Divine Word Missionaries

What do missionaries really do? What are the people like that missionaries serve? What are the missionaries like? Is their ministry much different than ministry here in the USA? Is there something I can do to help? What would it be like to visit a mission in another country?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, this might be the right opportunity for you. Join a group of people from the United States and travel to a mission in Morant Bay, Jamaica, which is staffed by Divine Word Missionary priests and brothers. Spend a week working with the missionaries, side-by-side you will experience the language, the culture and the people that Divine Word Missionaries serve in Southeast Jamaica, near the Blue Mountains. Click here for more details.

Brother Pat Hogan, SVD, is extending an invitation to join him next spring on a 13-day tour of China, departing from Chicago on May 26 and returning on June 7, 2008. Currently serving as vice-rector at Divine Word Residence in Bordentown, N.J., Brother Pat is on the board of directors for the Fu Jen (Taiwan) University Foundation and is a representative of the Mission Office of the Divine Word Missionaries.

“China is like my second home,” says Brother Pat, “and I have led a number of tours both from the United States and Taiwan, to China.

Having taught and worked in administration at Fu Jen Catholic University for nearly 30 years, Brother Pat is uniquely qualified as a seasoned tour guide. His knowledge of Chinese tradition, culture and language will enrich the tour and enable participants to experience their travels to the fullest. An added plus is that China will be hosting the 2008 Olympic Games – welcoming visitors from abroad to explore and enjoy this historic land.

In the mid ‘70s, Brother Pat left Taiwan to come to Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa. With his Masters degree in Linguistics, he assisted with teaching and established the English as a Second Language (ESL) program in 1975. This program has been instrumental in helping new seminarians from Vietnam, Africa and other countries to learn English and continue with their studies.

In 1983, Brother Pat returned to Fu Jen University, where he taught in the graduate school of Linguistics, and later became the director of the Chinese Language Center there. He returned to the U.S. in 1999 and served as the Director of Divine Word International Conference Center at Techny, Ill., until 2004. He returns to Techny on a regular basis.

Under Brother Pat’s qualified guidance, tour members can expect the trip of a lifetime with experiences that will become treasured memories.

“I will be conducting pre-departure travel sessions so that all of our tour members have the opportunity to meet each other and to receive some in-depth information regarding the tour and the places that we will be visiting,” says Brother Pat, adding that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.”

Take that first step now, and contact Brother Pat Hogan for more information at pathogansvd@yahoo.com or call 609-298-0549, extension 575.

Seven Divine Word Missionaries were ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, of Beaumont, Texas, on Saturday, May 26, 2007, at Techny Towers. We congratulate Paul Prince Appiah-Kubi, SVD, of Ghana (first assignment in United States); Urey Patrick Mark, SVD, of Liberia (to United States); and five confreres of Vietnamese heritage: Simon Thoi Hoang, SVD, (to United States); Long Phi Nguyen, SVD, (to Chile); Vinh Daniel Nguyen, SVD, (to Mexico); Vinh The Trinh, SVD, (to Colombia) and An Dinh Vu, SVD, (to Ecuador). Matheus Bitin Ro, SVD, will be ordained in late summer or early fall in his home country of Indonesia and then return to the Chicago Province to begin his first assignment in the United States.

Pictured: Front Row: Fr. An Dinh Vu, SVD; Fr. Paul Prince Appiah-Kubi, SVD; Fr. Vinh The Trinh, SVD; Fr. Simon Thoi Hoang, SVD and Fr. Long Phi Nguyen, SVD. Middle Row: Fr. Vinh Daniel Nguyen, SVD; Deacon Matheus Bitin Ro, SVD; and Fr. Urey Patrick Mark, SVD. Back Row: Fr. Quang Duc Dinh, SVD, Formation Director; Fr. Mark Weber, SVD, Provincial; Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, Bishop of Beaumont, Texas; and Fr. Stanley Uroda, SVD, Theologate Rector.

Two Men professed First Vows as Divine Word Missionaries on August 11, 2007. After completing a year of novitiate at Divine Word Residence in Techny, IL, Giang Tien Nguyen, SVD and Bao The Nguyen, SVD professed vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and will begin their theology studies as they continue to prepare for the priesthood.

Pictured: Fr. William Hegarty, SVD, Assistant Novice Director; Fr. Jim Bergin, SVD, Novice Director; Fr. Walter Bracken, SVD, Rector; and Fr. Ken Anich, SVD, a Divine Word College Seminary formation director and homilist at the vows liturgical celebration; and newly professed: Giang Tien Nguyen, SVD and Bao The Nguyen, SVD.

Eight Divine Word Missionaries professed Final Vows on September 15, 2007 in the Holy Spirit Chapel at Divine Word International in Techny, IL. After years of formation, these men committed themselves to perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as Divine Word Missionaries. They will complete their formation during the next several months and will be ordained to the priesthood in May, 2008.

Pictured: Anthony Cong Nguyen, SVD; Long Van Nguyen, SVD; Chinh Trong Phan, SVD; Michael Dat Thanh Do, SVD; Chien Xuan Dinh, SVD; Joseph Tuan Chau Nguyen, SVD; Khoa Quang Nguyen, SVD and Ky Ngoc Dinh, SVD. Top Row: Fr. Quang Duc Dinh, SVD, Formation Director; Fr. Mark Weber, SVD, Provincial; and Fr. Stan Uroda, SVD, Rector.

