Remembering the Canonization of Sts. Arnold and Joseph, SVD

The statues of Sts. Arnold and Joseph in front of the Holy Spirit Chapel of the Divine Word Seminary
in Tagaytay City. A pose with SVD classmates, Bros. Harley and Raymond.

In October 5, 2003, the late Pope John Paul II canonized two important figures in the life of a missionary church, Sts. Arnold Janssen and Joseph Freinademetz, who planted the seed to found the Society of Divine Word (SVD).

We recall a part of the Pope's homily on the august celebration on this their anniversary:
"Their lives show clearly that the proclamation of the Gospel 'is the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity' (Redemptoris Missio, n. 2). These new Saints teach us that evangelization always involves an explicit proclamation of Christ in addition to contributing to human advancement that has sometimes even proven dangerous, as the experience of so many missionaries shows... The priority of missionary institutes is the mission "ad gentes", which must come before any other social or humanitarian commitment, however necessary."