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Volume 24No. 2 |Winter 2014
questioning followedbeforehemade thedecision tobea
worker forGodas aDivineWordMissionary.
“I used to think that I choseGod, chose theSVD, but then
I realised that it isGodwhochosemeand ledme to the
Brothersof St Josephand then theSVD,”he says.
He tookhis first vows inVietnam in2006and then laterwas
sent toAustralia tocompletehis formation.
Having takenhis final vows this year andbeenordained
to thediaconate, Trien isnow looking forward topriestly
ordinationandhis firstmissionaryassignment to theSVD
ChinaProvince.
He sayshe isnot sure yetwhat hiswork in theChina
Provincewill entail.
“Iwould like to startmy journey inTaiwan,where Iwill learn
theTaiwaneseandMandarin languages,”he says. “Where
Iwork in the future, onlyGodknows. As aVietnamese, I
thinkandhope that I can learnChinesequickly.”
Trien sayshechose theChinaProvinceasoneof his
choices for his firstmissionaryassignment becauseof its
focusoneducation.
“TheSVDhasauniversity inTaiwan, and I love teaching
orworking in someway ineducationor formation. It’smy
choice, but I think thatGod ledme to thischoice. I don’t
knowwhatwill happen in the future, butGod isProvidence. I
try toenjoy thepresentmoment andbeopen toGod’swill.”
Bernadinus (Bedi) TertiusAsmonSVD
Assigned toBrazil NorthProvince
Bedi wasborn ina small towncalled
Ruteng in thewesternpart of Flores,
Indonesia, the youngest of three
children.
“I became interested inbecominga
religiouswhen Iwas six yearsold, butmymother tellsme
that at age three,when Iwas askedwhat Iwanted tobe,
myanswer alreadywas ‘apriest’,”he says.
“When Iwas little, I reallyenjoyedwatchingour parish
priest distributingcommunionand this amazement drew
me tocreatemyown ‘liturgy’ at home.”
Bedi entered theminor seminary in1998whenhewas just
12 yearsold,wherehe spent thenext six years.
“I learnt a lot about life there: love, friendship, study,work,
prayer, disciplineandmusic, tonamea few things.
Inhis final year therehewas asked tomakeadecision
aboutwhether hewould like to joinadiocesanor a
religiousorder.
“I decided to join theDivineWordMissionaries and Iwas
accepted to join thenovitiate,”he says.
Bedi entered theSVDnovitiate inAugust 2004and tookhis
first vows inAugust 2006.
“Thiswasoneof themost significant eventsofmy life. I
took vowsof poverty, chastityandobedience,”he says. “I
wasoverwhelmedwith love, support andprayer.My family,
relatives and friendswere there towitnessmyfirst vows
beforeGod for religious life.”
Bedi continuedhis formationat St PaulMajor Seminary in
Ledalero, EasternFloresbeforebeing selected in2009 to
pursuehis theological studies and formation inAustralia,
arriving inJanuary2010.
“Coming toAustralia is another significant event inmy life.
I haveno relatives at all in thisnewcountry, but I havemy
SVDbrothers. I have somepeoplewho I can leanonand
God’spresenceandprovidencecome through them.”
Bedi says that having takenfinal vows andpreparing for his
ordination to thepriesthood, he isexcitedabout his first
missionaryassignment to theSVDBrazilNorthProvince.
“NorthBrazil cameupat the lastminute inmydiscernment
process,”he says. “I choseBrazilNorthbecause I like the
culture, thepeople, the language, aswell as themusic.
“I’m interested toworkwith the indigenouspeople, the
Indians, in theAmazonarea.
“Portuguese isnot aneasy language to learnand Imight
have to learnother languages too, to speak the language
of thepeople.”
Bedi says that hehas learned thatmost of theSVD
confreres in theBrazilNorthProvincework inparishes, as
well as someeducational institutions, retreat centres and
chaplaincyministry.
He sayshe is aware thatmany challengeswill lieahead.
“Poverty isoneof the social issues inBrazil. Poverty ismost
visually representedby the various favelas, or slums, in the
