Life as a remote area nurse in the Northern Territory’s indigenous communities of Canteen Creek and Epenarra has its challenges, but Br John Alting SVD says he loves his work there because of the opportunity to share in the lives of the local people.

“What I love so much about my work in Canteen Creek is the ability to share in the lives of the local Alywarra people who are very fine people and work in co-operation with them to find ways that are acceptable to them to improve their health and well-being and that of their children,” Br John says.

An Acculturation Program for recently arrived priests and Religious opened new doors of understanding and acceptance for Fr Kommareddy Rajasekhar Reddy SVD (Fr Raja) and Fr Alfonsus Nahak SVD, bringing an awareness of Australian culture which they say has already had a positive effect on their ministry.

Fr Raja and Fr Alfonsus were part of a broad group of Religious women and men, and diocesan priests who took part in the Winter Acculturation Program at St Joseph’s Centre for Reflective Living, Baulkham Hills, in the Parramatta Diocese.

Fr Bernadinus (Bedi) Asmon SVD, a young missionary from Indonesia, who undertook his formation in Australia, is now living and ministering in Brazil where he has discovered that music is the common language with the people he serves.

Fr Bedi, who spent five years studying in Australia, before his final vows and ordination in 2014, has been in Brazil since March 2015.

When Fr Emil Kralik SVD joined the Divine Word Missionaries in his home country of Slovakia in 1990, Communism had just fallen, and, after 40 years of persecution, people were once again able to practice their faith in full freedom.

“Before the fall of Communism there wasn’t a possibility for our priests and brothers to work as Religious priests in my country,” he says. “But after the fall of Communism, everything changed.”

It is wonderful to be back with you, refreshed and rejuvenated after my recent home leave to Germany and Poland, and equally wonderful to arrive back just in time to celebrate World Mission Day.

Pope Francis reminds us in his Message for World Mission Day that this year is the 90th anniversary of this special day in the Church’s calendar which aims to celebrate the Church’s missionary nature, reinforce the call to Mission for all the baptised, and to raise awareness of and funds for missionary activity around the world.

We gather here this morning to give thanks and to celebrate the priestly and missionary life of Fr Jim Knight, Divine Word Missionary – 50 years of faithful service in the vineyard of the Lord!

This is a real achievement, isn’t it! Something worthy of celebration, not just by the individual but by the community at large, for Fr. Jim did not achieve this alone. That is why he has gathered his family and friends here this morning. Gratitude fills his heart, and gratitude fills our hearts too.

The SVD AUS Province has recently celebrated jubilees adding up to 150 years of Divine Word Missionary service, with confreres giving thanks to God for the life to which they have been called.

Fr Jim Knight SVD marked 50 years as a missionary priest and Fr Jacob Kavunkal SVD marked 50 years in vows, with celebrations in Alice Springs and Melbourne respectively. The Melbourne celebration also honoured the 25-year jubilees of Fr Michael Hardie SVD and Fr Joseph Vu SVD.

Mary Mother of the Church Parish, Macquarie Fields commemorated the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a vibrant Multicultural Festival in her honour this month, while the Marsfield community also celebrated its diverse range of cultures.

Macquarie Fields Parish Priest, Fr Linh Nguyen SVD, says the festival began with the solemn procession of the statue of Mother Mary around the parish grounds before the 10am Mass and afterwards there was shared food, fun and live entertainment provided by parishioners from various multicultural backgrounds.

St Mark’s Parish, Inala, celebrated its 60th anniversary this month with a special Multicultural Mass, followed by a day of entertainment, food stalls, fun and fellowship.

The parish was established in 1956 as the Parish of the Divine Word, with Fr Aloysius Kasprus SVD as Parish Priest. Over the 60 years, the parish has been in the care of both the Divine Word Missionaries and the Archdiocese, taking the name St Mark’s in 1961.

One of the great things about missionary life – and life in general – is the people you get to know along the way, and the richness they bring to your life.

Sr Rita Hassett rsm was one of those people who enriched the lives of many SVD missionaries, with her zest for life and her love for people and mission. Sr Rita died in her sleep recently, while in Alice Springs, working with us at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish.