The Divine Word Missionaries have taken up pastoral responsibility for the parishes of Murgon and Gayndah in Queensland’s South Burnett region.

Fr Mikhael Loke SVD was installed as parish priest on June 1, and says he is looking forward to getting to know the people and the local area, which is spread across hundreds of kilometres within the Archdiocese of Brisbane.

The SVD mission in the predominantly Indigenous, remote parish of Balgo-Kutjungka in the Diocese of Broome, Western Australia, is widespread, taking in the main parish church and six outstations, with the furthest one being 10 hours drive away.

But despite the big distances involved, Parish Priest, Fr Paulo Vanuitu SVD, says the mission is clear – to accompany the people in the daily challenges and joys of their lives and to share in their rich cultural and faith life.

The SVD Mission in Myanmar took another big step forward this month, taking up the pastoral care of a brand new parish, which was officially inaugurated by Cardinal Charles Bo SDB, the Archbishop of Yangon.

“Big day for us SVDs as we celebrated the inauguration of Annunciation of the Lord Parish aka Bawle Kyun parish in Htantabin Township,” the SVD confreres in Myanmar said.

The Te Awakairangi Parish in the Lower Hutt region of New Zealand’s Wellington Archdiocese is a large, culturally rich and diverse parish where the people are warm and welcoming and committed to a missionary outlook which is deeply grounded in the primacy of evangelisation.

Established in 2015, the parish is comprised of four churches and has been in the pastoral care of the Divine Word Missionaries since January 2024.

Holy Family Catholic Parish is a big, vibrant, multicultural parish on Sydney’s south-western outskirts and while its people come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, they are one body in Christ and committed to continually growing as a missionary parish.

The parish is comprised of the two communities of Ingleburn and Minto. Fr Henry Adler SVD has been parish priest there since 2022.

When Fr Aloysius Nato SVD first arrived in Melbourne in July 2010, he spotted a beautiful church from his car window and was told it was Sacred Heart Preston, an SVD parish. Ten years later, he was appointed to serve in that parish – only it was during the Covid lockdown period and there were no parishioners in the pews.

Four years down the track, the parish has returned to full life again and is putting in place action plans to realise its ambition of becoming a vibrant faith community and a missionary parish.

St Mark’s Catholic Parish in Inala is well-known for its multicultural richness, and that cultural diversity underpins the faith life and missionary outreach of the parish community.

The relationship between St Mark’s parish and the Divine Word Missionaries goes all the way back to the start when Fr Aloysius Kasprus SVD was appointed the first parish priest in 1956.

Mary Mother of the Church Parish in Macquarie Fields on Sydney’s southern outskirts is a warm and vibrant multicultural community of faith, which aims to keep growing in mission and love.

Parish Priest, Fr Bosco Son SVD, says the parish, which is part of the Diocese of Wollongong, is both geographically and numerically large, and continues to grow and expand because of new housing developments, and it is this growth which helps make it such an active parish.

The arrival of the Divine Word Missionaries at the Ministerial Region of the Good Shepherd in Townsville, Queensland marked a significant change for the community, but now, three years down the road, parishioners have not only embraced the SVD’s missionary outlook but shared their own strong faith as well.

The SVD was invited to the Townsville Diocese by Bishop Timothy Harris to undertake parish ministry both in the suburbs of the city and also with the First Nations peoples of Palm Island.

Fr Alejandro (Alex) de la Sotta SVD has been warmly welcomed as Parish Priest of St Bernadette’s Parish in the vibrant heart of Auckland, New Zealand, and is enjoying not only the diverse, multicultural community, but also the opportunity to get involved in the local Laudato Si’ Farm.

“My arrival at St Bernadette's Parish was a welcoming process more than a formal installation ceremony with the bishop,” he said. “Coming from the East Coast Parish, I was received with open arms by this vibrant community.