WHO WE SERVE

ASIA-PACIFIC

Today, Divine Word Missionaries oversee 19 provinces and regions in the Asia-Pacific Zone. The Society decided to expand into Myanmar and Bangladesh in 2018. Divine Word Missionaries in the Asia-Pacific Zone help to manage the migrant and refugee crisis. Another important concern in this region is the destruction of the environment.

  • ASIA

  • OCEANIA

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  • AFRICA

  • EUROPE

  • AMERICAS

"I KNOW THE DEEP MISERY OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS BEYOND THE OCEAN,THEIR EYES FILLED WITH TEARS."

ST. JOSEPH FREINADAMETZ SVD

11

Countries are being
served in Asia

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Vietnam

Vietnam

In Vietnam, the Catholic Church is always on a “journey with the nation,” meaning that the local church makes consideration for the poor and marginalized among the Vietnamese people. Divine Word Missionaries missionaries work in eight dioceses, both in rural and urban settings. However, the missionaries give preference to remote parishes in rural or mountain areas where indigenous and ethnic people live. Our main projects are making a commitment to education for ethnic minority and poor children; raising public awareness on healthcare for the poor; and supporting the extremely poor with food, clothing and housing.

India

India

Although Christianity in India is believed to be as old as the Apostles’ times, it is faced with many challenges. The Church still struggles to establish itself. Because India is the world’s second most populous country, our Society has divided it into five provinces so that the missionaries might minister effectively. They are the Central Province, the Eastern Province, the Guwahati Region, the Hyderabad Province and the Mumbai Province. At present, our 100 missionaries are serving in 25 parishes across the country.

Taiwan

Taiwan

Evangelization has always been a primary focus of the Divine Word Missionaries who are involved in parish ministry. Essentially all the parishes in the province have lively programs to bring non-Christians to the faith. Adult baptisms are a hallmark of the missionaries’ parishes. In Hong Kong-Macau, which falls under the Taiwan Province, several missionaries are involved full time in migrant ministry, primarily focusing on contract workers from the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh came into being only in 1971 when the two parts of Pakistan split after a bitter war that drew in neighboring India. Divine Word Missionaries landed in Bangladesh on Jan. 4, 2018. Keeping up with our Society’s tradition and charism, we promote an intercultural community and our challenge is to spread the Word of God and to do effective intercultural mission.
Myanmar

Myanmar

The new project of Myanmar is still in the preparation stage. It will be a challenge and an opportunity for us to get involved in specialized areas such as Bible ministry.

Japan

Japan

Divine Word Missionaries in Japan are entrusted with 21 parishes — 12 in Nagoya, seven in Akita, one in Nagasaki and one in Tokyo. At the request of the bishops, seven missionaries have been assigned to work in the dioceses of Fukuoka, Sendai and Niigata. Many of our parishes and our missionaries minister not only to Japanese, but also to the Filipino and Latin American communities. Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, a priest of the Society of the Divine Word, was appointed Archbishop of Tokyo in 2017 and continues to serve in this capacity.

Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste

Catholics make up 98 percent of the population in the country. The rest belong to Protestant groups or Islam. Divine Word Missionaries work in eight parishes: two in the Diocese of Baucau, three in the Diocese of Dili and three in the Diocese of Maliana. This reflects our pastoral commitment to helping the local Church.

Indonesia

Indonesia

In order to manage the vastness of this nation of many islands, Divine Word Missionaries split Indonesia into four provinces: the Ende Province, the Java Province, the Ruteng Province and the Timor Province. Each of these provinces poses some of the same but also varied challenges to the missionaries who serve there. Since 1913, working among the tribes and indigenous people of Indonesia is a special concern for the our Indonesian mission.
Philippines

Phillipines

Divine Word Missionaries have divided the Philippines into three provinces: the Central Province, the Northern Province and the Southern Province. Among the challenges facing the Catholic Church in the Philippines today is the increasing number of non-Catholic religions and sects.  Indigenous peoples abound in the Philippine Northern Province. Our missionaries minister in nine parishes, seven of which belong to the indigenous peoples. The impact of the Divine Word Missionaries presence in Southern Philippines has been felt in the areas of basic evangelization, education and communication.

Thailand

Thailand

Local clergy in Thailand cannot easily reach some of the more isolated parts of the country, so religious women and men, including Divine Word Missionaries, are working in these difficult locations. We initiated a significant ministry with people who suffer from HIV/AIDS in northeast Thailand, the nation’s poorest area.
South Korea

South Korea

South Korea is one of the few countries in the world in which ethnicity and nationality coincide. At present Divine Word Missionaries’ main effort for ministry is care for the country’s many migrants. Our main focus includes the migrants from the Philippines, Vietnam and East Timor who have relocated to South Korea. At present, our missionaries are working in four parishes in three dioceses.

How We serve

Learn more about our work and areas of mission around the globe.

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