Uili Uvea SVD's journey towards his missionary vocation had plenty of ups and downs, and was derailed for a while when he got caught up in a wild youthful life of peer pressure.

To celebrate National Vocations Awareness Week (Aug 2-7), Uili shares the story of his journey and his amazing, life-changing encounter with the grace of God.

There will be times where we don’t get along, and perhaps there will be times where we’re at each other’s throat. Yet, there will always be times where we come together. The SVD community in Thailand brings together men from different countries, backgrounds, and cultures.

From the mountains of Papua New Guinea to the East and West coasts of the United States to the desert of Australia to the islands of Indonesia and to the rice fields of Vietnam, we are rich in diversity

The Founding Generation of the Arnoldus Family has formed the inspiration for reflection at the annual Provincial retreats for members of the Divine Word Missionaries and Holy Spirit Sisters this year.

The retreats have been held in Thailand, Alice Springs, Boronia (Victoria) and Marsfield in Sydney, and have provided a much needed time for the prayer, reflection and recharging of the batteries that is so necessary for missionary life.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Alice Springs celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday earlier this month with a Mass which was deeply imbued with the culture of the Arrernte people of Central Australia.

Parish Priest, Fr Asaeli Raass SVD, says the Mass was a great celebration of faith and culture, drawing from the theme for NAIDOC Week: “We all stand on Sacred Ground”.

The Divine Word Missionary community at Marsfield in Sydney hosted a day of intercultural hospitality when a group of students from a SVD school in Japan paid a visit.

The students, from Nanzan Primary School, located in the heart of Japan, in and around the city of Nagoya, are in Australia on a cultural visit, staying with Australian families and practising the English language.

One of the ways in which the SVD AUS Province has celebrated the Year of Consecrated Life has been to share on social media short videos of our confreres answering the question: “What do you love about being a Divine Word Missionary?”

The answers have, of course, been varied, but what has been even more interesting is that many common themes emerged, which included: sharing the Good News with others, living in a multicultural community and being open to God’s will in their life.

It was an occasion of great joy when Chanthavong (Toub) Anisong took his first vows as a Divine Word Missionary, becoming the first person from Laos ever to do so.

Toub, who is joining the SVD AUS Province, took his vows in the Philippines, where he has been in the Novitiate. He is due to arrive in Australia next month for further studies and formation.

Papua New Guinea has long been home to Christian missionaries from all around the world, but now two young SVD missionaries from PNG are being sent out to Argentina – a development they say shows the growth and maturity of Christianity in their country.

Fr Vincent Guawi SVD and OTP student John Sine SVD will join nine other PNG-born SVD missionaries who are already on missionary assignments in far-off lands.

Internationality, or interculturality, is an essential element of the SVD charism, and a principal goal of mission should be the promotion of a truly multicultural Church, says former SVD Superior General, Fr Antonio Pernia.

Fr Antonio (Tony) made these points when addressing the SVD AUS Provincial Chapter held in Sydney this month.

The 2015 Provincial Chapter affirmed and confirmed the Province’s commitment to its current mission priorities, as well as a desire to strengthen and further enrich SVD community life.

AUS Provincial, Fr Henry Adler SVD, says the Chapter also highlighted a growing sensitivity and commitment towards living interculturally, both within the Society and in its outward mission.