Society
Of The Divine Word

With the Jubilee theme “Witnessing to the Light: From Everywhere for Everyone,” the anniversary is both a moment of thanksgiving and a renewed commitment to mission in today’s complex spiritual, digital, cultural, and ecological realities.

From its first mission in China in 1882, the SVD has prioritized evangelizing the poor and marginalized, especially where the Gospel is least known. The congregation embodies its mission through four key ministries: Mission Animation, Biblical Apostolate, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), and Communication.

The SVD is also known for its intercultural communities—missionaries from diverse nations living, praying, and working together. This unity in diversity is a prophetic sign of hope in a divided world.

Fr. Anselmo Ribeiro, SVD, Superior General, reflected: “This celebration is not an ode to our achievements, but a recognition of what the Lord has done in us and through us. We are workers in the Missio Dei. Our future, like our past, is in God’s hands.”

Coinciding with the Church’s Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope, the SVD’s 150th anniversary invites all—especially young people—to embrace the missionary call, not to preserve the past, but to help shape a more inclusive, faith-filled future.

The Society welcomes all its partners, lay collaborators, benefactors, and people of goodwill to join in this global celebration of grace and mission—to remember with gratitude, live with passion, and move forward in hope.

“Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory.” – St. Arnold Janssen

Contact:
Fr. Kasmir Nema, SVD
General Communications Coordinator
Email: communications@svdcuria.org
Phone: (+39) 3792554148
Websites: svdcuria.org