1 Volume 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 Society Matters Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:13) A NEWSLETTER OF THE DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES INC - AUSTRALIA PROVINCE Volume 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 Society Matters
Volume 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 2 Society Matters Message from the Provincial Superior Dear Friends, As I write this message, we are celebrating the election of a new pope, Pope Leo XIV, following the death at Easter time of Pope Francis. It is wonderful to note that Pope Leo is a missionary, from the Augustinian order, and in his first address to the crowds in St Peter’s Square he called for a missionary Church. It was also wonderful to hear the new pope giving thanks for the legacy of Pope Francis, especially in the areas of synodality and peace-building. I was blessed to meet Pope Francis personally twice and I remember him for his warmth and kindness on those occasions. He is remembered also as someone who started the ball rolling towards a healthy, inclusive and merciful Catholic Church, through the process of synodality, as well as for his Papal Encyclicals, especially Laudato Si’, which showed us that he was not only the Pope of the People, but also the Pope of all Creation. Pope Francis loved humanity, and he made the point often that we are all interconnected and through his focus on synodality, he wanted every baptised Catholic to stand up and work towards the Kingdom of God and the good of all. I pray for Pope Leo XIV as he embarks on his pontificate. Encouraged by his first words in which he spoke of peace, bridge-building, dialogue and encounter, let us join together with him in his missionary outlook. In this edition of Society Matters you will read the story of our SVD mission in Myanmar, where our confreres are not only building up the Bible Apostolate and providing parish pastoral care, but also helping to provide basic housing for those in great need and providing music lessons and computer lessons for the children. We hope you also enjoy our stories on the SVD Jubilee Year, the final vows and ordination to the diaconate of Peter Wang SVD, and the missionary profile on Fr Jan Szweda SVD. Yours in the Word, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD Provincial Superior Cover Story: The SVD mission in Myanmar continues to steadily grow, with the recent opening of a new parish, along with the Bible apostolate and providing practical assistance to those in need, including the building of basic housing. Read more on Pages 4-5. 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 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 Society Matters Celebration as Peter makes perpetual vows and is ordained a deacon The SVD Australia Province celebrated joyfully recently when Shouzheng Peter Wang SVD professed his perpetual vows as a Divine Word Missionary and was ordained to the diaconate. As Peter made his final profession, in the presence of his family who had travelled from China, along with confreres and friends, he was joined by SVD seminarians from Melbourne’s Dorish Maru College who renewed their temporary vows. Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD, said the occasion, which took place at St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill, on Saturday, March 15, was an important time for each of the young men. “Each of them has decided to go forward with their own formation as they continue to deeply listen to the movement of the Spirit and the work of the Divine Word in their unique journey,” said Fr Rass. After professing his final vows as a Divine Word Missionary, Peter thanked all those who had accompanied him on his vocational journey. “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it,” he said. “Today is the day when I am filled with great joy and gratitude. A day to celebrate God’s abundant mercy, kindness and love throughout my 11 years of vocational journey.” He thanked his parents and siblings for their “unconditional love and support”, along with Fr Rass and the Provincial Council, his SVD confreres, SSpS sisters, the choir and all who had contributed to making the final vows ceremony such a beautiful, multicultural occasion. The following day, Peter was ordained to the diaconate by Melbourne Auxiliary Bishop Tony Ireland at Our Lady of China Catholic Church in Box Hill. In his homily, Bishop Ireland said that all those present stood together at the threshold of transformation. “Peter, today you are called into a new way of life, ordained to proclaim the gospel, to serve at the altar, and to minister to those in need,” he said. “Through the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination, the Church confirms what God has already placed in your heart, a deeper and abiding call to serve Christ and his people.” Bishop Ireland noted that Peter’s final profession of vows and ordination to the diaconate was taking place during the 150th Anniversary Year of the Society of the Divine Word. “(Yesterday) you affirmed your commitment to the charism of St Arnold Janssen to proclaim the Word of God to all people,” he said. “The Society calls you to be a bridge between cultures, a messenger of hope and a servant of the gospel. Today, through the sacrament of Holy Orders this mission is deepened and strengthened.” After the homily, the Rite of Ordination took place, followed by celebration of the eucharist. At the conclusion, Deacon Peter once more gave thanks to God, his family, and the SVD. “I ask that you continue journeying with me with your unconditional love, support, and prayers as I continue carrying out God’s will and serving God’s people,” he said. During the final vows celebration, Fr Rass shared with great joy that the SVD Generalate in Rome has announced that Peter’s first missionary assignment will be to the Australia Province.
Volume 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 4 Society Matters SVD Mission in Myanmar growing to serve local needs One of the SVD Australia Province’s newer missions is Myanmar, where Divine Word Missionaries have been working since 2018 at the invitation of Cardinal Charles Bo SDB, the Archbishop of Yangon, to promote the Bible Apostolate. Since arriving, the SVD have also helped meet the material needs and education of the people by undertaking social projects, including building houses for the poor and needy, and providing music and computer classes for local children and out-of-school youth. This article by Fr Roger Kyaw Thu SVD, gives an insight into the SVD Myanmar Mission. Myanmar is one of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with a population of 55 million. It is predominantly a Buddhist Country where Catholics make up only 1.29 per cent of the total population (about 700,000 Catholics). The SVD house is situated in the Hmawbi Township which comes under the Yangon Division. Some years ago, our Society was invited to work here at the request of Cardinal Charles Bo, the archbishop of Yangon, under whose jurisdiction comes the Hmawbi Sacred Heart parish. The purpose of his invitation for the SVD was to promote the Bible Apostolate in Myanmar as the Cardinal himself continues to say that we are popularly known as active promoters of God’s Word. We officially opened the mission of Myanmar in 2018 after an abandoned and dilapidated building of the archdiocese was well renovated for our residence under the supervision of our confreres Fathers Truc Phan SVD and John Le SVD. The pioneer missionaries to the newly opened mission were Fr Jacob Kavunkal SVD, Fr Mariusz Kubista SVD, Fr Tuyen Nguyen SVD, and Fr Devasagayam Savariyappan SVD. Since 2021, only Frs. Tuyen and Deva have remained and continued the mission here. Recently, the mission received a young confrere, Fr Roger Kyaw Thu. He is one of the first two local SVDs (Myanmar) ordained in the US in May 2024. Myanmar has been in political turmoil since its independence from British rule in 1948. The 2021 Coup has significantly worsened the situation. On top of the political turmoil, the country was recently devastated by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that killed thousands of people and destroyed many buildings. Despite the political unrest which restricts our activities, the contributions of the SVDs to the local Church have been noteworthy. We are involved in the socio, economic and spiritual welfare of the people entrusted to our care. Due to high inflation and increasing unemployment, people are experiencing hard times. We
5 Volume 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 Society Matters are doing as much as possible within our ability to alleviate the sufferings of the people around us. Fr Tuyen has been working with the marginalised in the farflung villages under Sacred Heart Parish, Hmawbi. Under his watchful care, houses have been built for the poor and the needy; music and computer classes are conducted for the children and out-of-school youth. Chapels have either been built or renovated. Hundreds of Catholics and non-Catholics have benefitted from the untiring service rendered by Fr Tuyen. Fr Deva’s ministry involves spiritual, psychological and educational spheres in and around the archdiocese of Yangon. He is the spiritual director, counselor and one of the formators and lecturers at the National Catholic Institute of Theology and seminary. He is also involved in the formation of the Carmelite Sisters. His other ministry includes adult formation in the form of retreats and recollections. Fr Roger has primarily been helping out with the pastoral and sacramental ministries in different mission stations and religious communities under the Sacred Heart parish. Mostly he avails himself to the needs of the parish with the intent of learning how to do parish ministry. In addition, he occasionally works as a vocation promoter for the SVD. An exciting update is that in April this year, the SVDs in Myanmar took up the pastoral care of a brand new parish, which was inaugurated by Cardinal Bo. With much discussion and conversation between the SVD Australian Province and the Archdiocese of Yangon in the past few months, it was decided that Fr Tuyen and Fr Roger would establish a new parish at Annunciation of the Lord Church in Kone Ka Lay village, Htantabin Township, approximately a 45-minute drive from our SVD house in Hmawbi. With this new ministry, we hope to work more closely with the people under our care and implement our SVD charism in more concrete manners, including more social projects, to assist in meeting both the spiritual and material needs of the people. Your donations can help support the work of the SVD Mission in Myanmar. See the drop-down menu on the donations page of our website (divineword.au) for more information on tax-deductibility (SVD Overseas Aid Fund which helps support social outreach programs), and non-tax-deductible donations which can be made to the DWM Mission Office to help support the pastoral work of overseas missionaries.
