At the beginning of Advent, as Christians prepare to welcome the Prince of Peace at Christmas, Pope Leo XIV has called for prayer that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation and hope.

As we enter our Advent reflection, may we join with the Pope in offering a prayer to the God of Peace that Christians surrounded by pain may feel the “gentle kindness of your presence and the prayers of their brothers and sisters in faith”.

Two young men from Vietnam have made their first profession of vows in the Society of the Divine Word following their postulancy in Thailand and a year-long novitiate in the Philippines.

Hung Dinh Nguyen and Joseph Pham Van Thong joined the SVD Australia Province in Thailand and will now prepare to undertake their seminary studies and formation with the SVD Australia Province at Dorish Maru College in Melbourne.

The Superior-General of the Society of the Divine Word, Fr Anselmo Ribeiro SVD, made a visit to Thailand and Myanmar in the SVD Australia Province this month, expressing his delight in the commitment of the missionaries and the variety of ministries being undertaken in both countries.

Over the course of five days, Fr Anselmo was given a first-hand experience of ministries ranging from parishes to AIDs ministry, teaching, formation, migrant ministry and more, all within an interfaith cultural context.

As we begin the season of Advent we enter into a time of prayer, reflection, waiting and preparing for the arrival of Jesus at Christmas.

At the same time, people in the United States have celebrated Thanksgiving this week. In our part of the world, Thanksgiving is not such a prevalent holiday, but it can prompt us to realise that we have much for which to give thanks, especially in the month of November when we remember in prayer those who have gone before us.

Mother of the Church parish community in Macquarie Fields has welcomed the Migrant Jubilee Cross as a celebration of faith and cultural richness.

The cross is on a year-long journey across Australia following its launch on the 111^th World Day of Migrants and Refugees & Jubilee of Migrants on Sunday October 5.

The SVD Australia Province rang out with joy this month when Peter Wang SVD was ordained to the priesthood in Melbourne in a celebration filled with faith, culture, love, family and mission.

Peter, who was born and raised in China, was ordained by Broome Bishop Tim Norton SVD, in a Mass marked by poignant moments, including Peter being clothed in his priestly vestments by his parents and his brother Andrew, also an SVD priest, and the inspiration for Peter’s vocation.

St Anne’s Parish, Palm Island is a small but mission-focused faith community built on outreach, presence, and accompaniment for the island’s mostly First Nations residents

Parish Administrator, Fr Manh Le SVD, says his ministry is largely one of personal encounter, taking the time to share in conversation with the people of the island as they go about their lives.

Fr Ennio Mantovani SVD has been remembered as a dedicated missionary priest whose life and ministry touched the hearts of many, especially through his years of committed service in Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Fr Ennio returned peacefully to the Lord on October 18 in Sydney, Australia and his Requiem Mass took place on Tuesday, October 28 at the St Arnold Janssen Chapel in Marsfield.

A two-day ecumenical mission conference held in Melbourne this month brought together academics, missiologists and mission practitioners from Australia and beyond to engage in conversation about the history, development and current realities of being a missionary church.

‘Missio Dei: An Ecumenical Conversation’ was a joint project of the Australian Association for Mission Studies (AAMS) and the Society of the Divine Word and took place from October 2-3 at St Paschal’s, Box Hill.

The Divine Word Missionaries Australia Province has celebrated the culmination of the Jubilee Year marking the 150^th anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Divine Word with a Thanksgiving Mass earlier this month.

It brings to completion a year of celebrations to mark the SVD Jubilee across the Province, in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Myanmar, under the theme: ‘Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere, for Everyone’.