Tuesday, 5 May 2020
Dear confreres, lay partners and members of the Arnoldus Family,
Warm greetings to all of you! As we continue celebrating the Season of Easter, we are gratefully mindful of the blessings of joy and peace which the Risen Lord brings to us all. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experience significant “epiphanies” about ourselves, the world and humanity as a whole.
As we face the great challenges of this pandemic, we also realize that overcoming this crisis is possible if we come together and work for the common good. We have received news and information from our missionaries, sharing their pastoral programs and initiatives to attend to the needy, the abandoned, the sick and the migrants, among others. Our missionaries are not alone in this endeavor. We are happy to know that they serve the least in our society in collaboration with our lay partners in our schools, institutions, parishes and universities. In many places, Divine Word Missionaries encourage people not to discriminate against the sick and those who take care of them.
Some of our provinces have also launched a campaign soliciting help to finance different programs for the neediest in Latin America, Asia and Africa. This is a campaign for solidarity at its best.
We do not know how long this pandemic will last. It is too early now to think of and to present new ways and strategies for realizing our mission. Yet one thing is clear: we need each other; our sense of unity as a family has to be strengthened and lived out consequently. We have learned that to face the pandemic, everybody counts. We can foresee that to enter into the new situation after the pandemic requires from each one of us a renewed commitment as a member of the Society. Solidarity and responsibility from every member, community and province is our strength.
Rest assured of our prayers and moral support. We pray for that holy light to illumine our path and steps. This light is the Lord’s light, which is the same light we share with our confreres, our families, and our lay partners. May the Lord bless us and keep us as we walk together on our journey.
Trusting in the Divine Word,
Fr. Paulus Budi Kleden SVD
Superior General
Dear Mission Friends,
In 81 countries, more than 6,000 Divine Word Missionaries care for neglected elderly; bring clean healthy water to communities; and provide medical assistance to those in need.
Today Iʼd like to take a moment and ask you to help me send this prayer around the world:
Lord, I come before you today in need of your healing hand. In you all things are possible. Hold my heart within yours and heal those who are sick. Reach out and stop this global virus and give us health and strength and peace.
As you say this prayer remember family, friends and neighbors, our missionaries and the people they serve thanks to your generous giving. Your friendship means the world to us! Please accept our gratitude and of course, our prayers.
Yours in Christʼs name,
Bro. Daniel Holman SVD
Mission Director
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 6099
Techny, Illinois
60082-6099
© 2025 Divine Word Missionaries
