Fr Don Grant SVD is to receive an honour from the Government of Papua New Guinea, in recognition of his 45 years’ service to the community as a missionary to that country.

The honour, the Order of the Star of Melanesia, is part of PNG’s own national honours and awards system known as The Orders of Papua New Guinea.

The Mission Office of the SVD AUS Province has responded to a call for help from the Divine Word Missionaries in Ecuador to help fund emergency recovery work needed in the wake of a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake in that country.

More than 650 people died in the earthquake, with about 16,000 injured and more than 30,000 people left homeless.

Three Divine Word Missionaries, Anthony Li, Laurensius (Laurens) Woda and Michael Wu were ordained to the priesthood last week in a joyous celebration attended by their family, friends and SVD confreres.

In receiving the gift of priesthood, the three young men were also being made into gifts for the people they will serve, said ordaining prelate, Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane.

I am not the first or the last to fall in love with the nature of Central Australia. Coming here after three months from the Clinical Pastoral Education Course and one month for a holiday, Santa Teresa Parish is where I hope to stay for a long time.

I remember the first night I came, I had a good sleep because of the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Furthermore, I had a feeling of being settled.

As he farewells Thailand and the AUS Province to take up work with refugees in the German Province, Br Bernd Ruffing SVD recalls his ministry in Thailand as being a journey of friendship and relationship with the people.

“I tried to be a brother to those who needed someone who’d walk with them for some time,” he says.

The SVD AUS Province and the Timor Leste Region are exploring new possibilities for collaboration in a range of areas, including mission and formation.

SVD AUS Provincial, Fr Henry Adler, visited Timor Leste recently to learn more about their country, their missionary activity and to discuss where some opportunities might exist for collaboration.

Br Maurice Taylor SVD has been remembered as an exemplary religious, a dedicated teacher and administrator, but also as a man of deep prayerfulness.

Br Maurice, whose health began to decline about four years ago, died in hospital in Sydney this month, at the age of 81, with his last words to a nurse at his retirement village being: “I am at peace.”

The SVD Marsfield community recently celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of their friend and Arnoldus family member, Sr Josapha Lergessner SSpS.

Sr Josapha, together with SSpS sisters and friends, joined the SVD Marsfield community for a special Mass and dinner to mark the milestone of 60 years since she took her first vows as a Holy Spirit Missionary Sister.

Father John has invited me to speak in honour of St. Arnold Janssen, the founder of three missionary religious congregations: the Divine Word Missionaries, the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, and the Holy Spirit Sisters of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.

We simply speak of him as Father Arnold. His feast day was last Friday.

The SVD AUS Provincial Council recently undertook a workshop and reflection day on Professional Standards, to ensure the leadership team continues to be well versed in current policies, procedures and requirements in this important area.

The reflection day was facilitated by Dr Sharon McCallum, a consultant on ethics, complaints management and professional standards, who says the program focused on the Church’s response to allegations of harm to children or vulnerable people.