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Mapping Contemporary Currents in Religion and Communication

Religion and Social Communication Vol. 24, No. 1 (2026)

Cyberchurch – Neighborhood of Other/s (Kapwa): An Ecclesiological Model for a Digital Age

The internet revolution, often likened to the Industrial Revolution in its sweeping societal impact, has radically transformed how communities gather, communicate, and express identity. In this emerging digital context, the question arises: How might we reimagine the role and mission of the Church? This book responds by proposing the Cyberchurch – Neighborhood of Others/Kapwa as a model for faith communities that inhabit and minister within cyberspace.

Nurturing Mental Health with Spiritual Direction

A jubilee offers not only a moment for celebration, but also a critical opportunity for spiritual renewal, introspection, and recommitment to one’s foundational mission. In the context of the 150th Jubilee of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), the theme “Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere for Everyone” underscores the Society’s enduring commitment to intercultural and holistic evangelization. The theme broadens the horizon of mission to include not only the proclamation of the Word but

‘About Whom, May I Ask You?’ (Acts 8:34): Isaiah’s Servant Songs in Luke-Acts

The question asked by the Ethiopian Eunuch to Philip in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 8:34) is continually probed by scholars, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”[1] This simple question raises various issues. Do all four Isaiah’s Servant Songs refer to the same servant figure? If so, is it Israel? Is it a king (Cyrus perhaps)? Is it the prophet? Is it an historical individual or possibly an ideal person still to come, like a future Messi

Evangelization in Papua New Guinea: Essential Cultural Elements, Missionary Opportunities, Challenges, and Hopes

Before His ascension, Jesus entrusted His disciples with a universal mandate: to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. This missionary imperative is consistently attested across the four canonical Gospels. In Mark, Jesus commands, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15). In Matthew, He exhorts the disciples to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Luke and Acts highlight the necessity of proclamation, stating that “repentance for the forgiveness of

Faithful and Creative Disciples in a Wounded World: A Communicative Paradigm for Mission

In the shifting contours of the 21st-century world—marked by digital transformation, ecological crisis, social fragmentation, and renewed spiritual longing—the Catholic Church stands at a communicative and missionary crossroads. The Jubilee Year 2025, framed by the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” offers a unique ecclesial moment—a kairos—to reflect on how the Church embodies and transmits its mission in wounded contexts. At the heart of this reflection is a pivotal insight: communication is not auxili

Maximum Illud: Challenges Then, Challenges for the Church Today

We live today in an era of “World Catholicism,” or, as Karl Rahner called it in a celebrated article, an era of the “world church.”[1] A first glimpse of this new era, Rahner wrote, could be seen in the composition of the bishops participating in the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). At the First Vatican Council in 1870, he noted, there were no indigenous bishops from Africa or Asia present. A hundred years later at Vatican II, though, despite the fact that “not at all in proportion to the repre

SVD Founding Generation, Anthropos Tradition, and Interculturality

The 2008 SSpS and 2012 SVD General Chapters focused on the theme of interculturality for the Arnoldus Family,[2] but this vision and goal is not new for those congregations. This article will trace this history and development for the SVD only, on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the SVD. After providing an initial definition of interculturality, we will begin with an exploration of the roles of three key persons of the SVD Founding Generation in the development of what we today refer to

Leadership in the SVD as an International Missionary Congregation and the Participation of the Indonesian Members

Leadership is seen as one of the five important aspects of life and ministry of an SVD missionary, in addition to spirituality, community, finance, and formation. This was outlined in the 16th General Chapter of the SVD in 2006.[1]  There are two reasons for this. Firstly, because being a religious missionary always means taking part in the task of leadership. In addition to baptism conferring on every Christian a participation in Christ’s task of leadership, the vows that bind a person in a rel

Witnessing to the Light in the Australia Province: From Everywhere for Everyone

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

Mission as Missio Inter Gentes: From Everywhere For Everyone

“From Everywhere for Everyone” is the theme of the celebration of the 150th founding anniversary in 2025 of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). This theme expresses, I believe, a new mission paradigm, namely, mission as missio inter gentes. As Stephen Bevans, in a talk given at the Second National Mission Congress of the Philippines in April 2022, put it: “Mission ad gentes in our time is no longer carried out simply ad gentes, but inter gentes.”