Looking forward, looking back: Divine Word Missionaries turn 150

By Joseph Tulloch

In 1875, Arnold Jansen, a young German priest, founded the Society of the Divine Word.

Today, the Society has more than 5,700 missionaries and is present in 79 different countries.

Its members, commonly called Verbites or Missionaries of the Divine Word, are dedicated to the four “characteristic dimensions” of the Society: the Bible, communication, missionary work and social justice.

They also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Companyth birthday. In view of this upcoming anniversary, Vatican News spoke with Father Maxwell Wullar, a Ghanaian priest based in Rome, where he is the Society’s English-speaking secretary.

Creative Discipleship

The theme of the Society’s recent General Chapter meeting, Father Wullar explains, was “Your Light Must Shine Before Others: Faithful and Creative Disciples in a Hurting World.”

As the Society celebrates its 150th anniversary, he says, its goal is to develop this model of “creative discipleship” in each of its four characteristic dimensions.

In the missionary apostolate, this means “working with people on the ground”, particularly in “very rural areas where the Word of the Lord is not yet sufficiently spread”.

In terms of communication, the Verbites wish to promote “responsible” use of social media, as well as contribute to “developing ethics” around artificial intelligence.

When it comes to justice and peace, says Father Wullar, there is “so much to do,” particularly with regard to climate change.

And, in its biblical apostolate, the Company hopes to “truly bear witness to the Word of God in the world”, notably by “identifying better with our name of Missionaries of the Divine Word”.

Recognize mistakes

All of this, Father Wullar notes, occurs in the context of “a world with many wounds, particularly war and extreme poverty”:

As the Missionaries of the Divine Word approach their 150th anniversary, he adds, they must recognize that some of these wounds “were created by us, religious, and by the Church as a whole”.The Verbites “want to recognize this fact,” says Father Wullar, “and work above all to right the wrongs.”

And, he says, they must continue to “put structures in place that will prevent, at least on our end, the creation of new hurts for the people with whom we interact.”

Fall in love with the mission

As the interview drew to a close, Father Wullar said he wanted to add one final point.

“I am happy,” he emphasized, “to be a missionary of the divine Word. Working here in Rome, at the Generalate, my eyes have been opened to really see the kind of work that our confreres are doing all over the world. I once told friends that I have fallen more in love with the Missionaries of the Divine Word since I arrived here in Rome, because I have been exposed to the wonderful work our congregation has done over the years and which she continues to do. and we will continue to do so in the future.