Volume 23 No. 3 | Spring 2013
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Message from the Provincial Superior
Welcome to the Spring edition of Society Matters for 2013.
Following in my mother’s footsteps, I am a keen, amateur gardener. As we approach Spring,
there are always signs around us of regeneration and new life. Young shoots can be seen
peeking out from the limbs of hardened and weathered trees heralding that intimate
relationship in nature between the old and the new. The new shoots, so full of promise and
potential, need the stability and the experience of the old tree to make their way in the world.
This also applies in the human story and is an important component of mission life too. Pope
Francesco acknowledged this when addressing over a million young people at World Youth
Day (WYD) in Rio on the importance to the Church of both young people and the elderly. The
Church has much to learn and much to gain from both groups. At the WYD closing Mass on
Rio’s famous Copacabana Beach, speaking to a crowd that had by now swelled to 3 million,
the Pope sent out the young and the young at heart with this mission from scripture: “Go and
make disciples of all nations”. It wasn’t enough to enjoy the WYD experience and to keep it to
themselves, he said. They must pass on their experience of encounter with Jesus to others. He
gave them three simple ideas of how they could do this:
“Go, do not be afraid, and serve”.
And if those listening to him were wondering, “Go where?, Pope Francesco soon outlined
their mission (and the mission of us all) when he said:
“Where does Jesus send us? There are
no borders, no limits: he sends us to everyone. The Gospel is for everyone, not just for some
… Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society,
even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent. The Lord seeks all. He wants everyone
to feel the warmth of his mercy and love.”
In this edition of Society Matters, you will see stories of people who, young and old alike, are
living the mission to “Go, do not be afraid, and serve”. The enthusiastic account of Fr Eddie
Lering SVD on his missionary life in Russia complements wonderfully the rich reflection from
Fr Dom Flores SVD on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his first religious vows. We
also hear from missionaries in Congo, Togo and Timor Leste about their ministries in AIDS
education, literacy and schooling.
So as Spring arrives, let us be thankful for both the new shoots and the older trees and the
many different ways that Christ’s mission is being carried out throughout the world. We thank
you, our readers and friends for supporting us in mission. May God bless you.
Yours in the Word,
Fr Tim Norton SVD
Provincial Superior
Cover Story:
The gentle smile of this woman from Togo reflects beautifully how lives are being
changed in her country thanks to SVD mission projects. See page 8 for more.
Appeal Office:
199 Epping Road, Marsfield NSW
Locked Bag 3, Epping NSW 1710 Australia
Telephone: +61 2 9868 2666 Fax: +61 2 9868 1010
Victoria:
100 Albion Road, Box Hill, Vic 3128 Tel: +61 3 9890 0065
Queensland:
26 Jackson Street, Hamilton QLD 4007 Tel: +61 7 3268 7237
New Zealand:
6 Stanley Street, Wainuiomata 5014 Tel: +64 4 970 8405
Published by Divine Word Missionaries Incorporated, ABN 51 885 667 646
