- Fr. General and the Council
Father Anselmo Ricardo Ribeiro is the 13th Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word.
He was elected to this position in 2024.
He is from Brazil, where he joined the SVD in 1998. He had missionary exposure (OTP) in Mexico. He was ordained a priest in 2005. He was Provincial Councilor and Provincial Superior of Brazil North, member of the Executive Committee of the PANAM Zone. Afterwards, he took courses in leadership and management. He was part of the team of the São Miguel Community dedicated to the organization and accompaniment of retreats for the laity. Communication has also been one of his areas of work. Before assuming his current role, he served as a General Councilor for the 2018-2024 term.
Latest news, events, travels and meetings of Fr. General
- Upcoming Events
- -----
- -----
- -----
Father Xavier Thirukudumbam, currently serves as the Vice Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word. He was elected to this position in 2024. Prior to that, from 2018 to 2024, he served on the General Council. He is originally from India, where he was a professor and formator. He holds a degree in Philosophy and has held various administrative positions, including Provincial Superior in his home province (INC).
Father Eryk Koppa is native of Poland. Following a period of missionary work in Mexico, he returned to his homeland. He went on to earn a licentiate in Moral Theology then spent many years in formation, as well as holding various administrative roles, including that of Provincial Superior of POL and Vice-Chairman of the SVD EUROPA Zone. He was re-elected as a member of the General Council for the 2024-2030 term and holds the title of General Admonitor.
Latest Latest news, events, travels and meetings of Fr. Eryk
- Upcoming Events
- -----
- -----
- -----
Brother Michael Ertl native of Germany was elected to the General Council in 2024. He served as a missionary in Chile, where he was involved in pastoral work in schools and parishes. He was a member of the Montanau contemplative community in Belgium (NEB) and a novice master in Berlin (GER). He also served as spiritual director of the Ad Gentes Center in Nemi. At the time of his election, he was Vice-Provincial of the Italian Province.
Latest Latest news, events, travels and meetings of Bro. Michael
- Upcoming Events
- -----
- -----
- -----
Father Yulius Yasinto is from Indonesia and was elected to the General Council in 2024. He holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate in Sociology. He has served as director of schools and the Catholic University of Kupan, IDT.
Latest Latest news, events, travels and meetings of Fr. Yulius
- Upcoming Events
- -
- -
- -
Father Fabian Mate Kalaluka, of Zambia, was elected to the General Council of the Society Divine Word in 2024. At the time of his election, he was Regional Superior of Mozambique. He has served as parish priest, formator, vice-superior regional and admonitor.
Latest Latest news, events, travels and meetings of Fr. Fabian
- Upcoming Events
- -----
- -----
- -----
Father Jerome A. Marquez, from the Philippines, was elected a member of the General Council in 2024. He holds a licentiate in Canon Law and has served as a professor, parish priest, vice-provincial, and Provincial Superior in PHC. He is an outstanding communicator.
Latest Latest news, events, travels and meetings of Fr. Jerome
- Upcoming Events
- -----
- -----
- -----
11:45
Easter Message – In the Light of the Word – Sharing with Fr. General Anslemo R. Ribeiro, SVD
“On each level of government and administration the superior and his council are assisted by officials for certain specialized areas. These officials should support the superior and his council with expertise and prayer” (c 615).
Officials on the generalate level “assist the superior general and his council in the administration of the Society and in the planning and implementation of its missionary task” – all within the area of their respective expertise (c 620).
Father Peter Dikoš is from Slovakia and was a missionary in Papua New Guinea, where he served as Pastor in various parishes and later as Dean of Studies and Rector of the Good Shepherd Seminary in Fatima. He also served a term as Vice-Provincial of the SVD PNG Province. He received his doctorate in Canon Law from Saint Paul University in Ottawa. In 2013, he was appointed Procurator General of the Society of the Divine Word in Rome, a position he continues to hold to this day.
Father Maxwell Wullar is from Ghana, where he joined the SVD in 2004 and completed his initial formation. He studied languages and theology in Kinshasa before going to Chile for his OTP in 2009. He returned to Kinshasa in 2011 to complete his theology studies and was sent to Chile after his ordination in 2012. In 2018 he came to the General House – Collegio del Verbo Divino in Rome to take up the position of Secretary for English. In 2025 he was appointed General Secretary.
Father Dariusz Garbaciak, born in Poland, during his theological studies he had a missionary experience – OTP in Papua New Guinea. After his ordination he began to study economics – MBA graduate programs in the USA. In 2002 he was nominated to the position of Provincial Treasurer of the SVD USC Province. During this time he served on numerous financial boards for educational and non-profit organizations. Since 2019 he holds the position of General Treasurer of the Society.
Father Marcelo E. Cattáneo is from Argentina, he joined the SVD in 1986, after the initial formation he had a missionary exposure (OTP) in the USA. After his ordination in 1995, he was assigned to the Philippines and then to Argentina, where he directed biblical and pastoral projects and served as District Superior, Vice-Provincial, Zonal Coordinator and, at the time of his appointment as General Mission Secretary (2025), Provincial of ARS. He holds a Licentiate in Biblical Theology,
The current General Secretary for Formation and Education (since 2019) is Father Augustine Pushpa Anbu, a native of Indiana who was ordained a priest in 1994. He has been a missionary to INC, working mainly in the area of formation and teaching, and has served as Sub-Zonal Secretary for Formation, as well as Executive Secretary for Ecumenism of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. He has a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies.
Father Kasmir Nema, General Coordinator for Communications. After his initial formation in Indonesia, he continued his theological studies in Australia. His first missionary assignment was in TLS, where he worked in education and administration, and was the Communications Coordinator for the TLS Region and the ASPAC Zone. A communications expert, he holds a Ph.D. in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines.
