The Presentation Parish in Thailand celebrated its feast day recently with a special Mass and shared meal attended by the local bishop, parishioners and villagers, including people from other faiths.

The parish is situated on the banks of the Mekong River between the Thai-Laos borders and the villagers came together to decorate the church beautifully for the celebration and prepare special food to share together afterwards.

Divine Word Missionary communities throughout the AUS Province and the world have had much to celebrate in January, with the commemoration of two SVD saints – St Arnold Janssen and St Joseph Freinademetz.

St Arnold’s feast day was on January 15, the date of his death in 1909 in Steyl, Holland. He was the founder of the Divine Word Missionaries, as well as two orders of Religious Women, the Servant Sisters of the Holy Spirit and the Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration.

January is an important month on the Divine Word Missionaries’ calendar, with not one, but two feast days of SVD saints to celebrate.

This year, both St Arnold Janssen (feast day, January 15) and St Joseph Freinademetz (January 29) were remembered with a joint celebration at the St Arnold Janssen Chapel in Marsfield on January 19. Celebrations have also been held in the various different parts of the Province, around Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Myanmar.

January has been a big month of prayer and thanksgiving at Divine Word Missionary communities throughout the AUS Province with the celebration of not one but two SVD saints’ feast days.

Both of the SVD saints, St Arnold Janssen and St Joseph Freinademetz, have their feast days in January, prompting SVD and SSpS communities to come together for special Eucharistic Celebrations and gatherings.

As you can understand, Fr John has asked me to preach the Feast Day Homily of our Founder, St Arnold Janssen. It is an honour to be asked, so thank Fr John.

Father Arnold, that’s how we know him, was a man of vision, dedication and stubborn commitment. He was born nearly 200 hundred years ago on the border of Germany and Holland. He became a priest, a teacher, publisher, and a man fired with a desire for the Germans to do something for the foreign missions. Till then there was no German foreign mission foundation.

SVD communities around the AUS Province celebrated their heritage in January with the feast days of the Divine Word Missionaries founder, St Arnold Janssen, and the first SVD to be sent out on mission, St Joseph Freinademetz.

St Arnold’s feast day is celebrated on January 15, while St Joseph’s is on January 28. Each community celebrated the feast days in different ways, with the celebration of the Eucharist uniting all in prayer and thanksgiving.