1 Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 Society Matters I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. (John 13:34) A NEWSLETTER OF THE DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES INC - AUSTRALIA PROVINCE Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 Society Matters
Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 2 Society Matters Message from the Provincial Superior Dear Friends, I have recently returned from the SVD 19th General Chapter in Nemi, Italy, where we not only elected a new Superior General in Fr Anselmo Ribeiro SVD, but also spent time listening to what the Spirit was saying about the future direction of the Society of the Divine Word. The SVD is about to launch into celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of its foundations, so it was a good time to be giving thanks and discerning our direction for the next six years. Working under the theme: ‘Your light must shine before others: Faithful and creative disciples in a wounded world’, the Chapter outlined six major wounds affecting humanity and the SVD’s responses to those wounds. The wounds identified were: Social and cultural wounds; Economic and political wounds; Physical and Psychological Wounds; Environmental wounds; Wounds in the Church today; Our own woundedness as SVDs. It was hard work to try to embrace these wounds, which we recognised in the Church, the world and within the Society itself. The idea is to build capacities for communities within and outside the Church. We realise that the Church and the world are one – we need to work all together. One of the great things about participating in an SVD General Chapter is that you really see first-hand the global mission of the Society of the Divine Word. It’s wonderful to hear about the missionary activity taking place in different regions. We also heard about the social and missionary challenges in so many parts of the world. In this edition of Society Matters, we want to share with you some of that global missionary activity, with a focus on South America. We hope you will enjoy learning more about the SVD’s presence in that part of the world. We hope also that you will join with us in prayerful celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Society of the Divine Word over the next year. As our partners in mission, you are an integral part of SVD life, and we give thanks for your generous support. Yours in the Word, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD Provincial Superior Cover Story: A young Guarani girl in Argentina, which is one of eight countries in which the Divine Word Missionaries are present in South America. In this edition of Society Matters we provide an overview of the incredible range of SVD ministries in these countries. Read more on Pages 4 and 5. PHOTO: Leszek Wilman SVD. 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
3 Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 Society Matters went to university, majoring in Mathematics, and stayed in the intermediate seminary, learning some English there. Roger’s first contact with the Divine Word Missionaries was in 2014 when he accepted a scholarship which the SVDs offered to his home diocese, giving him the opportunity to study at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa. Spending time with the SVDs in Chicago Province helped open his eyes to the possibility of missionary life. “The community living and the idea of going to places where you are most needed really attracted me to consider missionary vocation,” he said. “Over the years, I have found the joy of meeting new people and of being welcomed by strangers. I think I am in love with the God who surprises me with strangers.” Roger decided to join the Divine Word Missionaries in 2016 after two years of getting to know the SVDs in the Chicago Province, professing his first vows in August 2019. Following his priestly ordination, Roger said he is excited about taking up his first missionary assignment to the Australia Province which incorporates Myanmar, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. “My hopes and dreams are that I will be able to walk with the people in Myanmar as they are suffering the terror of civil war,” he said. “I hope to be able to do something for them. To be the sacrament of God’s love and care for them.” Joy as newly ordained priest prepares for first assignment in AUS Province The Australia Province will soon welcome a newly ordained priest, Fr Roger Kyaw Thu SVD, as he takes up his first assignment to his homeland of Myanmar. Roger, together with three other Divine Word Missionaries, was ordained last month by Bishop J. Terry Steib SVD, the Bishop Emeritus of Memphis Tennessee, at the Church of the Holy Family in Chicago, USA. He said it was a time of both excitement and thanksgiving. “I was nervous as I realised I was going to be ordained for big responsibilities in the Church,” he said. “But also excited that I would be able to finally get a break from school and get to do something with my life in ministry. I was excited about what God has in store for me.” While none of Roger’s immediate family members were able to join him in person for his ordination, they were able to join in via livestream. Some of his relatives living in the US were present at the ordination Mass. Roger grew up in a rural village in Myanmar and comes from a farming family. He went to primary school in his village and helped out on family farms before and after school. Having grown up Catholic, Roger said he first discerned a call to the priesthood at age 14, having been inspired by the life and holiness of his pastor. At 16, he joined the minor seminary in his home diocese while studying at a public high school. After high school, he
Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 4 Society Matters The SVD in South America The Divine Word Missionaries are present in eight countries in South America. In this edition of Society Matters we provide an overview of the range of SVD ministries and development activities across the different countries and peoples of this incredible continent. Quibdó and Montería, and the archdioceses of Medellín, Cali and Bogotá. The SVD takes care of 11 parishes and works to bring the missionary charism to life in each of them. ECUADOR Divine Word Missionaries in Ecuador are strongly committed to the local churches, serving 13 parishes. The SVD reaches out to many who benefit from its ministry, such as children and parents in family catechesis programs, and also runs formation programs for youth and for the catechists and animators who serve parish communities. Divine Word Missionaries attend to the sick, the elderly and the migrants in the country. The SVD calls for those who pay attention to human rights, especially in rural areas. It also operates medical dispensaries and works toward the prevention of drug addiction. BRAZIL Brazil is the fifth most populous country on the planet and accounts for one third of all the inhabitants of Latin America. The SVD’s missionary collaboration with the local church occurs in 13 dioceses. The Divine Word Missionaries are integrated into the local churches through parish ministry and especially focuses their effort on the mission to the indigenous people of the Amazon. BOLIVIA Bolivia has three regions: Plateau, Valleys and the East. Twenty per cent of the population lives in extreme poverty. In the area of social work, Divine Word Missionaries are ministering through many centres, including a partnership with CINCA, a nonprofit institute for street children in El Fr Jozef Gwozdzz SVD - Panama A Guarani cross - Paraguay ARGENTINA In Argentina, the main task of Divine Word Missionaries centres on the pastoral care of some 24 parishes in four dioceses. In the area of education, the Divine Word Missionaries operate the Roque González Institute. The SVD’s missionary presence is identified with aboriginal ministry, and one missionary is dedicated solely to this work. Even though many families in SVD parishes suffer from a lack of social, economic and educational benefits, the Divine Word Missionaries are still able to observe the strength of organisational solidarity. COLOMBIA In Colombia there is not enough work for everyone. For this reason, many Colombians decide to go to foreign lands, especially the United States. This migration flow has contributed to drug trafficking on an international level and continues to be a social curse that harms all Colombians. Divine Word Missionaries are working in the dioceses of The faithful in an SVD outstation in Argentina
5 Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 Society Matters Brazilian priest elected as global leader of Divine Word Missionaries Fr Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro SVD from Brazil, has been elected 14th Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word. The Society of the Divine Word (SVD) capitulars, gathered at the recent 19th General Chapter in Nemi, Italy have elected Fr Anselmo to become the Superior General of the congregation for the six years from 2024-2030. Fr Anselmo joined the Society of the Divine Word in 1998. He made his first vows in 1999 and his perpetual vows in 2004. He was ordained priest in 2005. He has served successively as Provincial Councillor in the Province of Brazil North, Rector of Juiz de Fora Residence in Brazil, Provincial Superior of the Province of Brazil North, member of the Executive Committee of the PANAM Zone and most recently as General Councillor in Rome. The Society of the Divine Word, founded by Saint Arnold Janssen in 1875 in Steyl, Holland, is a global congregation of priests and brothers. Known as the Divine Word Missionaries, the congregation, which has almost 6,000 members in five continents, is actively engaged in various ministries including pastoral work, education, biblical apostolate, communication, justice, peace and integrity of creation, and other specialised ministries. Images courtesy of Photo Mission World The photographs are a donation by their authors for use exclusively in publications of the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) Photo Credit from left to right: Jozef Gwozdzz SVD, Andrzej Danilewicz SVD, Krzysztof Walendowski SVD, SVD Generalate Media, Adam Klinikowski SVD Alto, Bolivia’s second-largest city. The SVD also operates two boarding schools, St Joseph’s and Guadalupe, in St Ingnacio de Velasco, and a hostel facility called Arque, which is owned by the Archdiocese of Cochabamba. PARAGUAY Divine Word Missionaries provide services to the local Church through pastoral care to urban and rural parishes. The parishes are the platforms that help the SVD to reach those who have been marginalised or displaced. Divine Word Missionaries minister significantly in the area of education and have five regular schools and two agricultural schools. CHILE Years of oppression of indigenous people, especially the Mapuche, has led to the current struggles — sometimes violent — for dignified treatment and for the recovery of lands that were usurped by the Chilean state and handed over to European immigrants. Divine Word Missionaries in Chile have been working in schools since 1902. In Chile the SVD mission has had two major priorities in the last four decades: mission work among the indigenous and the operation and creation of homes for minors. One of the SVD parishes is in the indigenous territory of Quepe, and three missionaries work there. FRENCH GUIANA Divine Word Missionaries assume the indigenous mission in the Amazon as a cause of the whole Church. The SVD is in a phase of expanding its work in collaboration with the “Frontier Mission,” a project sponsored by the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, in French Guiana. While the SVD AUS Province is not at this time supporting specific projects in South America, your donations to the Overseas Aid Fund support development projects in a range of other countries. Please see Page 8 for details. Br Krzysztof Walendowski SVD with local people in Bolivia Fr. Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro is elected as the superior general of The Society of the Divide Word.
Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 6 Society Matters Fr Hai witnessing to God’s love in Colombia Fr Hai Duy Nguyen joined the Society of the Divine Word in his home country of Vietnam and after completing his studies and priestly formation in Australia, he is two years into his first missionary assignment in Colombia, an experience he is embracing. Fr Hai was born into a Catholic family and says his Christian faith was influenced by his grandmother who was a faithful Catholic. “Therefore, the death of my grandmother inspired me to become a priest. As a priest, I could offer Holy Mass as a sacrifice to pray for my ancestors who have died and for all the deceased,” he says. He got to know the SVD through one of his relatives who was a Divine Word Missionary priest and entered the aspirant community in Saigon in 2008. “I would honestly say that the charism of the SVD was not uppermost in my mind during the first two years. Rather, my mind was on the fact that being a priest is like a sacrifice to pray for the souls of our ancestors,” he said. “However, the vocational journey of the missionary religious priest was being concretely rooted in my mind and heart year by year, helping me see that the love of God impels me to reach out to those in need not only in Vietnam, but also around the world.” Hai took his first profession of vows in 2014 and then received the opportunity of studying at Dorish Maru College in Melbourne, Australia. “It was God’s blessing and grace for me,” he says. “I am grateful to the Society of the Divine Word, both in Vietnam and Australia provinces, which formed me into who I am now.” After professing his final vows and being ordained a priest in Melbourne, Hai received his first mission assignment to Colombia in South America. “I thanked God for this because Colombia was my first mission choice and the place where I wished to be a witness of God’s love,” he says. “I wanted to be a missionary in Latin America, particularly in Colombia, because I was influenced by the life of Saint Oscar Romero, and also by watching movies that narrate the life of the first missionaries in Latin America.” Fr Hai arrived in Colombia in April 2022 and since then has gained a variety of mission experiences in different places, including rural, jungle and urban areas. “Now I’m working in one of the biggest cities in Colombia, named Cali. It has been named one of the most dangerous cities in the world,” he says. “There are social problems including a high rate of drug abuse and robbery, a lack of security at night, parental separation and a high school dropout rate which is evident in the area where I am working as an assistant priest. “I felt useless sometimes when facing these social realities because I could not handle these obstacles. I was asking God: ‘My Lord, help me to be your instrument of love’. I try my best and the rest I entrust to the Holy Spirit.”