Father Richard Quadros joined the SVD in 1984. After studying theology in Pune, he worked in pastoral, educational and social ministries in India East (INE) and India Mumbai (INM). He was a member of the Provincial Council in INM and Vice-Provincial before assuming the responsibility of General Coordinator of JPIC. He is known for his commitment to justice, peace and the care of creation. He was awarded COVID Warrior by the Government of Maharashtra in 2020 and with ‘Tribal Friend’ by the people of Raigad, Maharashtra. He holds a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences.
Father Wojciech Szypuła is the General Coordinator of the Biblical Apostolate. He comes from Poland. He studied theology in Chicago, USA. He has missionary experience in Botswana, Zambia and South Africa. For many years he was the coordinator of the Biblical Apostolate at provincial and zonal levels. He was a teacher and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Biblical Studies at Tangaza University College in Nairobi, Kenya. He holds an S.T.D. in Biblical Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome.
Brother Raul Acosta is the Assistant General Secretary for Brothers’ Formation of the Congregation. He is an Argentinean missionary Brother with experience in pastoral ministry, education, formation and administration. At the time of his appointment, he was serving as the Zonal Coordinator of the Brothers in PANAM. He studied Social Anthropology.
John Anthony Szukalski, Assistant General Secretary for Education. He joined the SVD in 1981 in East Troy, Wisconsin, beginning a dedicated journey in religious service and education. He had a missionary experience in Paraguay (OTP) and received his first assignment to USC. Over the years, he served in various communities in leadership roles such as Coordinator of Apostolic Biblical Studies, Pro-Consultor of USC, and Consultor and Procurator of USC. Throughout his career, Szukalski has remained deeply committed to theological education, pastoral leadership, and administrative service within the Society of the Divine Word.
The Secretariat is the department of the Generalate that handles the correspondence to and from the Superior General and his Council. It is the motor of the Generalate, dealing with the day-to-day administration, Current Archives of the Generalate, and the statistics of the Society. It is composed of the following offices:
- Secretary General: Heads the Secretariat and coordinates its work. Prepares the agenda for every General Council meeting (twice a week) and prepares the minutes of each meeting. Redacts certain letters of the Superior General after the General Council’s meetings. Deals directly with correspondence and other aspects of the day-to-day administrative matters in and of the Society. Liaises between the General Council and the Generalate Officials and Staff.
- English Secretary: Manages the official email address of the Superior General (supgen@svdcuria.org) and the Generalate email address (generalate@svdcuria.org), printing daily correspondence for registration. Redacts the English letters of the Superior General after the General Council’s meetings. Prepares Death Notices to communicate the demise of confreres. Counts votes and prepares final tallies for the General Council’s decision during PRM Elections.
- Spanish Secretary: Registers all pertinent correspondence to the Generalate into the Generalate’s internal database. Redacts the Spanish letters of the Superior General after the General Council’s meetings. Prepares the Petitio Missionis documents of candidates for the attention of CAUCUS members.
- Catalogus and Statistics Office: Manages the Current Archives of the Generalate and the Generalate’s internal database. Prepares and updates the statistics of the Society worldwide. Edits and publishes (in electronic or print format) the Catalogus (Directory) of the Society.
Currently, the Secretariat of the General Curia is composed of the following confreres:
- Maxwell Wullar – Secretary General
- Olivier Iato Noclam – English Secretary
- Asunción Vázquez Bustamante – Spanish Secretary
- Zbigniew Toczek – Catalogus and Statistics Office
The Finance Department of the General Curia of the Society of the Divine Word is a one-section department covering various financial areas. It processes all financial-related documentation for the future approval of the General Council. In general – financial reports and budgets, applications and reports of the March, September, December and Emergence distributions, and requests for finance-related permissions are analyzed before are presented to the General Council.
The staff of the Finance department of the Curia is composed of the following personnel:
- Dariusz Garbaciak – Treasurer General
- Vishal Steevan D’Souza – Assistant to the General Treasure
- Christian Estrada – Assistant to the General Treasure
- Marcio Sanches Passador – Assistant to the General Treasure
- Biju Varghese Kottarathil – part time Assistant to the General Treasure
- Suzette Patosa – part time Secretary
The Generalate Media Department (GMD) serves as the official communication department of the Generalate of the Society of the Divine Word in Rome. One of its members, appointed by the General Council, coordinates the Department. The department comprises the following offices:
- Arnoldus Nota
- Audiovisual Studio
- Generalate Publications
- Webmaster
The members of the GMD staff are:
- Piotr Gracz – Webmaster and Audiovisual Studio Coordinator
- Mark Angelo Ramos – Publications Director
- Marlon Bobier Vargas – Chief Editor, Arnoldus Nota
The General Communication Coordinator, due to the nature of his office, participates as a partner of the GMD.
The Archives of the General Curia of the Society of the Divine Word are composed of the following five sections, each with its own space:
- Current and Deposited Archive where the most recent documents are kept. In principle, the documentation remains here for five years. This part of the archives is located on the third floor near all the offices of the Generalate Curia;
- Founder’s Archive which contains all the documents from the time of the Founder until his death on January 16, 1909;
- Historical Archive which contains the documents and correspondences of the general administration of the SVD after the death of Arnold Janssen until the present day;
- Photographic Archive where photographs (and possibly other multimedia material) depicting the confreres, structures, and activities of the Society are kept;
- SVD Authors Library where publications and other printed material written by the generalate administration, individual SVD members, as well as non-SVD individuals who study and publish works on the history and present activity of the Society, are collected.
Currently, the staff of the Archives of the General Curia is composed of the following confreres:
- Pawel Wojcik – Director of the Archives
- Andrzej Miotk – Historian of the Society
- Kieran Sun – Responsible for the Photographic Archive
