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.
MORE LOCATIONSIn 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.