Our French volunteer went home and she writes: "At this time, I'm in my parents' house for a few days, visiting all my family. I'm well. In Jerusalem I finished what we planned in the Library and in the Archaeology area. We celebrated my departure with a lot of friends the Friday evening, 2 students offered me a little concert, it was amazing for me... I could say goodbye to each of them with time and pleasure. It was a very good end in Jerusalem for me."

Manuela arrived in East Timor for her mission service: "I am very happy. These first days in Oecussi (East Timor) have been great. This part of the island is really beautiful, with wonderful landscapes and smiling people. I am feeling as if I am home again!"

Download the latest DVI Newsletter: "This bulletin will focus on the theme of COMMUNITY as it relates to DVI.  Perhaps you might think it strange or contradictory, since our volunteers are lay persons, not members of religious congregations.  Are we trying to fit them into our structures, or looking for vocations?  Is it a way to place limits or control?  Sometimes we are asked these questions.  We believe community is fundamental for the international volunteers as we invite to share our mission".

Nick from Philippines shares his impressions on Christmas celebrations: "I really enjoyed Christmas out here. There was a novena of dawn masses in the run up to Christmas that was really quite extraordinary. Extremely loud music began to blast out from loudspeakers placed on the roof of the Church at 3am to ensure that everyone was out of bed and at mass by 4am! The things you can get away with in a Catholic country."

Letter of the Master of the Order for the Dominican Jubilee: it is an invitation for all the members of the Order. « Within a few days, on the Feast of the Epiphany, we close the Jubilee year thanking the Lord for the 800 years of life for our Nuns of the Order.  It has been a year of great blessings… While this Jubilee year comes to an end, we now begin to undertake a novena of years, culminating in the Jubilee of 2016, 800 years of papal confirmation of the Order of Preachers.  At our recent General Chapter in Bogotá, the capitulars requested that we use the time between these two jubilee years (2006-2016) as a time to enter into a serious renewal of our life and mission as preachers.  (General Chapter of Bogotá #51)  Therefore, I wish to invite each entity of the Order as well as each community and individual to begin the long process of renewal through reflection, decisions and actions taken relating to our whole way of life as preachers of the Gospel. »

Read the letter