7 Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 Society Matters Hai says he thanks God that the parishioners and youth of the parish where he is working have been so welcoming, collaborative, caring and loving. “They have given me so much joy, happiness and energy to testify to God’s love. I not only have commitments in the parish, I’m also engaged in the ministry of the archdiocese. I celebrate the Holy Eucharist in Spanish twice a week and in English once a month in the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Cali.” Fr Hai says being able to speak Spanish and communicate with the Colombian people is one of the great joys of his ministry. “Sometimes, being able to make a joke and make people laugh in a homily gives me motivation, energy and blessings,” he says. “Being able to learn Spanish and to adapt to the culture is a great gift that Jesus has given me.” While he is enjoying his first missionary experience, Hai says he also looks back on his time of formation in Australia with happiness and thanksgiving. “There are no words that can express my gratitude to the Australia Province of the SVD for giving me the opportunity to deepen my religious life, to study English and theology in an international atmosphere, and especially to experience living in a multicultural community like the Dorish Maru community in Melbourne, which has benefited me a lot,” he says. As he embraces his first missionary assignment, Fr Hai takes strength from the motto of his priestly ordination: “the Love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor 5:14), which he says “strongly encourages, sustains and strengthens me”. “There is only the love of God that holds me firmly when I am in darkness and doubt,” he says. “During the missionary journey in Colombia, the words that St Paul sent to the Galatians have inspired and sustained me: ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’. “My missionary religious life is completely rooted in God’s love. What I am doing here in Colombia is not for me or is not a sacrifice as a way to pray for the souls in purgatory; it is mainly my love for Jesus Christ whom I want to follow and give my entire life to his love and salvation on earth.” Fr Hai thanked all those in the SVD Australia Province who have supported him along the way. “I honestly appreciate the prayers, care and love; especially this opportunity to share my missionary experience with you all,” he says. “May God bless us and our mission always. God’s mission is ours.”
Volume 34 No. 3 | Spring 2024 8 Society Matters THAILAND $14,219 ANGOLA (ANG) $2,768 INDIA EAST (INE) $73,240 INDIA HYDERABAD (INH) $44,302 INDIA GUWAHATI (ING) $8,238 www.divineword.org.au A Newsletter of the Divine Word Missionaries Inc - Australia Province Donations to the SVD AUS Province Overseas Aid Fund can be made online at www.divineword.org.au or by mailing to Divine Word Missionary Appeal Office, Locked Bag 3, Epping NSW, 1710, Australia. +61 2 9868 2666 @svdaus Society Matters TIMOR-LESTE (TLS) $4,302 ZIMBABWE (ZIM) $2,801 GHANA (GHA) $6,140 MOZAMBIQUE (MOZ) $6,834 TOTAL $319,472 MADAGASCAR (MAD) $28,161 CHAD (TCD) $17,764 BOLIVIA $96,316 TOGO (TOG) $3,634 ZAMBIA (ZAM) $10,753 INDIA (East, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Mumbai Provinces) 3 Women’s skills training and self-help groups 3 Maintenance of remedial school and hostel 3 Care of physically disabled children 3 Nutrition & educational empowerment for tribal children and street children 3 Care of street/working children 3 Care of HIV/AIDS children, youth and parents 3 Migrant ministry 3 Slum development 3 Legal literacy program 3 Family and youth empowerment MADAGASCAR 3 Justice and peace awareness and advocacy for local villagers’ rights 3 Formation for families with twins 3 Youth training program 3 Purchase of schooling materials for families 3 Acquisition of Birth Certificate, National Identification Card and Civil Status 3 Community programs to promote the protection of natural resources 3 Food and transport assistance for the needy to attend court 3 Support for families in need 3 Youth micro-businesses 3 Environmental restoration programs following cyclones 3 Chicken-buying program to help single-parent women 3 Hostel rooms for school children from outlying villages MOZAMBIQUE 3 Support for needy families and planting of trees 3 Education and sanitisation for schools 3 Food security, poverty eradication for internally displaced people 3 Civic education and formation programs ZAMBIA 3 Programs for the empowerment and economic selfsufficiency of women 3 Home support for the elderly and sick; caring for the disabled 3 Support for school students from poor families 3 Education of vulnerable children 3 School support and empowerment for young men ANGOLA 3 Adult literacy project 3 Computer training CHAD 3 Education support 3 Literacy programs for women and all lay people 3 Support for vulnerable elderly people 3 Animation of young people and children 3 Prison ministry, recycling and planting of trees GHANA 3 Conflict resolution and peace-building program 3 Youth leadership THAILAND 3 Support for the Asian Research Centre for Religion and Social Communication TIMOR-LESTE 3 Seminar for young people on the dangers of human trafficking ZIMBABWE 3 Youth animation 3 Leadership course 3 Installation of solar energy system THANK YOU! Your financial support is changing lives through the following SVD projects:
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