ASIA/THAILAND – A missionary reports: “God surprises me every day by accompanying adults to baptism”

Bangkok – “What particularly strikes me about my missionary work in Thailand is that God surprises me every day, allowing me to witness the blossoming of faith in adults and to accompany adults to baptism,” said Italian Father Claudio Corti, missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in Thailand, in an interview with Fides, on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Missionary World. “In this country, a predominantly Buddhist nation where Christians are a minority, it happens that someone hears about Jesus because they attended a Christian school, or from a work colleague or friends, or because they were impressed by the imposing churches on a trip abroad, perhaps in Europe,” the missionary said. “When these people come to ask if they can become Christians and prepare for baptism, they take their faith very seriously. For them, it is something that radically changes their lives. For example, the experience of forgiveness, which they receive from God and offer to their enemy, is an extraordinary moment for them. And they begin to live not only for themselves but for others.” Father Corti has been in Thailand since 1999, a country with 400,000 Catholics among a population of 70 million, where the PIME has two mission areas: one in the north and one in the capital, Bangkok, in the center of the country. “PIME’s presence in Thailand began in 1972 thanks to Father Gianni Zimbaldi, who was expelled from Burma in 1966, returned to Southeast Asia, and founded the PIME mission in Thailand, where he worked among the tribal peoples. There, he began the first evangelization of the so-called ‘hill tribes,’ who were open to the proclamation of the Gospel,” he reports. The tribal peoples are primarily Karen, with various subgroups, and other tribes of Chinese origin, such as the Lahu and Akha.
“In 2004, when I was appointed parish priest of the Fang mission in northern Thailand, I found about forty Catholic villages, and over the years, another 10 villages have converted to the faith,” the missionary continues. “This is primarily thanks to the lay catechists, their example, their commitment, and their closeness to the people. Between the 1990s and 2010, some members of animist villages came into contact with other people from villages that had converted to Christianity during festivals or other events. Such a festival was an opportunity for evangelization; the people were curious, and the representative of a village requested the presence of a catechist. This then gave rise to the desire to know Christ and to begin the journey to baptism.” Father Corti recalls that when he was parish priest of the Fang mission, there were and still are “about 40 catechists in the PIME mission. These are lay people who regularly visit the villages, lead Liturgy of the Word or moments of prayer, offer catechesis classes, visit the sick, and pray with them: they are a constant point of reference for the tribal people.” In this northern region, however, the missionary notes, “the presence of the Catholic Church remains limited to the tribal world, to these minorities, that is, to one million people throughout the country.”
In the early 1980s, PIME took responsibility for a mission in the capital, Bangkok, “where the Church has a more ancient presence, over 350 years, and there are around 130,000 Catholics,” the missionary notes. “The presence of the Catholic Church in Thai society is distinguished by its commitment to education. There is a school in almost every parish, and there are many Catholic educational institutions known for their high quality of teaching. The students are almost all non-Catholics, and the few students from Catholic families receive some form of support.” “In the Archdiocese of Bangkok,” he continues, “the PIME was entrusted with the parish of Our Lady of Mercy, located on the northern outskirts of the capital, in the Pak Kret area. The parish covers a very large area, with approximately 1,000 Catholics out of a population of about 600,000 people.” This church, according to Father Corti, who is now the parish priest of that community, “is known for one peculiarity: it was inaugurated in 1974 by King Rama IX, who was invited thanks to the good relations of a Thai priest. Until 50 years ago, the area where it stands was a deserted and peripheral area; today it is a residential area, but there are also small slums where poor people live, especially those who come to Bangkok from rural areas to seek work.” The missionaries in the parish are involved in ordinary pastoral care, in catechesis for the sacraments and “in accompanying those who ask for baptism: we currently have 28 adult catechumens.” There is also a social service: “Through the San Martino Foundation, which we founded 30 years ago, we created the ‘House of Hope’, a hostel for 80 poor or orphaned children from the shantytowns. “The project is funded by donations and the support of Providence,” he explains. “These children,” he continues, “are not Catholics and do not receive catechism classes, but later, when they have already reintegrated into society or are adults, some remember us, continue to support the hostel, or come to ask to become Christians.” In a society dominated by Buddhism, the missionary concludes, “the aspect of interreligious dialogue is also important for building friendly relations with Buddhist monks.” In this sense, a PIME missionary, Father Daniele Mazza, studied Buddhism at a Buddhist university in Thailand and obtained a doctorate in Buddhism, which facilitates good relations.

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