Technically, Fr Dom Flores SVD is supposed to be retired, but as he celebrates 60 years in religious vows, it is clear that when it comes to his ministry, his love of people and the Word of God, he still has energy to burn.

Whether he is celebrating Mass, helping to arrange the flowers in the Chapel, or joining local seniors for a sing-along and dance, Fr Dom’s famous smile illuminates all he does.

Fr Dom took his first temporary vows as a Divine Word Missionary in 1953 in the northern province of the Philippines, where he was born and raised.

Divine Word Missionary priest, Fr Elmer Ibarra, has taken to the airwaves as a disc jockey, hosting a late night radio program in New Zealand, in which he plays Filipino music and reaches out to the Filipino community of Wellington.

The show is called “Late Nights with DJ Elmo” and can be heard on community station, Hutt Radio 106.1 FM in the Hutt Valley and Wellington district.

Fr Elmer, who was born and raised in the Philippines, before being assigned to the Australian Province of the Divine Word Missonaries, says his foray into radio is a chance to fulfil a longstanding love of radio and music.

Divine Word Missionaries who arrive in Australia from overseas countries soon find themselves plunged into an acculturation program that aims not to strip them of their own culture, but to immerse them in the Australian culture, while confirming them in their own.

The programs have been carried out in the Australian Province for about 30 years and in recent years have also been in demand beyond the Province, with dioceses and other religious orders who are inviting overseas priests and religious to serve in Australia.

As the excitement of World Youth Day in Rio begins to recede, Fr Stephen Pilly SVD reflects that the pilgrimage was a time of great grace, joy and friendship for him.

Fr Stephen, from Sacred Heart Parish, Preston, VIC, was part of a large group from the Melbourne Archdiocese to make the pilgrimage.

"I, along with the youth, experienced Christ the Redeemer," he says.

Fr Henry Adler SVD has been appointed as the Provincial-Elect of the Australian Province of the Divine Word Missionaries.

Fr Henry, who is currently the Mission Secretary for the Province, will take up his three-year term as Provincial in January.

Outgoing Provincial, Fr Tim Norton SVD, said Fr Henry was elected to the position in a vote of his provincial confreres and the appointment was formally approved by the SVD Generalate in Rome.

I am most thankful for the Lord’s steadfast love in my life. He has led and guided the journey of my vocation, and strengthened me to be able to walk this special path. God holds me up when I experience difficult times. I am blessed in my vocation by the joy of his great love. He has always been with me in my journey as a seminarian. This teaches me to totally surrender to God, and understand that being a religious missionary is such a huge blessing for me.

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Mumbai-based sociologist, Fr Joseph Mundananikkal SVD will visit Australia in September to carry out a number of speaking engagements in which he will explore different aspects of India’s social and religious culture.

Holding a M. Phil in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and a PhD from the same university, since 2009 Fr Joseph has been Director and Superior at the SVD-run Institute of Indian Culture, a post-graduate research centre in Sociology and Anthropology in Mumbai and since 2012 has been assistant professor in Sociology at the State University of Mumbai. He is the National Co-ordinator for India of Mission, Education and Research of the SVD.

Among the million or so pilgrims at World Youth Day in Brazil, is Fr Stephen Pilly SVD of Sacred Heart Parish, Preston, in suburban Melbourne.

Before he left, Fr Stephen said what he was most looking forward to was to walk in faith with the young people he is accompanying, and to enjoy his own deep encounters with Jesus.

It is important for the Church to delve more deeply into the history of the indigenous communities it serves, and to listen more deeply, in order to fully understand and adequately respond to the present reality of the Aboriginal people, says Fr Jim Knight SVD, who lives and works in Central Australia.

Fr Jim, who joined the Divine Word Missionaries in 1957 in Marburg, Queensland, has stepped down now from his role as Parish Priest at Santa Teresa, an Aboriginal community about 80 km from Alice Springs. But he will continue to live and minister in the community, while also exploring the history of the Arrernte people of Central Australia and their contact and growing relationship with European people over the decades.