Theologian and Missiologist Fr Stephen Bevans SVD returned to Australia recently to give a range of presentations on the role of mission in meeting the needs of the world today.

Fr Stephen, who is the Emeritus Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD Professor of Mission and Culture at Chicago Theological Union, led the SVD annual retreats in locations around the province, delivered a presentation for Catholic Mission, and gave an online seminar for the SVD’s Mission, Education and Research initiative.

The Catholic Mission presentation was an online seminar for those who had attended the Mission: One Heart Many Voices conference earlier this year.

In it, he said the Church no longer had only to reach out to people “over there” in mission countries, but also those who are “among us and around us”.

He quoted former Superior General of the SVDs Fr Antonio Pernia saying: “It may be the family that lives next door, the person I sit beside on the bus, the young man who comes to fix my television, the lady in the market I buy vegetables from.”

Fr Stephen said the Church has to go out and meet those who are living in the secular world, those who are “disaffected and disinterested” in religion and the Church.

“They might be people deeply committed to human values and social justice,” he said.

“Or they might be caught up in a materialist, consumerist, individualist culture where transcendence and service to others makes little sense.

“While foreign missionaries from Asia and Africa have come to re-evangelise these Western or secularist people, what is becoming clearer is that the local churches need to become themselves more missionary – missionary among their own people.

“No longer is the role of the Church in these contexts simply to provide pastoral care.

“The synodal process around the world has recognised that the Church needs to be a community that reaches out to those outside their boundaries, a community that distinguishes itself by openness and commitment to the poor, to youth, to LGBTQ+ people, to working against climate change.

“The Church needs to be a community that embodies the gospel message in its life and that speaks the gospel message in language that its contemporaries understand.”

This, he said, is a change of direction from thinking of mission to the margins to thinking of mission from the margins. As Pope Francis says, those on the margins “have much to teach us” and “we need to be evangelised by them”.

Fr Stephen built on these themes with his Mission, Education and Research seminar, entitled ‘Faithful and Creative Discipleship in a Wounded World’.

He said missiological reflection in the last several years had explored the question of how individuals and Church communities might engage in mission today.

“It has focused on the fact that our world is suffering from many serious, often mortal wounds,” he said.

Fr Stephen said that at the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis offered the striking image of the Church as a field hospital and said that “the thing the Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful”.

The SVD had taken up this topic in its theme for the 2024 General Chapter: ‘Your Light Must Shine before Others: Faithful and creative Discipleship in a Wounded World’.

His presentation named some of the wounds of the world today, reflected on the nature and significance of discipleship and how discipleship “is both faithful and creative” and how Catholics and other Christians can strive to become a truly synodal Church, especially through the practice of ‘prophetic dialogue’.

In asking what communities can do to address human suffering or address the climate crisis, Fr Stephen said there were no ready-made answers.

“There are no canned responses, there are no automatic pastoral strategies,” he said. “Every situation is unique and shaped by history, culture, spirituality, experience.

“In every situation of mission, a creative response is necessary.

“Only fidelity to the gospel, to the wisdom of the community, to the particulars of the situation can lead to a truly creative response.

“So, only faithful and creative disciples in a truly synodal Church can offer a missionary response that can heal and transform a wounded world.”

One of the key reasons for Fr Stephen’s visit to the SVD Australia Province was to lead the province retreats.

Over a number of weeks, he led retreats in New Zealand, Melbourne, Sydney, the Northern Territory and Thailand, again on the theme of the upcoming General Chapter, ‘Your Light Must Shine before Others: Faithful and creative Discipleship in a Wounded World’.

Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD, said the retreat was “very successful and a timely preparation for the General Chapter”.

“Fr Stephen opened up for us the upcoming Synod on Synodality and spoke on the need for us to engage in prophetic dialogue, as well as exploring the essence of discipleship,” Fr Rass said.

“And in looking at the wounded world, he started first with our own Church, not forgetting too how we have wounded others and reminding us that part of our mission to the wounded is through penitence, saying sorry, and reconciliation.”

Fr Rass said the retreats featured two sessions of input from Fr Stephen each day and then time for individual prayer and reflection.

“I think the retreat had a very good impact on us all,” he said.

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: Fr Stephen Bevans SVD gives an ongoing formation webinar for Catholic Mission during his visit to Australia.

MIDDLE LEFT: Fr Stephen giving input during one of the SVD Australia Province retreats.

MIDDLE RIGHT: Fr Stephen celebrates Mass during the Northern Territory District retreat.

BOTTOM LEFT: Fr Stephen, pictured with discussion moderator Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD, delivers a Mission, Education and Research seminar.