April 23, 2025, was a big day for the members of the Society of Divine Word (SVD) in Myanmar as they celebrated the inauguration of Annunciation of the Lord Church, aka Bawle Kyun parish, in Htantabin Township.
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, presided over the Mass along with other bishops, priests, nuns, and hundreds of Catholics. Father Asaeli Raass, SVD provincial from the Australian Province, was also present on the special occasion.
In his homily, Bo thanked the SVD missionaries for working in Myanmar, despite the many challenges the country faces in the wake of the ongoing civil war, recent earthquakes, and other pressing issues the people face.
He also said that people need to keep their faith and hope in God amid life's realities.
“We have to learn to navigate the situations of life with God’s grace and power,” he said.
In his talk, Father Raass thanked Cardinal Bo and other church leaders for availing a parish for SVD to work among the people.
The SVD has a presence in Myanmar, with its ministry focused on biblical apostolate and the needs of the local people. Cardinal Bo invited the SVD to establish a mission in his archdiocese, and they started their work in Myanmar in August 2017.
The SVD's mission in Myanmar centers around promoting the biblical apostolate, which includes Bible retreats, classes, and animation talks.
Divine Word Missionaries, like Fr. Jacob Kavunkal, SVD, have been instrumental in establishing the SVD's presence and engaging with the local community.
The SVD's house in Myanmar, named the Divine Word Centre, serves as a hub for their ministry and is an institute for the biblical apostolate.
SVD missionaries have been actively teaching English, leading Bible-sharing groups, and participating in weekly Bible classes organized by the Archdiocese of Yangon.
While the SVD's mission is still relatively new, they are actively adapting to the local culture, traditions, and language, recognizing that new missions present unique challenges.
The SVD is continuing to grow its presence in Myanmar, with plans to increase the number of missionaries in the future.
In 1875, Saint Arnold Janssen (5 November 1837–15 January 1909), a German Catholic priest, founded the Society of the Divine Word, a Catholic missionary religious congregation, also known as the Divine Word Missionaries, as well as two congregations for women. This year, SVDs are celebrating 150 years of their existence and service.
Today, they work in many parts of the world as missionaries, including in Asian-Pacific regions.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
