New SVD Leaders Embrace Shared Responsibility for the Missio Dei

Generalate Media Department

As the Workshop for New PRM Leaders continues at the Centro Ad Gentes in Nemi, Italy, from June 21 to July 4, 2026, the sessions held on June 26–27 focused on the theme “Shared Responsibility for the Missio Dei.” Through presentations on safeguarding, general visitations, elections, chapters and assemblies, and financial stewardship, participants deepened their understanding of missionary leadership as a ministry of accountability, discernment, collaboration, and shared responsibility in service of God’s mission.

Safeguarding: Building a Culture of Care and Healing
Fr. Peter Dikos, SVD, invited leaders to view safeguarding not merely as a policy requirement but as a fundamental responsibility of leadership. Reflecting on safeguarding, accompanying confreres in difficulty, and fostering a culture of care and healing, he emphasized that authority in the Church is ultimately a moral responsibility exercised for the protection of every person, especially the most vulnerable. Effective safeguarding requires more than policies; it demands transparent leadership, accountability, timely decision-making, and a commitment to justice, compassion, and healing. Every leadership decision, he noted, either strengthens or weakens a culture of trust within the Church and the Society.

General Visitations: Accompanying Communities in Mission
Turning to the ministry of General Visitations, Fr. Xavier Thirukudumbam, SVD, presented them as a vital expression of communion and missionary animation within the Society. Rather than administrative inspections, he emphasized visitations as opportunities for accompaniment, dialogue, attentive listening, and communal discernment that strengthen the relationship between the Generalate and the Provinces, Regions, and Missions. They also create a space for communities to reflect on their missionary journey, discern present challenges, and reaffirm their commitment to the Society’s vision, charism, and mission.

Elections: Discernment for the Future of Mission
Reflecting on the role of elections in the life of the Society, Fr. Jerome Marquez, SVD, emphasized that they are fundamentally a process of communal discernment and preparation for future leadership. Elections, he explained, do more than choose leaders—they also reveal the quality of fraternity and communion within a PRM. Authentic discernment asks not, “Whom do I prefer?” but rather, “What does the mission need now, and who can best serve that mission?” He encouraged participants to move beyond personal preferences and group loyalties, embracing discernment that strengthens communion, advances the mission, and prepares future leadership.

Assemblies and Chapters: Discerning the Way Forward Together
Focusing on the governance of the Society, Fr. Eryk Koppa, SVD, explored the complementary roles of Assemblies and Chapters. He distinguished assemblies as consultative forums for dialogue, reflection, and listening, while presenting chapters as the highest collegial authority for evaluating missionary life, making decisions, electing leaders, and discerning future directions. Both, he emphasized, are vital expressions of participation, shared responsibility, and collaborative leadership within the Society.

Financial Stewardship in Service of the Missio Dei
Concluding the series of presentations, Fr. Darius Garbaciak, SVD, addressed the financial responsibilities entrusted to PRM leaders. Reflecting on budgeting, the distribution of resources, financial administration, and the limits of competence established in the Constitutions and the Manual of the Superior, he underscored that responsible stewardship of temporal goods is an integral dimension of missionary leadership. Transparency, accountability, prudent planning, and close collaboration among superiors, councils, and finance committees, he noted, ensure that the Society’s resources remain at the service of the Missio Dei and the missionary priorities of each Province, Region, and Mission.