Mumbai-based sociologist, Fr Joseph Mundananikkal SVD will visit Australia in September to carry out a number of speaking engagements in which he will explore different aspects of India’s social and religious culture.

Holding a M. Phil in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and a PhD from the same university, since 2009 Fr Joseph has been Director and Superior at the SVD-run Institute of Indian Culture, a post-graduate research centre in Sociology and Anthropology in Mumbai and since 2012 has been assistant professor in Sociology at the State University of Mumbai. He is the National Co-ordinator for India of Mission, Education and Research of the SVD.

Among the million or so pilgrims at World Youth Day in Brazil, is Fr Stephen Pilly SVD of Sacred Heart Parish, Preston, in suburban Melbourne.

Before he left, Fr Stephen said what he was most looking forward to was to walk in faith with the young people he is accompanying, and to enjoy his own deep encounters with Jesus.

It is important for the Church to delve more deeply into the history of the indigenous communities it serves, and to listen more deeply, in order to fully understand and adequately respond to the present reality of the Aboriginal people, says Fr Jim Knight SVD, who lives and works in Central Australia.

Fr Jim, who joined the Divine Word Missionaries in 1957 in Marburg, Queensland, has stepped down now from his role as Parish Priest at Santa Teresa, an Aboriginal community about 80 km from Alice Springs. But he will continue to live and minister in the community, while also exploring the history of the Arrernte people of Central Australia and their contact and growing relationship with European people over the decades.

The danger in talking about migrants and refugees is that we always talk about statistics, rather than focusing on the real people, with real faces and real names who lie behind the statistics – people who are all made in the image of God, says Fr vanThanh Nguyen SVD, a visiting Scripture scholar.

Fr vanThanh is Associate Professor of New Testament Studies at Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union. He was in Australia recently to teach a course for The Broken Bay Institute entitled ‘Strangers, Migrants and Refugees in the Bible’, as well as give a series of talks and retreats around the country.

The Divine Word Missionaries will say a fond farewell to St Cecilia’s Parish, Hamilton in Brisbane in early August, after almost 20 years of pastoring to a community that is renowned for its warmth and for the long-term commitment of its members to parish life.

That commitment can be seen in 99-year-old Gwendoline Gleeson who operates the overhead projector at weekend masses, along with her sister Viv, aged 90, who is the organist, as well as many other parishioners who have been involved with various ministries for decades.

When Ron and Maria Natoli of Sydney, first visited Cebu in the Philippines 12 years ago and saw the city’s poorest people living on the rubbish tip, they knew they had to help.

Now, when they visit they see lives that have changed for the better, and according to Ron, it all comes down to building great partnerships.

Imagine studying for the priesthood at a seminary where there are no Bible commentaries or online homily resources in your own language.

For the students at St John Mary Vianney Major Seminary in Laos this is the situation they face. Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD recently visited Laos to lend a hand.

For Indonesia’s Laurensius Woda, being a part of the Divine Word Missionaries’ Overseas Training Program in New Zealand and Australia has helped him find the real meaning of being a religious missionary.

The Overseas/Cross-Cultural Training Program (OTP) gives missionary students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new language, experience a new culture and engage in supervised ministry.

The SVD Postulants of the Australia Province have been visiting SVD parishes and sharing their personal stories as part of special Vocations Weekends.

Postulant Steve Desveaux says it was a great experience to meet people in SVD parishes and share some of his own vocation journey with them.

Australian-born Archbishop Douglas Young SVD, the Archbishop of Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea has spoken out strongly against the death penalty being introduced as punishment for crimes.

Archbishop Young has told the Fides Catholic News Agency that he condemns the pro-capital punishment campaign being carried out in the country.