Witnessing to the Light in the Australia Province: From Everywhere for Everyone
Witnessing to the Light in the Australia Province: From Everywhere for Everyone
SVD Mission in Contexts: Creative Responses in a Wounded World
Clement Baffoe, SVD
To begin with, I would like to offer a brief historical background of our congregation. While this may seem unnecessary to us the SVDs and SSpS families, I include it for the benefit of those outside the Arnoldus family. The Society of the Divine Word was founded in 1875, and in 2025, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our congregation. The theme chosen for this sesquicentennial anniversary is “Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere for Everyone.” This theme draws upon the content that can be found throughout Scripture, Church documents, the SVD constitutions and publications, and, importantly, in the living witness of our confreres in their diverse ministries.
Although the theme has already inspired numerous reflections across the SVD world, this essay takes a different approach. It aims to explore and clarify the key components of the theme: What does it mean to witness to the Light? From where are we sent? To whom and where are we sent? In doing so, I will focus particularly on our context in SVD Australia.
