Permanent Formation Brings SVD Missionaries Together in Porto Velho, Brazil

BRC Communication Team

Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) from the Districts of Rondônia and Amazonas gathered in Porto Velho, Rondônia, for the Permanent Formation program of the Brazil Central Province (BRC). The meeting took place at the Centro Arquidiocesano de Pastoral (CAP) and focused on the theme, “Embracing a Wounded World and Our Own Wounds,” inspired by the reflections of the 19th General Chapter of the SVD.

The formation was facilitated by Sr. Nelly Petronella Maria Boonen, SSpS, who guided participants in reflecting deeply on the wounds present in today’s world—social, structural, cultural, institutional, relational, and personal. At the same time, the missionaries were invited to recognize their own vulnerabilities as part of their missionary journey.

Throughout the sessions, Sr. Nelly explored themes that connected spirituality with the realities of violence, reconciliation, and restorative practices. She emphasized that forgiveness is neither forgetting nor passivity in the face of injustice, but rather a demanding path of healing memories, rebuilding relationships, and restoring human dignity. Reconciliation, she explained, should not be understood as a superficial solution to tensions, but as a transformative process capable of generating new relationships and strengthening mission.

The presence of an SSpS missionary sister as facilitator also reflected the richness of the shared charism of the Arnoldus Family and highlighted the importance of intercongregational collaboration in missionary life.

Fr. Silvio de Jesus Borges, SVD, vocation animator of the BRC Province, described the experience as both spiritual and human. He noted that the formation invited each missionary to recognize himself as a “wounded healer,” called to bring reconciliation and hope to realities marked by conflict and suffering. He added that the gathering reinforced the understanding that mission involves not only responding to the wounds of the world, but also caring for and integrating one’s own wounds so that they may become a source of compassion and transformation.

In addition to conferences, the program included group sharing, practical exercises, dynamics, and celebrations that fostered an atmosphere of trust, listening, and fraternity among the participants. In a world marked by polarization, violence, and division, the formation reaffirmed forgiveness and reconciliation as Gospel paths of healing, resistance, and hope.

(Source: https://verbodivinobrc.com/)

Sr. Nelly Petronella Maria Boonen, SSpS, facilitates a session during the Permanent Formation.

Participants engage in group sharing during the Permanent Formation .