We are 100 years in the Philippines… we the priests and brothers of the Society of the Divine Word (Societas Verbi Divine: SVD), and international congregation of religious-missionaries founded in Holland by St. Arnold Janssen in 1875.

The first two SVD missionaries – Frs. Juan Sheiermann and Louis Beckert arrived in the Philippines in 1909. Since then the SVD has grown both in personnel and missionary involvement.

As we mark this milestone we REMEMBER the hopes and sacrifices sown the past 100 years, we REJOICE for the abundant blessings and successes reaped, and we RENEW ourselves to the vision bequeathed to us by the pioneers of the Philippine SVD mission.

From here onward, one with our mission partners and collaborators, we look forward to more years of fruitful missionary service, of incarnating the message of the Divine Word in the communities we serve, of becoming a WITNESS to the WORD. Please be one with us in this task.

One with you,
Fr. Nielo Cantilado, SVD
Provincial Superior
SVD Philippine Central Province