Metro Manila

The Divine Word Missionaries or the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) is an international congregation of missionaries that was founded in The Netherlands. It was invited to the Philippines in 1907 by the Bishop of Nueva Segovia to help neutralize the growing influence of the break-away Iglesia Filipina Idependiente or Aglipay. The first SVD missionaries to arrive in 1909 were Fr. Lous Beckert and Fr. John Scheiermann. They were deployed to Abra where many years later a Filipino SVD priest by the name of Fr. Conrado Balweg served. The SVDs in the Philippines are known to be progressive and a number has taken the cause of armed struggle. The main building of the Christ the King Seminary was built in 1933.