I am a former Brother who dedicated 18 years to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). I spent six months as a brother candidate and worked at Arnold Printing in Ende, followed by another six months as a postulant. I then entered the SVD Novitiate in Ende, Flores, for two years and underwent an additional year of formation as a junior Brother, writes Joseph Pegu.

Afterwards, I worked for five years at PT Ani Pty Ltd, Arnold Printing in Ende, and in the secretariat of the SVD Ende province. After completing a six-month program for my perpetual vows, I took those vows on September 8, 1992, and received my first mission placement in the SVD Province of Australia.

A contractor needed one more man to chop down trees for export. One day, two men appeared willing to do the job but only one could be employed so what the contractor did was to put the two men to a test, they were to chop down as many trees as they could in an eight-hour shift and the man who chopped down more trees got the job.

This Sunday’s Gospel is surely at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. It begins with Jesus instructing his followers how to pray. He says those words that Christians cherish, the Our Father, and then he talks about asking for things and receiving what we need.

Saints Peter and Paul Church in Lower Hutt, New Zealand has celebrated its 175^th anniversary, with a series of joyous jubilee events.

Parish Priest, Fr Raja Kommareddy SVD, said the celebrations, which took place over the whole weekend of June 28 and 29, marking the parish’s patronal feast, were a wonderful testimony to the community’s vibrant faith and multicultural richness.

A recent workshop for members of Religious Institutes highlighted the importance of good governance and administration within the Church, saying it must be aligned with mission and carried out with collaboration and transparency.

Several Divine Word Missionaries took part in the ‘Introduction to Ecclesial Governance and Administration’ workshop, which was an initiative of Catholic Religious Australia.

The Divine Word Missionaries’ annual retreats are now underway, with Augustinian priest, Fr Joseph Lam, leading the SVD Marsfield community in reflections on the theme, ‘Missionaries of Hope’.

Each district of the SVD AUS Province will have a week’s retreat, given by local presenters, providing spiritual nourishment and renewal for confreres.

The Emerald Parish in the Central Highlands of Queensland is a thriving faith community which also embraces a cluster of small country churches in a rural district renowned for its warm welcome and hospitality.

Parish Priest, Fr Truc Quoc Phan SVD and Assistant Priest, Fr Francois d’Assise Andrianihantana SVD, say they are very happy in the fast-growing community of Emerald and its more rural surrounds, where they’ve enjoyed getting to know the people, the land and the significant cattle farming enterprises that drive the region.

It seems that Pope Leo XIV has already endeared himself to the world, with his warm smile, calm demeanour and steady influence.

But if we listen carefully to his words, we find that behind that serene exterior, he is calling us to step up as Christians and missionaries and launch a revolution! Not a revolution of arms or violence, but a revolution of love.

The first reading today is from the Book of Deuteronomy and in fact is well linked with today’s Gospel reading, which urges us to listen to the voice of the Lord and keep His commandments and statutes throughout our lives. 

The collaboration between the Holy Spirit Sisters and the Divine Word Missionaries is mirrored in the spirit of the Founding Generation. It started in the early days when both mission congregations were founded, writes Sr Sesilia Dominika Ria SSpS, in this SVD 150th Jubilee Year reflection.

The Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) and the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (SSpS) in Australia collaborate in bonding the dream of being missionaries in a way St Arnold Janssen had envisaged it. From the early days up to this present moment their joint collaboration has flourished through decades of mutual support, intercultural ministries with indigenous people and people on the margins of society – our shared vision in the mission of this Southern Land of the Holy Spirit.