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SVD Generalate News and Articles

Peace and Reconciliation
Peace and reconciliation are not mere ideals; they are foundational pillars for human flourishing, community building, co-operative living and spiritual growth. In a world often torn by conflict, misunderstanding, and injustice, the pursuit of peace and reconciliation becomes both urgent, purposeful and transformative. For the SVD, as highlighted in the 19th General Chapter, the commitment to peace is not just a social responsibility but a communitarian, spiritual and evangelical mission rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
03/02/2026
Mission Horizons
As we begin this new year, I would like to address each of you personally. It is now a year and a half since we began our leadership service in our beloved Society. During this time, we had the privilege of celebrating a Jubilee Year to mark the 150th anniversary of the foundation of our congregation. I believe that now is an appropriate time for us to share and reflect on some insights that could help us to grow as individuals, as a community and, above all, as a religious and missionary congregation. To this end, I am using the media channels of the Generalate to facilitate regular and direct communication, through which I can share ideas and experiences.
23/01/2026
SVD Leadership Gathers in Rome for Caucus: “A Witness of Communion in Service to Mission”
ROME – The Generalate House of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) served as the venue for the Third SVD Caucus, held from January 15 to 21, 2026.
23/01/2026
The Seventh Sunday of the Word of God: A Celebration at the Heart of the SVD Life and Mission
In 2026 the Sunday of the Word of God reaches its seventh observance, a biblically symbolic milestone of fullness and maturity. Widely embraced across the Church, it holds particular significance for Divine Word Missionaries, calling us to renew our reflection on the central place of Scripture in our vocation.
17/01/2026
Zambia Mission: A Small Mission with a Significant Contribution
The Zambia Mission (ZAM) may be young in age, but it is quite energetic, visible and vibrant in its missionary activities. ZAM’s twenty-four (24) confreres of nine (9) nationalities are committed to pastoral and formation ministries in the three SVD Districts of South, Central and North of the country.
16/01/2026
Today, the Savior is born. The waiting is over, and hope is renewed.
Homily of the Father General for Christmas Vigil
Collegio del Verbo Divino - Rome
25/12/2025
Christmas 2025: Celebrating 150 Years of Mission, Renewing Hope for a World Awaiting Redemption
With the celebration of Christmas, the year 2025 also comes to an end. It has been a historic year for our missionary family, as we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the missionary movement begun by Saint Arnold Janssen, which led to the founding of three religious congregations and to the involvement of countless lay people in missionary work.
23/12/2025
A Time of Grace: The General Visitation to the AFRAM Zone
A successful and comprehensive General Visitation (GV) to the AFRAM Zone concluded on November 30, 2025. This intensive sexennial exercise, which began on 28 July 2025, served as a profound time of grace and a vital expression of the Society’s communion. The Visitation reflected the Generalate’s deep commitment to the personal, communal, and missionary well-being of nearly 700 SVD members in the Zone, including those in the initial formation.
07/12/2025
Appointment of a new bishop: Fr. Samuel Naceno Agcaracar, SVD
On November 21, 2025, the Holy See announced that His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, has appointed our confrere, Fr. Samuel Naceno Agcaracar, SVD, as as bishop of the diocese of San Jose, Philippines.
21/11/2025
Appointment of a new bishop: Fr. Kwamevi John Cudjoe, SVD
On November 11, 2025, the Holy See announced that His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, has appointed our confrere, Fr. Kwamevi John Cudjoe, SVD, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Metropolitan Diocese of Guayaquil in Ecuador.
11/11/2025
Verbo Divino Global Education: A “New” SVD Mission Priority
The XIX SVD General Chapter 2024 formally approved a Recommendation that the education ministry be recognized as a new priority among our SVD missionary apostolates worldwide. For a good number of provinces, in fact, education is already a well-established priority. What’s “new” is the realization that the time has come for a more comprehensive SVD approach to education ministry, one that provides for the articulation of common orientations, contextualized missiological frameworks, and institutional collaborative endeavors across PRMs worldwide.
31/10/2025
General Visitation to Chad Mission and Congo Province: Unforgettable Moments
From July 31 to September 15, 2025, I made a general visitation to the Chad Mission and the Congo Province. These weeks were filled with unforgettable experiences that revealed the vitality, resilience, and deep faith of our confreres and the people they serve.
23/10/2025
Our Missionary Commitment in Angola and Mozambique
The missions that our Congregation carries out in Angola and Mozambique respond not only to the spiritual needs of local communities but also stand as a living testimony of the Church’s presence in contexts where daily life is marked by many hardships. Despite numerous challenges, the work of our confreres shines as a light of hope and a genuine expression of love for one’s neighbor.