Volume 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 6 Society Matters SVD gives thanks in Jubilee Year for all who support them in God’s mission The SVD’s 150th Jubilee Year continues to be marked by celebration and thanksgiving both in the Australia Province and around the globe. Under the theme, ‘Witnessing to the Light: From everywhere for everyone’, Divine Word Missionaries have been marking the Jubilee in a variety of different ways and giving thanks for their collaboration with all who have joined them and supported them in mission. The SVD began with the dream of German priest, St Arnold Janssen, to establish a mission house in Steyl, the Netherlands and send out missionaries from Europe to the world to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Divine Word. Today, it is composed of nearly 6000 members of 76 nationalities, serving the mission in 79 countries with 59 provinces, regions and missions. The Society of the Divine Word is the sixth largest male religious congregation in the Catholic Church in recent years and the biggest missionary congregation. Thanks to the sustaining generosity of friends and benefactors over those 150 years and continuing today, the SVD is present with the people on every continent except Antarctica, with a special focus on the poor, the marginalised, and those in most need. Earlier this year, the celebration of the feast days of the Society of the Divine Word’s two saints, St Arnold Janssen and St Joseph Freinademetz, took on special significance in the Jubilee Year. The Australian Province of the Society of the Divine Word celebrated the feast days with special Masses and social gatherings of confreres, SSpS Sisters, parishioners, lay partners and partners in mission, while in Rome the day was marked by the release of a new book, entitled ‘Treasures of the Past and Experiences of the Present’. St Arnold founded the Society of the Divine Word on September 8, 1875. He later went on to found two orders of Religious Women, the Servant Sisters of the Holy Spirit and the Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration. His feast day is on January 15, the date of his death in 1909. On March 2, 1879, the first two SVD missionaries set out for China. One of these was Joseph Freinademetz. St Joseph, whose feast day is on January 29, stayed for many years in China, during turbulent political and cultural times, and he faced many challenges, but he came to know and love the Chinese people and was loved by them in return. The two feast days were celebrated across the Australia Province, from small villages in Thailand to parishes in New Zealand, Myanmar and around Australia, from Balgo in Western Australia to the Tiwi Islands in the north, Central Australia, parishes in Queensland, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Victoria. Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD, said the founder’s feast day in the Jubilee Year was a time to give thanks. “It is an opportunity to sincerely thank the Triune God for our founder Arnold Janssen; for his foresightedness, his sacrifice and love for God’s mission which allowed him to create this enterprise which has now grown to become the sixth largest religious order in the missionary world. “It is an opportunity for us to give thanks for being part of
7 Volume 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 Society Matters this mission and to recognise that there is still much work to do for the next 150 years.” The SVD Australia Province has also marked the Jubilee with an online lecture series, exploring the Jubilee theme from the perspective of the Bible Apostolate, Mission, and Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation. The fourth and last of the webinars, to be held in August, will focus on Communications. Local districts throughout the Province have also marked the Jubilee Year with various celebrations. In Rome, the Superior-General of the Society of the Divine Word, Fr Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro SVD marked St Arnold’s feast day by launching the book, ‘Treasures of the Past and Experiences of the Present’, saying the publication stood as testimony to God’s goodness. “This publication is neither a mere account of our history nor even less a nod to our mission work, but rather a recognition of what the Lord has done within us and for us,” he said. “’Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders will labour in vain’, says the Psalm. “Each historical event portrayed in each experience of a missionary of the Divine Word recounted here points us to the hands of The Potter, who, over the years has shaped our lives and mission until we became who we are, men consecrated to the mission gathered in intercultural communities who announced the Divine Word and assume his life and mission as our own. “The celebration of our Jubilee this year should make us aware that a quarter of this century is complete, and that we have already entered a new era. It is from this vantage point that we have to look to the future. “Our future is in the hands of the Lord. In our hands, we have only the fruits that He cultivates throughout our existence as a missionary congregation.” In his Easter message, Fr Anselmo gave thanks for all who have collaborated with and supported the Divine Word Missionaries throughout its 150 years, saying that the Society’s missionary work cannot be done in isolation. “We are a part of this mission that is born and comes from the very heart of God,” he said. “Our role in this mission is one of collaboration. We listen to the call of the Church to take part in this mission, and we want to journey with others. This journey with others means being in dialogue. “Our journey is done in communion with the laity, with other religious congregations, with Christians of other denominations and with people of goodwill. Our journey is taken together. We are not isolated, and we must continue on this journey with many companions who want to share this journey with us.” The SVD Australia Province’s Jubilee activities will culminate with celebrations on September 8 this year, the 150th anniversary of the SVD’s Foundation. Photos Left to Right: 1. The launch of the Jubilee Commemorative book, ‘Treasures of the Past and Experiences of the Present’ (SVD Generalate Media Department). 2. St Arnold Janssen Feast Day - Palm Island 2025 3. SVD Superior-General Fr Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro SVD speaking about the Jubilee on the Feast of St Arnold Janssen this year. (SVD Generalate Media Department) 4. St Arnold Janssen’s feast day is celebrated in the Tiwi Islands.
