Vietnamese SVD Missionary Walks for Hours to Serve Remote Catholics in Madagascar

Fr. Peter Phan Thai Hien, SVD, walks for hours through rugged mountain terrain to reach Catholic communities scattered across remote parts of Madagascar, where some mission stations receive a priest only a few times a year.

A Divine Word missionary from Vietnam, Fr. Hien serves as assistant priest at the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul in the Diocese of Mananjary, on Madagascar’s southeastern coast. His parish responsibility includes 53 mission stations spread across mountainous areas that can only be reached on foot.

The farthest mission station requires about 11 hours of walking. During pastoral visits, Fr. Hien may spend seven to 10 days in the communities, visiting two mission stations each day, with three to four hours of walking between them.

Because of the shortage of priests, each mission station receives Mass only about three times a year. During his visits, Fr. Hien celebrates the Eucharist, administers the sacraments and accompanies communities in their daily life of faith.

Many of the mission stations have only simple chapels, while some have no chapel at all. Yet the communities continue to gather for prayer on Sundays, listen to the Word of God and sing psalms.

Catechists play an important role in sustaining these communities between priestly visits. They lead Sunday celebrations, explain Scripture, teach catechism and communicate parish and diocesan announcements.

Beyond sacramental ministry, Fr. Hien and other Divine Word missionaries also assist families facing poverty. Their work includes helping families build houses, supporting children's education and providing material assistance.

Fr. Hien sees education as an important part of the Church's missionary presence. He is working to establish schools alongside the development of pastoral facilities.

“We want to build primary and secondary schools so that children here can have better opportunities for education and a future,” Fr. Hien said.

For the Vietnamese missionary, pastoral ministry and social development are closely connected. In communities where poverty, geographical isolation and limited access to education remain challenges, the Church's presence extends beyond the celebration of Mass.

The mission in Madagascar is also supported by other Vietnamese members of the Society of the Divine Word. Five other SVD missionaries from Vietnam are currently serving in the country, including a priest and four brothers, contributing to pastoral ministry and the congregation's work among local communities.

The Society of the Divine Word, commonly known as the Divine Word Missionaries or SVD, was founded by St. Arnold Janssen in Steyl, Netherlands, on Sept. 8, 1875. The congregation now serves in about 80 countries across five continents.

Its missionary work is rooted in the spirituality of the Holy Trinity and expressed through four principal areas: Biblical Apostolate, missionary work, communication, and justice and peace.

The congregation's missionary tradition has led its members to serve in geographically remote and socially challenging areas. The SVD has been present in Madagascar since 1989, with missionaries involved in pastoral ministry as well as education, health care and assistance to vulnerable communities.

The Vietnamese SVD mission in Madagascar reflects the congregation's broader missionary character, with priests and brothers leaving their homeland to serve communities far from Vietnam.

For Fr. Hien, the long walks through forests and mountains are part of that missionary commitment, bringing the Eucharist, the Word of God, education and practical assistance to communities that remain far from regular access to pastoral services.