SVD

Philippines retired bishop Arturo Bastes, SVD (Society of the Divine Word), Bishop Emeritus of Sorsogon and of Romblon, 80, passed away at around 6:30 a.m. on World Mission Sunday, Oct. 20, at the house of his brother in Cainta in Rizal, confirmed the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) confirmed in a Facebook post.

The SAMMAN unit of Janvikas Society, Indore, successfully hosted a three-day National Children’s Parliament Conference in Bhopal from October 1st to 3rd, 2024. The event had the participation of 78 children from seven different states, who gathered to learn, collaborate, and strengthen their Children’s Parliament groups.

After long years of service with the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), Brother Valentin Gruener passed away on September 14 at a hospital in Abra, a province more than 400 kilometers south of Manila.

Fr. Gregorio Buenavista has passed away after a fruitful religious life at the age of 90.

On August 22, the Archdiocese of Ende, Flores, Indonesia, celebrated the consecration and installation of Msgr. Paulus Budi Kleden as its new archbishop. 

Father Raymond Hober, SVD, 92, passed away on August 3, 2024, at 6:45 p.m. at the Techny Residence, as announced on social media by the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) or the Divine Word Missionaries.

The Papua New Guineans were headhunters who practiced cannibalism for many years before the island's Christianization in the 19th century.

The Society of the Divide Word (SVD) capitulars has elected Fr. Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro to the office of the congregation's Superior General at their 19th General Chapter in Nemi.

Pope Francis invited members of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) to become peacemakers and the hope for every culture.

The theme of the Chapter: “Your Light Must Shine Before Others: Creative and Faithful Disciples in a Wounded World.”

The official theme is “Witnessing to the Light from everywhere for everyone.”

Father Takeya Motoi, SVD, worked for the Home for the Homeless in Nagoya City, Japan. He was the founder of ‘Sasashima Kyosei Kai’ (Sasashima’s Solidarity Organization) for and with the homeless in Nagoya City, Japan.

This seminar equipped participants with valuable knowledge and practical skills, fostering a deeper understanding of how AI can be leveraged to enhance communication efforts within the SVD-SSpS communities.

St. Arnold Janssen made his entire life’s work about missioning, going beyond traditional boundaries and overcoming the political struggles of his time just to make the Good News known.

“Bishop Chacko is a man of righteousness and consistency, a man for the poor,” said  Fr. Michael John.

"With profound sorrow, we inform the Apostolic Nuncio, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Nuns, and all the faithful that Mgr. Anton Pain Ratu, SVD, has passed away at the age of 95," said Father Vinsentiun Wun, SVD.

A simple, unassuming, hardworking, loving, and committed religious; and prayerful Divine Word Missionary Brother Juniper (Joachim Kerketta) passed away at around ten o'clock on January 3 in St. Joseph's Home, Catholic Ashram Palda, a town in Indore district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

“We feel the concern expressed by Pope Francis in his latest exhortation, Laudate Deum (2023), that ‘the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point’ (LD 2), but we are not doing enough to care for our common home,” said NGO VIVAT International.

"We are creating public awareness among people regarding the one million bamboo tree planting projects,” said Fr. Beltran.

The book "William Finnemann: An SVD Filipino Martyr” (for Inspirational Category) was among those awarded at the 17th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards Ceremony on September 15 at the 44th Manila International Book Fair at SMX Convention Center Mall of Asia Pasay City.