Dear Friends,

As you receive this edition of In the Word, we have recently celebrated Pentecost and are about to celebrate Trinity Sunday.

These are two feasts in the liturgical year that were very close to the heart of the SVD founder, St Arnold Janssen, and are an integral part of the spirituality of the Divine Word Missionaries.

Right from the first Constitutions written for the Society of the Divine Word, St Arnold made it clear that this missionary endeavour was imbued with both a devotion to the Holy Trinity and a commitment to living out the Trinity as a relational reality.

“Since God is Trinitarian, the glorification of the most Holy Trinity is the first and last purpose of our Society”, he wrote in the Society’s Rule of 1891.

What does that mean for us, here in the SVD Australia Province in 2026, living out the mission that St Arnold envisioned, but in a vastly different world to that which he inhabited in Europe in the late 1800s?

I think it means that firstly, we are people of prayer, and that prayer is anchored firmly in relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This commitment to prayer feeds, fuels and gives life to all that we do.

Secondly, as our name attests, our mission is that of the Divine Word – sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1:1).

And thirdly, our mission is brought to life in the Holy Spirit. The Gospel reading for Pentecost Sunday told us of the evening of the first Easter Sunday when the Risen Lord came to the disciples who were huddled behind closed doors in fear and gave them this commission: “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” And after saying this, he breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Fifty days later, at Pentecost, this was emphasised even further when God sent the Holy Spirit upon the apostles enabling them to speak in foreign languages and giving them the courage and power to go out and preach “about the marvels of God”.

I often think that dinner conversation at any SVD house resembles the scene at Pentecost! Missionaries from all over the world, speaking many different languages, are sent out to share the Good News. Although there are certainly sometimes intercultural challenges, it is the gift of the Holy Spirit that provides a sense of unity in diversity in our missionary endeavours.

I think St Arnold would be very happy to see not only the growth of his mission society, now present in more than 70 countries, but the Spirit-led interculturality at its heart. It is this same Spirit which we know to be present in the people we serve.

This leads to a genuine cultural dialogue which underpins our mission, our relationships with one another, and our collaborations with our lay partners in mission.

So, this Trinity Sunday, may we allow ourselves, as baptised Christians, to be re-anchored in the reality of being centred in the life of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And let’s pray together St Arnold’s famous prayer: “May the Holy Triune God live in our hearts and the hearts of all people.”

Yours in the Word,

Fr Boni Buahendri SVD,

Provincial.