First Indian priest named to head global research center on mission

An Indian Divine Word Missionary has been appointed as the first executive director of a Rome-based global research institute on the mission.
 
The appointment was confirmed last February and Father John Paul, a member of the Divine Word Society congregation will arrive in Rome in mid-April to assume the three-year term responsibility.
 
He is the first Indian and second Divine Word priest to hold the executive director post at the Service of Documentation and Study on Global Mission (SEDOS). It is a forum open to Institutes of Consecrated Life (religious congregations in the Catholic Church), which commit themselves to deepening their understanding of the global mission.
 
SEDOS encourages research and disseminates information through its bulletin and the annual residential seminar, public conferences, and workshops.
 
It started during the Second Vatican Council when nine missionary societies began to meet informally in Rome to exchange information and opinions on a mission in the Church.
 
The guiding light was Father Mondé, Superior General of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa, together with other eight Superiors Generals of other religious orders. The group made a significant contribution to ‘Ad Gentes’ (to the nations) at the Second Vatican Council, which was greatly influenced by their discussions with members of the Roman Curia (Vatican’s administrations or departments).
 
In 1964, the nine societies wished to have a permanent secretariat. Father Johan Schütte, Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries, provided a place to begin its office in Rome.  
 
In 1969, SEDOS had a 30-member society of nuns, brothers, and priests. Currently, it has 88 members. Many of the members have their headquarters in Rome, others in Ireland, England, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico. Many of them are major religious missionary societies of the Catholic Church.
 
“I am excited as I am interested in doing something God has entrusted and my congregation has confided in me. It is a new journey on a global mission,” said Father Paul.
 
As an executive director of SEDOS, he has to keep in touch with the various missionary congregations all over the world through regular publications, seminars, documentation, and research on the mission.
 
The 59-year priest hails from Khandwa of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and is a member of India's central province of SVDs. He has been a priest for the last 32 years.
 
Father Paul has three masters’ degrees in Hindi literature, Hindi journalism, and Mass Communication and two PhDs in Hindi literature and social communication.
 
In the past, he has been a visiting professor at NISCORT (National Institute of Social Communications, Research, and Training) Media College in India’s federal Capital Delhi. Besides, he has been a visiting professor in various seminaries in India.
 
His research interests include communication and mission.