25 Years and Counting

September 8, 1875, Style, Holland.
Rev. Fr. Arnold Janssen has started founding the 138-year-old Societas Verbi Divini or Society of the Divine Word also known as the Divine Word Missionaries.
The bishop of Style gave him (Fr. Janssen) the blessing. The mission house started with a barn house. It grew as one of the biggest Religious-Missionary congregations in the world.
Fr. Arnold sent two Missionaries to the Philippines. They were Rev. Frs. Ludwig Beckert, and Johannes Scheiermann, SVDs.
1980s – Decade of Reference for SVD Davao when they bought 13-hectare lot located at Skyline Road, Catalunan Grande, Davao City.
This is the address of the Divine Word Formation Center-Davao from June 1989 up to today. The first group of formators were Rev. Fr. Gerardo “Gerry” Donato, SVD, Rev. Fr. Ed Guarin, SVD and and Fr. Santos, SVD.
Fr. Gerry was the first Father Rector. He spearheaded the formation for 7 years. He taught Latin which happens to be the language of the Church. And it is one of the seminary requirements to comply at least 12 units of foreign language excluding English. It was devastatingly difficult. In fact, in every success it is always coupled with difficulty. This is what every seminarian should undergo.
The chapel’s blessing took place on January 15, 1993, the feast of the SVD founder St. Arnold Janssen, SVD.
There are 5 aspects in forming each seminarian. These are: 1. Community/Social, 2. Psycho-emotional, 3. Academic, 4. Spiritual, and 5. Missionary. This is the reason why each formation house may have this routine schedule like:
5:00 am-Rising 5:45 am-Morning Prayer
6:30 am-Holy Mass
7:00 am-Breakfast
8:00-12:00 Classes
12:00 noon- Lunch
1:00 pm-4:00 pm-Classes
4:00 pm-Recreation
5:30-Shower
6:00 pm-Study Period
7:00 pm-Dinner
8:00 pm-Recreation
9:00 pm-Study Period
10:00 pm-Lights Off

2013 – Twenty five fruitful years

A bunch of formative years under the supervision of different formators with the guidance of the Holy Triune God with Mama Mary; coupled with with difficulties and challenges yet because of the unswerving service by them DWFC-Davao has produced 5 SVD Priests such as Rev. Fr. Ramlit Navarro, SVD; Rev. Fr. Joseph Antipasado, SVD; Rev. Fr. Felmar Castrodes-Fiel, SVD; Rev. Fr. Louie Cris Gregorio, SVD; and Rev. Fr. Gilbert Razon, SVD.

SVD has 3 Philippine Provinces. These are the Northern Province, the Central Province, and the Southern Province.
Rev. Fr. Ramilo Mapaye, SVD belongs to the Southern Province. He juggles tasks with 4 roles to play as one of the DWFC formators. He is the Vocation Animator Coordinator of the Philippine-Southern Province, the House Treasurer, the Prefect of Seminarians, and the House Admonitor.
Fr. Milo as he is called, was informed to be assigned at DWFC-Davao last May 2011 by the Provincial Superior for Philippine Southern Province, Rev. Fr. Heinz Kulueke, SVD.
He was on a second thought since he did not have any formation/training and it was not his ‘line’.
But the SVD Southern Province sent him to Rome for further studies at summer for a Formation’s Crash-Course.
SVD has 7 Formation Centers: 6 for SVD Clerics and 1 for SVD Brothers. The Divine Word Formation Center-Urdaneta (Northern Province), Christ the King Mission Seminary (Central Province), SVD Postulancy (Central Province), Holy Spirit Novitiate (Central Province), Divine Word School of Theology (Central Province), Divine Word Formation Center-Cebu [Southern Province (temporarily closed)], St. Joseph Frienademetz Formation Center-Cebu (Southern Province), and Divine Word Formation Center-Davao (Southern Province).