Volume 35 No. 2 | Winter 2025 8 Society Matters Faith, people and cultures the pillars of Fr Jan’s decades of missionary service As he looks back on 46 years of missionary service, Fr Jan Szweda SVD says he is most grateful for the people he encountered in Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa and Australia, the different cultures he experienced, and the shared journey of faith. Fr Jan is heading back to his home country of Poland, where he plans to enjoy his retirement by spending time with his 96-year-old father and continuing to live his priestly calling. “I plan to continue serving the Lord in a new, quite conservative, Church situation that is so different from the time I left Poland,” he says. Fr Jan left Poland in 1979, about four months after being ordained a priest in the Society of the Divine Word. Poland was still under Communist rule at that time. He was assigned to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea, and after spending some time learning English in Ireland, he arrived in PNG in 1980, to work in the Diocese of Wewak, an experience he describes as a time of adventure, while also coming to terms with the new and unexpected. “I had read a lot and listened to the stories of missionaries who came to the seminary, but the reality was quite different to the way I imagined it to be,” he recounted in a video for the Melbourne Archdiocese. “So, it was quite a challenging time … and I had to learn Pidgin English and also get to know the people, to accustom myself to a new place and find my footing in a new culture. It was a very, very enriching time for me, because it widened my horizons very much.” During his time assigned to PNG, Fr Jan spent two years of study in the Philippines and also undertook one year of mission in Samoa. In 2011, he joined the SVD Australia Province and was assigned to Alice Springs in Central Australia, working with both the Arrernte Aboriginal people and the town’s broader multicultural community. It was, he says, another big change of culture. “The community was wonderful there in Alice Springs. The township was like one big community and there were many denominations, people belonging to different churches, but 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 we were all one community and close to one another. I felt very accepted there.” After four years as parish priest in Alice Springs, Fr Jan volunteered to go to Nhulunbuy in isolated East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, where he again found the people friendly, open and very appreciative of having a resident priest. Two years later he was asked by the SVD Provincial to move to the suburban Melbourne parish of Preston, a change he says he was apprehensive about because he had never served in a city before, but once again, while the noise and pace of the city took some getting used to, the people welcomed him warmly. His final assignment in the Australia Province was to Townsville in North Queensland, where he enjoyed working in parishes, including at Sacred Heart Cathedral. “Looking back at my 46 years of missionary service, I have been blessed indeed to live in so many countries and places, among so many different but wonderful people, who accepted me in their communities,” he says. “Every new assignment offered me new experiences by immersing myself in their culture, serving them in different roles and ministries. “I was sent in 1979 from Poland to PNG to ‘bring the Word of God to people who do not yet know God’. But as time when on, I realised that I myself am in search of ‘my’ God. And so, we journeyed together as followers of Christ, accompanying one another in our earthly pilgrimage. This has been my mission.” Fr Jan says he is most thankful for the many, different, good people the Lord placed on his missionary path. “From them, I have learned to try to be more humble and grateful for the gifts they have shared with me,” he says. “The motto on my ordination card was ‘It is my joy, O Lord, to do your will’. After 46 years I know that the joy of serving the Lord in his people is a great reward for the commitment to my missionary service.”
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