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The Divine Word
Missionaries – or, to give the official title, the Society of the Divine Word
(in Latin = Societas Verbi Divini = SVD) – is the Church’s largest
exclusively missionary congregation. It is made up of just under 6,000
priests, brothers and seminarians, working in 73 countries in every
continent. According to our Constitutions,
our primary aim is ‘to proclaim the word of God to all, to bring new
communities into being within the people of God, to foster their growth and
to promote communion among them as well as within the whole church’ (Const.
102). Irish and British SVDs are working in the
most diverse of situations from parish work in the Amazon and other parts of
Latin America and the Caribbean to running a leprosarium in Ghana; from
providing a home for children and old people with severe disabilities
abandoned by their families in Argentina to seminary formation and overseeing
a university in Papua New Guinea; from pastoral work in the slums of Nairobi
and San Paulo to building roads and providing electricity in Nicaragua, etc.
etc.. But everywhere, the Gospel is proclaimed and people are enabled to
encounter Christ in Word and Sacrament. Founded in Holland in 1875 by St Arnold
Janssen SVD, the Society of the Divine Word first came to Britain in 1931
when in September of that year it set up a minor seminary/boarding school at
Hadzor, Droitwitch, in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. It was renamed St.
Richard’s college after the local patron saint. In 1939, the first priests and brothers came to Ireland, to
Donamon Castle, Co Roscommon, in the Diocese of Elphin. That became the
Noviciate and eventually the Philosophical Faculty for the seminarians. A
school for late vocations was established in Carrog, Wales, which eventually
moved to Donamon, before it closed due to lack of vocations. Other houses were founded in Liverpool,
London, Maynooth and two in Dublin. Initially, most houses were
formation/education houses, and some still are, in particular our houses in
Maynooth and Dublin. A number of SVD professors and lecturers work at
university level, both in Ireland and abroad. Over 100 Irish and British
priests and brothers were trained in this province, while hundreds of SVD
from overseas have studied English as a foreign language to prepare them for
the mission in English-speaking countries. The main centre for this is the
Divine Word Language School based in Maynooth. Others have trained in
Liverpool and London. The main focus of the Irish and British
Province (IBP) was once the recruitment and training of personnel for the
overseas missions, as well as ensuring their continual support and providing
for their various needs. This remains a central concern. In the meantime, we
have broadened our apostolate in our service to the Church in Ireland. Central to the SVD’s apostolate from the
beginning has been communications and this is also true of the IBP. The Word magazine and Kairos Communications are perhaps the
best-known faces of the SVD communications in Ireland. Kairos not only produces various programmes for national TV and
radio, but is also involved in the training in communications, offering
graduate and postgraduate degrees in collaboration with St Patrick’s College
and the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Apart from Kairos, individual SVDs contribute
regularly to radio, TV, and the printed media in various capacities. Part of
that same apostolate is the Divine Word Printing Press situated in Donamon,
which is famous for its Christmas cards, as well as Mass cards and cards for
various occasions. It also distributes its very popular calendar. Another characteristic of the SVD has
been the Biblical Apostolate, which is now centred in Donamon and which takes
the form of various course of introduction to Scripture as well as Lectio Divina. Many confreres are
involved in giving Retreats in Ireland and England, which are inspired by the
Bible. Several confreres are involved directly
in pastoral work. We run several parishes, such as City Quay, Dublin, and St
Mary-on-the-Quay, Bristol. Others are active in providing chaplaincy to
hospitals and pastoral care for the aged in various homes. In recent years,
we have taken on the pastoral care of migrants in various dioceses. This is a
growing apostolate, involving as it does both priests and brothers from other
countries coming to serve in Ireland and Britain. Working for Justice, Peace and the
Integrity of Creation is an SVD priority, which, for the IBP, is centred in
Dublin. The priest in charge is also responsible for coordinating this
apostolate in Europe and is in regular contact with NGOs including our own
NGO at the UN in New York, which goes under the name of Vivat International. |
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