The Australian province of the Divine Word Missionaries has extended its commitment to being present in New Zealand and is ready to respond to any further requests by bishops to provide priests.
The provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass, SVD, visited New Zealand earlier in August and said he was “very impressed” by the ministry of his four confreres currently assigned there.
In Wellington archdiocese, Fr Marlon Maylon, SVD, is parish priest in the parish of the Holy Spirit, Lower Hutt, with Fr John Quang, SVD, assistant priest.
In Auckland diocese, Fr Alejandro (Alex) de la Sotta Dominguez, SVD, is chaplain to the Spanish-speaking Catholic community and Fr Bernard Espiritu, SVD, is director of MissioNZ, the local arm of the Vatican’s Pontifical Mission Society.
“I was looking forward to going there as part of my work in provincial visitations, to support them in their ministries and let them know we have not forgotten them – they are very much part of our Australia province,” Fr Rass said.
“And I found that their ministries were going well and the local ordinaries (bishops) were very happy with the presence of the SVD in their dioceses and, in some cases, hoping to extend our presence.”
The SVD has been present in New Zealand since the mid-1980s when it was invited by Bishop Denis Browne to work among disadvantaged youth in Auckland diocese and Cardinal Tom Williams asked if the SVD could also come to the archdiocese of Wellington, to work with the Polynesian people who had migrated to New Zealand after the Second World War and to assist in youth ministry.
Fr Rass said the four priests in New Zealand are engaged in ministries that are “very much part of SVD life – ethnic chaplaincy, multi-cultural parish pastoral ministry, and the work of the Pontifical Mission Society, which is to promote mission both locally and in a universal sense, helping to raise funds to support missionary activity around the world”.
“The parish of the Holy Spirit actually covers four churches in the Lower Hutt region and our priests there are supporting the archdiocese of Wellington in its vision for promoting lay pastoral leaders, and helping support all the baptised to take up leadership at the local level, as well as looking at the area of stewardship and responsible care for the environment.”
As a result of his visit, Fr Rass said the Divine Word Missionaries are further committing their presence in New Zealand, especially in Wellington.
“We want to be there long-term, contributing to the mission and vision of Wellington and Auckland archdioceses, helping to create missionary parishes and exploring what that means for the local Church.”
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