Fr. Heinz Kulüke is our new Superior General
The 17th General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word has elected Fr. Heinz Kulüke
as the new Superior General of the Divine Word Missionaries.
Fr. Kulüke was born on September 29, 1956, in Spelle, Germany. He was the 2nd child of
August and Paula (born Westers). After his schooling in Spelle and Hopsten, he took up
studies in Electrotechnic in Spelle and Rheine. After a year of Military service in the Air
Force, he did some further studies in Electrical Engineering at Bielefeld.
In 1979, he joined the SVD and did his novitiate in St. Augustin, Germany and made his
first vows on May 1, 1981. At the completion of his studies in Philosophy and Theology,
he was ordained priest on March 9, 1986 at St. Augustin. He was appointed to the SVD
mission in the Southern Province of the Philippines. His first mission was in Agusan del
Sur, Mindanao. After three years in Agusan, he did his Masters in Philosophy at Catholic
University of America, Washington, D.C. From 1990-1992 he taught Philosophy at the
University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines. In 1992, he went to Rome for his
doctoral studies in Philosophy, which he completed in 1994. Since 1994, he is a professor
of Philosophy at the University of San Carlos.
Fr. Kulüke was the Superior of the Southern Province of the SVD in the Philippines with
its headquarters in Cebu City. He was elected to the office of the Provincial Superior in
2005 and re-elected in 2008 and again in 2011 for an exceptional third term. Earlier, he
was the Vice-Provincial of the province from 1998-2005. Along with his teaching
assignment at the University, Fr. Kulüke has held the office of the Vice-President for
Academic Affairs (1997-1999) and was the Rector of the SVD Community at the
University of San Carlos (1996-2005).

Our New Vice-Superior General
Fr. Robert was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 12, 1957 to the late Mr. John Kisala
and Mary Conroy. He has two brothers John and Thomas, of whom the latter has gone
to his eternal rest.
After his primary education in St. Francis Elementary School in Chicago, Robert joined
the Divine Word Seminary in East Troy in 1971. He entered the novitiate at Bay St.
Louis in 1980 and made his first vows in 1981. He made his final vows in 1984. He did
his philosophical studies in Epworth and theology in Chicago. He was ordained priest
on March 16, 1985.
Assigned to the Japanese Province after his ordination, Fr. Kisala studied Japanese for
two years before being assigned Associate Pastor at Kichijoji Church, Tokyo. Then he
took up studies in Sociology of Religion at the University of Tokyo (1988-1994). In
1994, he studied German for six months at Munich.
From 1995, he was teacher at Nanzan University (Institute for Religion and Culture)
and from 1999 he was formation director at Divine Word Seminary, Nagoya. In 1999,
he was elected Vice-Provincial Superior of Japan. In 2004, he was elected Provincial
Superior. In the 2006 General Chapter, he was elected to the General Council and
nominated Admonitor General. The 17th General Chapter elected him the Vice-Superior
General of the Society of the Divine Word. (Sebastian Mattappallil, SVD)