Born in a small town in Madagascar, Marius Razafimandimby could not have imagined in his childhood that he would one day be living in Australia and completing his final studies towards becoming a Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) priest.

But, he says that coming across the world to complete his formation at the SVD formation house, Dorish Maru College in Melbourne has broadened his horizons.

What is a vocation? 

In this video to mark Vocations Awareness Week, Fr Bosco Son SVD and Fr Henry Adler SVD explore the different vocations of marriage, single life, and religious life.

Growing up in Madagascar in a community that could only celebrate Mass once every three months because of a shortage of priests, Andrianihantana Francois d’Assise felt the initial stirrings of a call to the priesthood.

It wasn’t until high school, when he joined a school holiday missionary activity conducted by a Divine Word Missionary (SVD) priest that he began to consider the idea of becoming a missionary priest.

SVD Brothers from across the Asia-Pacific region came together in Thailand this month for their regional assembly, which focused on topics including vocation promotion and the need for deep-rooted spirituality for Brothers in the hierarchical Church.

The meeting was hosted by the SVD AUS Province community at Nong Bua Lamphu in northern Thailand, which is home to two Brothers, Br Damien Lunders SVD and Br Ron Fratzke SVD.

Many years ago my professor in missiology went to the Holy Land to do some studies. In his course, he got invited to watch a contest between shepherds. In this contest, the shepherds are asked to bring 10 sheep each and they are placed in a big ring enclosure and all the sheep were mixed together. 

Iato Olivier Noclam was born in Tanna, Vanuatu and grew up in a traditional village where life was simple and neither Jesus, or Christianity, were ever mentioned. Today, Olivier is a Divine Word Missionary in Alice Springs, where he is immersing himself in the language and culture of the Arrernte people and reaching out to those in need, especially prisoners in jail.

“I grew up in a very simple and traditional village known as Lamnatu, where life depended very much on what land provided. We were all related and everybody knew each other. Life was simple, there was lack of finance, but everyone had a piece of land and grew what was necessary to live,” he says.

The Divine Word Missionaries were in the midst of it when more than 3000 young people from dioceses all over Australia celebrated the Australian Catholic Youth Festival in Adelaide this month.

Fr Elmer Ibarra, the SVD Vocations Director, together with Hy Nguyen SVD, a young OTP student in the AUS Province, ‘hung out’ at the Divine Word Missionaries stall at the Festival’s Expo, and shared information and insights about SVD life with visitors to the stall.

The newly appointed Vocations Director of the SVD AUS Province, Fr Elmer Ibarra SVD, says that personal witness to the joy of missionary life will be the cornerstone of his approach to promoting vocations.

“I love my life as a SVD, and I want to share that joy and to invite people to join us,” he says.