Were celebrating SVD Foundation Day today! On September 8, 1875, on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, Fr. Arnold Janssen founded his missionary community by opening his first mission house in Steyl, Holland. In his sermon during the inaugural liturgy, Fr. Arnold declared: “Whether anything will come of it is known only to God. But we express our thanks to the Giver of all good things for having helped with this beginning. We hope that the house will attain its purpose. The simplicity of this beginning should not discourage us. The mightiest tree starts as a single seed and the strongest of giants was once a weak, whimpering baby.” Today, the Society of the Divine Word is one of world’s largest Roman Catholic orders of priests and brothers and the largest missionary congregation with a membership that has consistently grown since our founding 139 years ago. Happy Feast Day to one and all!
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 20:54:07 +0000