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Volume 26 No. 1 | Autumn 2016
Five young SVD men ordained in Australia and sent out as
Missionaries to the world
Five young Divine Word Missionaries, who have
undertaken their formation in the AUS Province, were
ordained for the priesthood or diaconate recently, and
are now preparing to be sent out on their first mission
assignments.
Marianus Supardi and Uili Uvea were ordained as priests,
during the Mass at St Paschal’s Chapel, Box Hill, while
Michael Wu Pengfei, Anthony Li and Laurensius Woda
were ordained as deacons.
The ordaining prelate, Archbishop Denis Hart, said that
the young missionaries, surrounded by the love of their
natural and religious families came forward into the
wonderful mystery by which God calls them to Orders to
serve the people of God.
“It can be said that they are formed by the Word of God
and by response to a missionary vocation, so that the
Church will be built up and the love of God will be brought
to those who have not as yet known it and it will be
deepened in their hearts and in their lives,” Archbishop Hart
said.
“I thank their parents and their brothers and sisters for
giving these men to the Church and God’s people. While
there will be times of separation, by your charity and self-
giving, you will have an articulate family member working
to help the people of today to engage with the Gospel.
“These young men have been well formed in their Divine
Word vocation and will go forward with confidence, trusting
in the Lord.
“What is before them, the Lord only knows. However, he
is their strength and their shield; he helps them to know
that their words and deeds will carry them forward into
the special vocation of priesthood or diaconate to which
they are called in today’s ceremony.
“By the imposition of hands and the gift of the Holy
Spirit, they will be given the grace and strength needed
to carry out the ministry which is given to them among
the ordained, so that conformed to Christ the Priest, they
will be given in the Church for the salvation of all.”
The five young men have received their first mission
assignments to the Netherlands-Belgium Province,
Philippines Central Province, Costa Rica in the Central
American Region, Chile Province and Indonesia-Ende
Province.
SVD AUS Provincial, Fr Henry Adler says the ordination
ceremony was a time of great joy and thanksgiving.
“We give thanks that these young men have given their
lives to God and God’s people in this way,” Fr Henry says.
“We in the AUS Province are particularly glad to have
provided the formation for these missionaries at Dorish
Maru College in Melbourne, and to have come to know
them in community and see their various gifts.
“We now pray for blessings upon them as they are sent
out to their first mission assignments in countries around
the world.”