Brother Henry George Miller was born on January 3, 1922, in Baltimore, Maryland. A foundling, his childhood was spent at St. Elizabeth’s Home for children, run by the Franciscan Sisters. In January of 1939, Brother Henry entered St. Augustine’s Seminary at Bay St. Louis. He professed his final vows in 1948, the same year that he went to Southern Ghana, known then as the Gold Coast, West Africa, until it gained independence in 1957. He remained there until 1962. During this time he returned to Techny on home leave to complete a two-year tailoring course. Brother Henry worked in Northern Ghana from 1962 until 1985, performing a myriad of duties ranging from maintenance to teaching Christian doctrine. He went to Kenya in 1985, staying until 1989 to work at the new mission near Nairobi. And still, he wasn’t yet ready to retire – Brother Henry spent four more years at several islands in the Caribbean, working as Eucharistic minister, visitor to the sick and the homebound and as caretaker.

Shrieks of laughter, the popping of balloons and 130 young people wearing bright neck scarves and darting around the trees in the sunshine – what in the world was happening at Divine Word College?

Young people from 13 Midwestern states gathered for the weekend at the DWC campus in Epworth, Ia., June 8-10, for the seventh regional Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Society (VEYS) Conference. Composed of college students and other young adults, they gathered to rekindle their faith, youth spirit and missionary zeal.

“This is the first conference for me,” said Ngoc Nguyen, on check-in day. “It will be a time of learning, with surprises and fun too.” Nguyen, who is from Chicago, Ill., graduates from De Paul University this month and plans to teach high school mathematics.

Seven Divine Word Missionaries were ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, of Beaumont, Texas, on Saturday, May 26, at Techny Towers. We congratulate Paul Prince Appiah-Kubi of Ghana (first assignment in United States), Urey Patrick Mark of Liberia (to United States), and five confreres of Vietnamese heritage: Simon Thoi Hoang (to United States), Long Phi Nguyen (to Chile), Vinh Daniel Nguyen (to Mexico), Vinh The Trinh (to Colombia) and An Dinh Vu (to Ecuador).

Matheus Bitin Ro will be ordained later this summer in his home country of Indonesia and then return to the Chicago Province to begin his first assignment in the United States.

Pictured:
Front Row L to R: Fr. An Dinh Vu, SVD; Fr. Paul Prince Appiah-Kubi, SVD; Fr. Vinh The Trinh, SVD; Fr. Simon Thoi Hoang, SVD and Fr. Long Phi Nguyen, SVD. Middle Row L to R: Fr. Vinh Daniel Nguyen, SVD; Deacon Matheus Bitin Ro, SVD; and Fr. Urey Patrick Mark, SVD. Back Row L to R: Fr. Quang Duc Dinh, SVD, Formation Director; Fr. Mark Weber, SVD, Provincial; Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, Bishop of Beaumont, Texas; and Fr. Stanley Uroda, SVD, Theologate Rector.

On May 12, 2007, four young men graduated from Divine Word College Seminary: Hoa N. Nguyen, Paul Tien Minh Pham, Richard Anh Vu and Kaschka R. Watson. We congratulate our graduates and offer them our prayers and support. Pictured in the photo: Richard Anh Vu, Kaschka R. Watson, Paul Tien Minh Pham, Hoa N. Nguyen. College dignitaries: Dr. J. Russett, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rev. Michael Hutchins, SVD, President and Rev. Mark Weber, SVD, Provincial, Chicago Province. Two of the four graduates have applied for the Novitiate, the next stage in their formation as Divine Word Missionaries. In addition, four other men have applied for the novitiate.

Each of the graduates was asked about his future plans and his favorite memories of his years at DWC.

Twice a year, Divine Word Missionaries host Come and See weekends, where young men discerning God’s call in their lives can visit Divine Word College Seminary in Epworth, Iowa. This April, Holy Week began in a special way, when twenty-one young men visited on Palm Sunday weekend. Candidates participated in academic, spiritual and leisure activities designed to help them experience student life at Divine Word College—the only Roman Catholic college seminary in the U.S. whose primary mission is the education of men for missionary service. Students can earn bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and cross-cultural studies while participating in seminary formation. Come and See weekends at Divine Word College help young men to answer the question: “What is God asking of me?” For more details, please contact a vocation director at: svdvocations@dwci.edu.

On March 2, 2007, Fr. Ken Anich, SVD, and ten Divine Word College students spent their spring break at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi—one year after the last DWC service trip to the Katrina-ravaged gulf coast.

Half of the group worked on the grounds at the SVD residence and the other half joined the St. Rose Recovery Project and AmeriCorps workers, who currently reside at and work out of the William Kelly Retreat Center on the SVD property.

Fr. Ken reported that the Provincial’s house was severely damaged and a new one is being built on the property directly in front of the retreat center.

Christman Hall, the main building, has been refurbished and repainted. The chapel has been repaired and is in use; pews were donated by a church in Pennsylvania. The surrounding grounds are in good shape, and the Province Headquarters is well on the road to recovery. Fr. Ken added, “the students gained an appreciation of their blessings, and have the opportunity to show empathy for those who have lost so much.” The SVD Community at the Bay St. Louis residence currently numbers ten, compared with twenty SVDs a year ago. They treated the students to a meal of southern-style boiled crawfish the night before departure. The next day, the DWC group planted a flowering peach tree as a living symbol of hope and new life—reminding Bay St. Louis that it remains in our minds and hearts.

Click Here for complete article