Volume 32 No. 3 | Spring 2022 2 Society Matters Message from the Provincial Superior Dear Friends, Several weeks ago I was privileged to attend the Second Assembly of the 5th Plenary Council of Australia, held in Sydney. It was an interesting time, as the Members of the Assembly sought to chart a path forward for the Church in Australia, under the leadership and movement of the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t always a smooth ride, but one of the encouraging things about the Plenary Council has been that it has always held Mission at its core. Indeed, the stated goal of the Council was to become a more missionary Church, ‘a Christ-centred Church, open to conversion, renewal and reform’. It’s often said that the Church doesn’t have a mission, the Church is mission – that is, this call for believers to share their life in Christ with others is central to who the Church is. As Divine Word Missionaries we seek to do this, through what Pope Francis calls, “the Culture of Encounter”. That is, we accompany people in their lives, especially the poor and the marginalised, and it is in this encounter that we live our mission. You too, our Partners in Mission, are part of this Culture of Encounter, because you support our missionary work in so many ways, and help us to turn mission into reality. As you’ll see in this year’s financial report on Page 8, you have assisted in providing concrete assistance to people in need across the globe. Whether it being helping poor and illiterate children access an education, empowering women to learn skills to financially sustain them and their families, AIDS education and support, pandemic relief, caring for the disabled and elderly. This is the human face of the Culture of the Encounter. May God bless you and your family. Please be assured, you are always in our prayers. Yours in the Word, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD Provincial Superior Cover Story: One of the works carried out at the Janssen Social Centre in Telangana State, India is the provision of basic food and rice for destitute women in the community. See story on pages 6-7.. Appeal Office: 199 Epping Road, Marsfield NSW Locked Bag 3, Epping NSW 1710 Australia Telephone: +61 2 9868 2666 Victoria: 100 Albion Road, Box Hill, Vic 3128 Tel: +61 3 9890 0065 Queensland: 96 Lilac Street Inala QLD 4077 Tel: +61 7 3372 5658 New Zealand: 41 Britannia Street, Petone, 5046 Tel: +64 4 971 7885 Published by Divine Word Missionaries Incorporated, ABN 51 885 667 646
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