter, now underway in Rome.

"Today we come together to open our 18th General Chapter representing some 6,000 members of the Society of the Divine Word and many lay mission partners from around the world. We want to thank the Triune God for all that we can contribute to enrich this world in His name. At the same time, we continue to ask ourselves anew where we can be better rooted in his Word and committed to his mission, allowing the Love of Christ to impel us."