Fr Boni Buahendri SVD has embarked on the first of many visits to SVD ministries around the Province, with a recent trip to North Queensland.
The new Provincial’s visit to Townsville and Palm Island coincided with celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the priestly ordination of Fr Joseph Reddy SVD.
Fr Joseph is parish priest of the Good Shepherd Parish in Kirwan, Townsville and said it was wonderful to have Fr Boni visiting the region, especially during the celebrations for his ordination anniversary.
“It was great to have Fr Boni here for the first time as Provincial,” Fr Joseph said.
“He took time to visit three SVD-administered parishes and spent time with all the confreres, having a fraternal chat about our experiences in mission.”
Fr Boni’s trip saw him spend time at Fr Joseph’s parish, meeting also with assistant priest, Fr Joe Jacob SVD and getting to know parishioners. He also caught up with Fr Gideon Awudi SVD who has been working at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Townsville. While in Townsville, Fr Boni visited the Holy Spirit Sisters. He also caught a ferry to Palm Island where he accompanied Fr Manh Le SVD in his ministry with the island’s First Nations peoples.
He said the trip was both eye-opening and affirming of the work of the SVD in North Queensland.
“Based on our SVD constitutions, one of the first tasks of a new provincial is to visit confreres who are in isolated places,” he said.
“So, I did the trip out of care for our confreres. And it was good that it coincided with Joseph’s 10 year anniversary.”
Fr Boni said his time on Palm Island confirmed once again for him the value of deep listening in ministry, especially with Indigenous peoples.
“It was beautiful there, it really was,” he said. “I was really privileged just to listen to their story. It showed me that as a missionary you don’t need to show the people the way all the time, but instead, it is about being humble and being a good listener. It’s about being there.”
He said that while there are many challenges in ministry on Palm Island, he could see that Fr Manh was happy and that the people loved him.
“There are a lot of things that I cannot change about his parish, but I was changed by being there. It is wonderful to go and visit these places without any agenda and to see things for yourself,” he said.
“It made me proud to see my SVD brother being accepted and loved by everyone.”
Back in Townsville, Fr Boni said he also enjoyed his time at the Good Shepherd Parish.
“It is a very multicultural parish,” he said. “And again, I could see clearly that Fr Joseph is loved by the people.
“You could see that it is a very vibrant parish by the way they organise the liturgy and the singing and we had a wonderful multicultural celebration in the hall afterwards.”
Fr Boni said it was a joy to see Fr Joseph and Fr Joe working so well together and also to hear from Fr Gideon about his ministry experience.
Another highlight was the evening spent with the Holy Spirit Sisters, who are part of the ‘Arnoldus’ family, having also been founded by St Arnold Janssen.
“The Sisters invited us to share a meal with them in their community and it was great. It was a family time, and it was wonderful to see our collaboration, working side by side with the Holy Spirit Sisters.”
Fr Boni said the celebration of Fr Joseph’s ordination anniversary gave a special flavour to the trip to Townsville.
“The celebration was really good and it was great to see Joseph being able to celebrate with his parishioners and with other clergy and friends. This is very important to missionaries who live so far away from home,” he said.
“Bishop Timothy Harris recorded a message, commending Fr Joseph on his leadership style and his ministry and it was clear to see that 10 years after his ordination, Joseph is loved by the people, the clergy and the bishop.”
At his anniversary celebration, Fr Joseph thanked his parishioners, the Parish Mission Council, Leadership Team and Finance Team and said their willingness to work collaboratively was a blessing to him.
“Beyond parish life, my priesthood has been enriched by broader mission experiences,” he said.
“Accompanying young people to World Youth Days in Panama in 2019 and Portugal in 2023 was a profound gift.
“Serving as Communications Coordinator for the Society of the Divine Word has added yet another dimension to my ministry. It has helped me grow in reflection and storytelling and allowed me to assist the Mission department of the SVD Australia Province in sharing the lived experiences of our confreres.
“Telling missionary stories from parishes, remote communities, and Indigenous contexts has deepened my appreciation of our SVD charism – to proclaim the Word in word, witness and life.”
Fr Joseph said that as he looks back over his 10 years of priesthood, he does so with a deep sense of gratitude and wonder for the gift he has received.
“It has truly been 10 years of grace as a Divine Word Missionary, shaped not by titles or achievements, but by relationships and shared faith,” he said.
“I thank God for the faith, friendship, and family that sustained me at every step: parishioners who trusted me with their lives, families who welcomed me into their homes, brother priests and religious sisters who offered wisdom and encouragement, and my own family, whose prayers carried me more than they will ever know.
“Above all, these 10 years have taught me that priesthood is what I am called to. It is a shared journey of faith, hope and mission, entrusted to me by God and lived together with God’s people.”
Meanwhile, Fr Boni has continued his visits to confreres, with his latest trip being to New Zealand.
PHOTOS
TOP RIGHT: Fr Boni Buahendri SVD (second from left) with (from left to right) Fr Joe Jacob SVD, Fr Joseph Reddy SVD from Townsville's Good Shepherd Parish and Fr Rius Salu SVD from the Central West Queensland Cluster of parishes who was visiting Townsville.
TOP LEFT: Fr Boni with Fr Gideon Awudi SVD who is based in Townsville.
MIDDLE RIGHT: Fr Boni meets with a parishioner at Good Shepherd Parish.
BOTTOM LEFT: Fr Joseph Reddy SVD cuts the cake at the celebration for the 10th anniversary of his priestly ordination.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Fr Boni spends time with students at St Michael's Catholic School, Palm Island.