21/10/2025
Pilgrims of Hope, Witnesses of Joy: The Arnoldus Family and the Jubilee of Consecrated Life
On October 8 and 9, 2025, the Church celebrates the Jubilee of Consecrated Life in Rome as part of the Jubilee Year 2025 declared by Pope Francis. The celebration includes a pilgrimage to the Holy Door, a prayer vigil at St. Peter’s Basilica, and a Mass with the Holy Father in St. Peter’s Square. Around these days, there are opportunities for prayer, reflection, and thanksgiving. The theme of the celebration comes from Romans 5:5 which says, “Hope does not disappoint.”
09/10/2025
The Mission and Integrity of Creation
We have returned to normal. On September 8, we concluded the Jubilee Year. What inspiration and motivation do we carry forward for our mission? How can we bear witness to the Light as faithful and creative disciples in a wounded world shaken by multiple crises, including the worsening ecological crisis?
Caring for creation is part of our mission and heritage.
02/10/2025
Two Cardinals, One Spirit: Messages of Hope at the SVD 150th Jubilee
The year-long celebration of the SVD’s 150th Jubilee concluded on September 8, 2025, with Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime preaching at the Closing Mass in Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Benedetto da Norcia and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle delivering an inspirational message at the Community Dinner in Collegio Verbo Divino, Rome.
26/09/2025
Treasures of the SVD 150th Jubilee Celebration
The 150th Jubilee of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) goes beyond commemorating history. Rather than focusing only on past achievements or recalling moments of pride, the celebration highlights a living legacy that continues to shape the present and guide the future. This Jubilee is a sacred pause to remember who we are and to rediscover the heart of our mission. It invites us to live with what our Superior General Father Anselmo Ribeiro calls the mysticism of mission: listening to the Spirit, facing our wounds with honesty, building communion, giving thanks with hope, and learning from the symbols and memories that carry God’s presence across generations.
10/09/2025
Fr. Anselmo Shares the Joy of the SVD Jubilee in Vatican News Interview
Vatican News: On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), Father Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro – Superior General since July 2024 – strongly affirms that today’s mission is “to bring the light of God into a wounded world.”
08/09/2025
Gratitude and Appreciation for 150 Years of Collaboration and Support
A year ago, we began the SVD Jubilee Year. Before the final event, which will mark the beginning of a new cycle in our history, I would like to address with affection and respect those who made possible the mission that we Divine Word Missionaries have carried out during these 150 years: our benefactors, collaborators and friends.
06/09/2025
The message from Mother Maria Magdalena Kruse, SSpSAP Superior General, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the SVD
On behalf of all the Adoration Sisters, I would like to congratulate you and all members of the SVD on this wonderful anniversary. One hundred and fifty years ago, our dear founder, St Arnold Janssen, started a movement of love, faith, mission and prayer — a movement that lives on through you today and continues in the Arnoldus family.
06/09/2025
The message from Sr. Miriam Althenhofen, SSpS Congregational Leader, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the SVD
On-this grace-filled occasion of your 150th anniversary, we raise our hearts in gratitude to God for your faithful and untiring witness to the word, made flesh in Jesus, throughout the years as Divine Word Missionaries.
05/09/2025
Message from Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden, SVD, of the Archdiocese of Ende, Indonesia, and former Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary
I join you and all the confreres in raising up our hearts to praise the goodness of the Lord who has inspired and guided Saint Arnold, our Founder, to start our Congregation 150 years ago. Filled with gratitude we look back on what that small beginning in Steyl has brought until now: a missionary congregation with thousands of members, partners ready to share the mission, services rendered to so many people in many countries, …
04/09/2025
A message from Fr. Heinz Kulüke, former Superior General, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Society of the Divine Word
Watching the various celebrations for the SVD's 150th Jubilee unfold across all continents has filled me with deep gratitude. The cultural diversity and richness of these events are genuinely moving. My gratitude goes out to the Triune God, as well as to our confreres, sisters, lay partners, members of other congregations, dioceses, Vatican Dicasteries, collaborators, and benefactors throughout these 150 years. We should also give special thanks to our own families, who prepared us for this mission and allowed their sons to dedicate their lives to God.
03/09/2025
Appointment of Assistant to the Treasurer General
On August 23, 2025, the General Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Fr. Vishal Steevan D’Souza, SVD as the Assistant General Treasurer.
25/08/2025
Father General Anselmo Ribeiro Visits Poland
Fr. Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro SVD visited Poland again, but this time his trip held particular importance. It was his first visit as Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). The centerpiece of the journey was the July 13 reopening of the Missionary and Ethnographic Museum in Pieniężno, restored after several years of extensive renovation. The event stood out as a key highlight in the Polish Province’s celebrations of the congregation’s 150th anniversary.
19/08/2025
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