Dear Friends,

We have once again entered into the season of Lent, bringing with it a fresh invitation to return to God and allow our hearts to once again be transformed.

Traditionally, the Church asks three things of us in Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. All of those things are deeply intertwined with Mission.

St Arnold Janssen, the founder of the Society of the Divine Word, knew that all Mission begins with prayer. Indeed, it was during his time as Director of the Apostleship of Prayer in his home diocese that the idea of starting a missionary society began to grow in Fr Arnold. For St Arnold, prayer meant a living relationship with Jesus, a relationship rooted in God’s word, and shared with others.

Fasting is also characteristic of the life of the missionary, whether that be choosing to eat simple food in line with a vow of poverty or fasting from other things, like consumerism, entertainment or excessive social media use. Missionaries often find themselves living in situations or cultures where their usual past-times or possessions are not available to them. Fasting leads us to a greater trust in God and less reliance on the distractions that surround us.

And finally, almsgiving is clearly associated with a missionary heart. To give what we have to help others who are in need is the very essence of Christian life and features regularly in the Scriptures. We in the SVD Australia Province give thanks to all who give so generously to support both our Province and the missionary work of the SVD around the globe.

There are many ways to live out these three precepts of Lent in a creative and faithful way. May God grant us the grace this Lent to turn aside from what distracts us from loving him and our neighbour and to prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Fr Niran Veigas SVD as the new Communications Coordinator for the SVD Australia Province, and to thank Fr Joseph Reddy SVD for his six-year term in the role. Communications is one of the four Characteristic Dimensions of the Society of the Divine Word and is fundamental to mission. We give thanks to these confreres and to those who support them, especially in preparing our flagship publications, In the Word, and Society Matters magazine, along with the annual calendar and other Communications initiatives in the Province. May God bless Fr Niran and his colleagues as they seek to continue the good work of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Yours in the Word,
Fr Boni Buahendri SVD,

Provincial.