A renewed commitment to sharing resources for SVD Mission and Communications around the world was one of the chief outcomes of a special meeting held in Rome recently.

The Mission Secretary for the SVD AUS Province, Fr Truc Quoc Phan, was among a group of Directors of Mission Offices and Communications Offices from various nations who attended the special gathering.

The SVD AUS Province is preparing to send a team of missionaries to Myanmar by the beginning of next year to establish a brand new Divine Word Missionary presence in the South-East Asian nation.

Provincial, Fr Henry Adler SVD, who has recently returned from visiting Myanmar, says that Cardinal Charles Bo invited the SVD into his diocese of Yangon to pursue Bible ministry there.

The Divine Word Missionaries AUS Province is reaching out further into the digital world with a new-look website and the launch of an App designed to deliver Mission news right to your phone or other mobile device.

With one touch, the free App provides news, scripture reflections, calendar events and more – perfect for keeping in touch with SVD Mission wherever you are. 
Speaking at the launch of the App, Provincial, Fr Henry Adler SVD said it was another step from the Province to “make social communications and media part of our life and involve them in Mission”.

The 2018 Provincial Assembly and Chapter of the SVD AUS Province was officially convoked this month and preparations are well underway for this important event which will help set the missionary priorities of the Province for the years to come.

Provincial, Fr Henry Adler SVD, convoked the Assembly and Chapter in a letter to all confreres, setting the Assembly down to begin on Monday, February 19 and the Chapter to begin on Wednesday February 21.

Reconciliation, mercy, leadership for Mission, Indigenous advocacy, and the face of the future Church in Australia were among the key themes explored at this year’s Mission: One Heart, Many Voices Conference.

The three-day conference, held in Sydney, was organised jointly by Catholic Mission and Catholic Religious Australia and was attended by 18 Divine Word Missionaries and staff.

This week is National Reconciliation Week and we in Australia are also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum which gave Indigenous Australians the right to be counted as citizens in the Census. This year is also the 25th anniversary of the historic Mabo High Court Native Title decision.

Both of those events are rightfully celebrated as milestones in the life of our nation, but we’re all aware that much more needs to be done, both symbolically and on the ground in practical measures.

An enthusiastic contingent of SVD confreres and staff are gearing up for the Mission: One Heart, Many Voices conference in Sydney next month.

Fr Tim Norton SVD is even winging his way home from Nemi, Italy where he now works as Director of Courses at the SVD’s Centro ‘Ad Gentes, to act as co-emcee of the conference and share his perspectives on Mission and Interculturality.

Happy Easter to you! May the blessings of the Risen Lord be with you all.

I don’t know about you, but aside from the spiritual joy of the Easter season, I always seem to feel an extra spring in my step as well.

I love technology. It’s hard to remember now how I organised myself without the help of my digital diary, which I access on my iPad or phone. Boy, does it make life easy.

These days we hold meetings by video conference to save on airfares. And we are about to step up our communications by offering a refreshed new website and an SVD App.

When SVD student Binh Tanh Nguyen first arrived in Thailand from the United States, the first thing he did was take some time to learn the language, culture and customs of the Thai people – even though it was the country of his birth.

“I was born in Thailand in a refugee camp and raised from a wee lad in the US,” he says.