“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John1:14)

God became human and lived among us. What a mind-blowing reality. As I come to the end of my six-year term as Provincial, I have been reflecting in this Advent season on how the missionary must be the incarnation for the people to whom we are sent. We must embody the reality of God-with-us.

Every Gift is an expression of love. It thrills everyone who receives it with no exception, as everyone loves to receive gifts.

Christmas is a very exciting time, for adults and children alike.  It’s a highlight of the year and part of the excitement is the giving and receiving of Gifts and, of course, before you can give, you need to give a thought about what you will give. As Christmas is around the corner, people get busy in preparations for the celebrations and family reunions; shopping, decorations, preparing eatables, and so on.

The first ever Asia Pacific Workshop of SVD Lay Partners has been hailed a huge success with 38 people attending from eight countries and 11 Provinces.

The gathering was held in the Philippines and was a significant step forward in the growth of the lay partners movement within the Divine Word Missionaries.

A recent pilgrimage ‘In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop’ was a profound experience for Fr Nick de Groot SVD, helping him to reflect not only on God’s constant presence throughout his missionary life, but also on the leap of faith taken by his migrant parents when they moved to Australia.

Fr Nick joined 20 other pilgrims from October 22 to November 2 on a journey that took them from Melbourne, where Mary, Australia’s first saint, was born, to Hamilton, Portland, Penola, Robe and Adelaide before flying on to Sydney for the final three days of visiting, reflection and prayer.

“God’s mission is our mission.  His life, our life.” That’s the message that the SVD shared with more than 5500 young people attending the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (ACYF) in Perth this month.

The Divine Word Missionaries had a stall at the Festival’s ‘Encounter Expo’, where they shared the SVD charism with youth who dropped in to visit. A number of SVD parishes and chaplaincies also took groups of their young people to experience the big faith gathering which had the theme: ‘Listen to what the Spirit is saying’.

The air around Marsfield in Sydney was filled with Christmas song last week for the annual SVD Multicultural Carol Celebration.

On a beautiful evening, the various groups who make up the SVD community at Marsfield gathered to share their Christmas spirit and look forward to the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis’ visit to Thailand was a great opportunity for the Church in Thailand to invigorate its faith and to fire up the missionary dimension as the people celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Siam Mission, an SVD priest assigned to the country says.

Fr Truong Thong Le SVD was one of 11 Divine Word Missionaries from the AUS Province currently working in Thailand or Myanmar who took part in the events surrounding the Papal visit. They were also joined by an SVD priest from the Vietnam Province.

Fr Asaeli Raass SVD, who will succeed Fr Henry Adler SVD as Provincial of the AUS Province in January, has been fortified for the job ahead after taking part in a strengthening ceremony performed by his family and other members of the Fijian community.

Fr Raass, says members of his family travelled to Sydney from Fiji for the first time to prepare him for his leadership role.

As we head into the Advent season of preparation and reflection, Pope Francis’ recent trips to Thailand and Japan illustrate for us yet again, one of the key messages of his papacy – we must be a Church that goes out to the margins.

Both Japan and Thailand are countries with only a tiny percentage of Christians, but Pope Francis travelled all the way from Rome to encourage and support them, as well as to meet with the leaders and people of other faiths.

Four years after Cyclone Pam flattened Tanna Island in Vanuatu, the community has celebrated the re-opening and blessing of the church which was rebuilt thanks to the many generous benefactors who donated to the SVD AUS Province special appeal.

Tanna Island was one of the hardest hit areas in the March 2015 cyclone, leaving about 90 per cent of people without houses. All the trees were bent and stripped of leaves and the local church had its roof blown off.