- svd-generalate
- / General Visitation
- / Bro. Michael Ertl / General Councilor /
Healing Ministries Highlighted during the General Visitation in the Germany Province
Br. Michael Ertl, SVD
Meeting and speaking with confreres who are deeply engaged in various healing ministries—in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and retirement homes—as well as listening to our senior confreres, reminded me of our commitment to a “wounded world,” as expressed in the Document of the 19th General Chapter (2024).
“The wounds that people experience impel us, the Divine Word Missionaries, to empathize with them, soothe the pain of their suffering, and heal their woundedness. By embracing our own wounds as SVDs, we become sensitive to the woundedness of others. Encountering these wounds challenges our faith, but also forms us as wounded healers in our mission to bring relief and healing to those who are deeply scarred. Thus, we become more compassionate toward them.”
Our SVD houses in Germany, including the Motherhouse community in Steyl, are home to many senior confreres. Some have spent their entire lives serving in mission houses, while others have returned after many years of missionary service abroad. As they looked back on their lives, they shared stories of joy and disappointment with us, the visitators. Many spoke openly about their own woundedness and what it means to “embrace” it at this stage of life. While receiving professional medical care when needed, they also seek a listening ear to share their life stories.
Both priests and brothers in the Province of Germany are engaged in diverse ministries of healing. This includes service within larger SVD communities as well as in various professional settings. Some are formally trained for this ministry, while others discover and develop their gifts over time. Pastoral ministry, especially in parishes and migrant communities, also plays a central role, as people continually reach out to their pastors in times of need.
One confrere in particular, Fr. Bernhard Holewa, impressed us deeply. Despite his advanced age (95) and declining health, he continues to serve as chaplain in a retirement home in Morbach. His joy and steadfast dedication to the sick and the dying over many years remain a powerful witness.
At the moment of our departure, he gave each of us a small Easter candle, which I brought back with me to Rome. Lighting this candle each morning during the Easter week, I felt reconnected to my visitation experience in Germany and to all the confreres I had met.
