Bangkok (AsiaNews) – The Thai Church celebrated World Missionary Day with eight crucifixes that were given to eight missionaries (four priests and four nuns). Mgr Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij, archbishop of Bangkok, presided over the Mass, celebrated in Our Lady of Mercy Parish Church, Nonthaburi, on 24 October. In his homily, the prelate remembered the evangelical proclamation by the Apostles Peter and Paul. Both, the archbishop said, experienced their fragility and inadequacy vis-à-vis this great service. Yet the Lord achieved great things through these weaknesses. This was also our experience as guests.
One of the priests, Fr John Baptiste Hattachai Wongmasaen (a member of the Thai Missionary Institute from the Archdiocese of Thare-Nonseng), is set to leave for Cambodia in April next year. He will work for the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh.
The youngest siblings of nine, Fr John Baptiste chose to enter the missionary institute when he was a deacon.
When somebody asked him “Why do you want to be a missionary in Cambodia, when Christians in Thailand are but 0.7 per cent of the population and many here do not know about Jesus yet?”, he replied saying, “I think other nations need missionaries more than Thailand. In Thailand, the faith is growing and there are many priests.”
During the celebration, the archbishop also handed a diploma to 24 lay people who took part in a yearlong missionary training course sponsored by the missionary commission of the Thai Bishops’ Conference in cooperation with the Thai Missionary Institute. Business people and a former ambassador were among the students.
As Fr Adriano Pelosin, PIME, noted several times, lay people are tasked with setting up missionary groups in their respective parishes and bringing the Gospel to various sectors of society.
Their role also entails support, through prayers and material help, to Thai missionaries who are already at work in northern Thailand and Cambodia.
