Dear !

   "May the heart of Jesus live in our hearts and in the hearts of all people" - today I greet you with the greeting and wish of our founder blessed Arnold Janssen. Our founder felt called by God to proclaim the Good News about Jesus to all nations. So far our Congregation has spreaded to 63 countries in the whole world. In some countries it has produced more fruits, but in others less. As you aware today Christianity is still very much oppressed in some parts of the world. Nevertheless the Gospel is still being proclaimed everywhere. Of course in some places the number of missionaries is sufficient in others there is a great cry for them. But those people don't wait for any priest, for any brother or sister - they are waiting for a pure witnesses of Jesus Gospel. It is not enough just to be ordained a priest and later so quickly become "a big Bwana".

   Jesus Christ needs the messengers - missionaries - the men of service, with a great commitment and full dedication to God's call. It was and it is and it will be always better to have very few real witnesses of the Gospel, than haying plenty useless workers. It was the same wish of our founder and he was very strict during the time of acceptance to SVD, during the formation and later after the ordination.

I am sure if he was alive today he would have been doing just the same.

   As you are about to make your decision take enough time for your proper discernment with very deep reflections. Don't feel if You don't join SVD then our Congregation would be badly effected, don't worry. God has his own ways and means of building God's Kingdom on earth. Normally' he does not demand from anyone what is impossible. The one who is called by God would be given enough graces and blessings to be fully successful. The vocation on one side is a great mystery, on the other side is carried (as St. Paul says) in the pot made of clay, which can be broken very easily. There are so many influences and temptations in today's world. Even the most holy man has to watch himself a lot and trusting fully the Lord at the same time.

  I am sure that Jesus Christ has his own requirements and his own way of recruiting candidates to be his disciples. You can find them very easily in the Bible:

• "if anyone wants to come with me....he must forget self, carry his cross and follow me" (Mk 8:34)

• "for whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mk 8:35)

• "if a person is ashamed of me and of my teaching… then the Son of Man will be ashamed of him..." (Mk 8:38)

• "whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all" (Mk 9:35)

• "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength... and love your neighbor as you love yourself..." (Mk 12:30-31)

• be like salt and light for all mankind (Mt 5:13-14)                                        

• "love your enemies and pray for those, who persecute you" (Mt 5:44)

• "you cannot serve both God and money" (Mt 6:24) "You have received without paying, so give without being paid" (Mt 10:8)

• "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him" (Jn 6:56)  

• "Whoever does not love me does not obey my teaching" (Jn 14:24)       

• "Keep watch and pray that you will not fall into temptations. The spirit is willing but the body is weak" (Mt 26:41)

• "Remain united to me, and I will remain united to you... you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me" (Jn 15:4)

• "…be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8)

• "whoever loves his father or mother more than me is not fit to be my disciple" (Mt 10:37)

• "You must be perfect -just as your Father in heaven is perfect!" (Mt 5:48)

• "and I tell you that anyone who leaves home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel, will receive much more in this present age. He will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields - and persecution as well and in the age to come he will receive eternal life" (Mk 10:29-30)

   After finding that you can respond to all Jesus' requirements you are welcome to look at

our requirements to join our Congregation of Divine Word Missionaries.

Our requirements are very much in the line with Jesus requirements, but much lower and very much easier.

  By now I wish you all the best in your discernment process. Be open and sincere with yourself even if your decision at times is not comfortable and painful, be ready for it.

May God bless you.

Fr. Simon Nyirenda SVD Zambia

Fr. Slawek Wiecek SVD Botswana

Fr. Maciek Malicki SVD Zimbabawe

Vocation Promoters

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