My name is Daniel Polla, and I am originally from Indonesia. The Australia Province is my second mission assignment as a Divine Word Missionary. On 10 December 2023, Bishop Charles Gauci of Darwin Diocese placed me as the parish priest and Yanuarius Salu as the co-pastor of Daly River Parish - my first mission assignment in the Australia Province.

St Francis Xavier Parish in Daly River has five communities located at varying distances from the central parish. Some communities even take over two hours driving on rough roads to reach them.

The second Jubilee Online Lecture hosted by the SVD Australia Province this month highlighted the need for authentic Christian witness and a commitment to go out to the peripheries of both Church and society in living out Christ’s mission.

The keynote presenter at the webinar was Fr Stanislaus Lazar SVD, with Fr Albano Da Costa SVD responding on the theme of ‘Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere for Everyone – a Mission Perspective’.

As a Divine Word Missionary, it is my profound privilege to share the Good News of God wherever I am called, writes Fr Niran Veigas SVD. For nine years, I was blessed to proclaim the Gospel in Russia, answering the Lord’s invitation to be His instrument of love and hope. Following this, I embraced another calling—to serve the Aboriginal community in Australia.

For the past two years, I have had the honour of ministering to a remote Aboriginal community in the northernmost part of Australia. It has been a journey of grace and growth, where I feel truly blessed to bring the Good News of Christ to those who long for His presence. Witnessing their faith, resilience, and openness to the Gospel has deepened my own commitment to this sacred mission.

The Society of the Divine Word has this month celebrated the feast days of its two SVD saints, St Arnold Janssen and St Joseph Freinademetz, with the occasions taking on special significance during the SVD’s 150^th 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’.

Happy New Year to all and welcome to the first edition of ‘In the Word’ for 2025.

We are embarking on a big year, with the 150^th anniversary in September of the SVD’s Foundation by St Arnold Janssen, under the theme of Witnessing to the Light, and the Jubilee of Hope being celebrated across the Universal Church.

The birthday of our Mother Mary, 8^th September, also marked the Foundation Day of the Society of the Divine Word.

In 2024 it also marked the opening of the SVD Sesquicentenary Jubilee (the year of celebrations leading up to their 150^th anniversary in 2025), with the theme “Witnessing to the Light: from Everywhere for Everyone”, writes Fr Peter Bang SVD.

If we want to achieve Peace, Justice must be served. If we want to live harmoniously with nature, we have to protect our environment, writes Fr Jun Perez SVD.

The theme of our Jubilee Year, “Witnessing to the Light, from Everywhere for Everyone,” has resonated deeply within my heart and mind as I am applying for Perpetual Vows and First Assignments, writes SVD student Peter Wang.

It reminds me this is a call to all of us in the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) with a renewed commitment to our core identity and mission.

One of the great gifts and important fields of study during my priestly formation was the study of “Cultural Anthropology”. It was seen as one of the foundation stones for our future missionary life as an SVD. The awareness of what it means to live in a particular culture, that it is ‘like an iceberg with only the tip showing but most of it being not visible’, made us aware of the complexities involved in knowing one’s own culture, let alone learning another culture.

And yet, as a missionary that is what we are meant to do. We not only learn another language when one goes overseas, but we make every effort to learn everything we can about the new people we are asked to serve. Their values, their social structure, their customs, their beliefs, their rituals, and yes, their light and darkness.

On September 8, Good Shepherd Parish in Kirwan came alive with joy and spiritual fervour as the community gathered for two significant events: The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the inauguration of the 150th Jubilee celebrations of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD).

This special day was a powerful reminder of our unity in faith, our love for Mary, and our gratitude for the Global Missionary work of the SVDs.