The
Thailand Project
| Background |
-
The roots of the Catholic Church in Thailand go back to the XVII century. At that time, many Friars Minor on their way to China went through Thailand devoting themselves to missionary evangelization. One of the first churches in Thailand, was in Ayutthaya, which was entrusted to the Order.
Present day presence in there began in 1984, when the Minister General and the Franciscan Conference of Asia and Oceania gave birth to the Thailand Project. It depends directly on the Minister General, and is made up of a friary, a house of prayer and a hospice for AIDS patients. These are found in Lamasi, 60 km from Bagnkok. Presently, in 1997, there are three friars from three provinces working there.
| Objectives |
- To respond to the needs of the local Church led by the Cardinal Archbishop of Bankok
- To witness Franciscan life with an interprovincial and international community that is dedicated to prayer, to contemplation and rooted in poverty. The Br. Guardian affirms that "working daily with the terminally ill and the rejected takes an emotional toll on each one of us and causes us to reflect on the meaning of our lives and on death, be it our own or that of the Lord Jesus".
- To be committed to interreligious dialogue with the Buddhist community and culture so as to reinforce the contemplative life of the o, and the Church in Thailand, as has been proposed by the Cardinal Archbishop. In August of 1996, the Br. Guardian wrote: "We have received strength and encouragement, first and above all, from our Friars, as well as from the Sisters, from lay volunteers, the secular clergy, hospice workers, visitors, those who come for spiritual exercises, the ill, social workers, benefactors, psychologists, teachers, and other friends be they Catholic, Protestant, Buddhists, Thai or foreigners who have in one way or another participated in our labor. We feel that we are part of a new Christian Movement that has its own life, inspired from the Franciscan vision of prayer and solidarity with the poor.
- To root the Order creating the structures needed in order to sustain community life and receive candidates for the Order.
- To create a Franciscan community which is geographically close to the Vietnam Province.
| Means |
- A Friary, formation house and center for prayer and dialogue has been constructed in Lamsai, in the Bankok's periphery.
- The Friars offer the prossibility of prayer to all (Christian and non) who come to the their home.
- Seeing the abandoned state of many AIDS patients, the Friars, in collaboration with a community of Sisters, have opened a Hospice. Th activity, begun in 1993, followes the example of St. Francis in the care of for the lepers of his day.
- The community has begun to welcome candidates to the initial phases of formation to the life of the Order, and assists the Secular Franciscan Order.
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Created / Updated Wednesday, December 31, 1997 at 18:43:59
by John Abela ofm for Communications Office - Rome
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