My name is Methi. I am from Thailand. I have known the Xaverian missionaries since 2015 in Bangkok. The first Xaverian Missionary I met was Fr. Alex Brai, who was celebrating mass in the school where my parents worked. Before starting college, my father suggested that I help Fr. Alex who was doing his mission in slum areas. Three months later, the Xaverians asked me to stay with them and study in a college on Saturdays and Sundays so that I could help them during the weekdays.
After two years of staying in a Xaverian community, Fr. Alex and fr. Alessio invited me to join the Xaverian missionaries. While experiencing the life of the Xaverians and their example, I was inspired to think about their invitation, and, at the same time, I was challenged to answer this question," can Thai people be missionaries?"
After a moment of reflection, I decided to join them. However, I needed first to finish college and learn more about the Xaverian charism after. They allowed me to finish college and asked me to get more involved in the community, for instance, to have a spiritual father and to have some English classes with Fr. Matia because they were planning to send me to the Philippines to continue my process of formation. I favorably accepted this request by saying, "HERE I AM"
Now, after this brief introduction, I would like to share with you who the Xaverian confreres in Thailand are. The delegation of Thailand is composed of seven Xaverians: Fr. Alex Brai, Fr. Matia, Fr. Edgar Nava, Fr. Lucivaldo, Gordi, Fr. Tardelli, including Fr Augustine, and Fr. Erasto who are waiting for their visas in the Philippines.
In Thailand, there are three communities; one in Bangkok, one in Phop Phra, and the other in Umphang; the second and the third are in Tak province.
The Xaverian presence in Thailand is very important, considering that the confreres focus on the central core of the Xaverian charism, which is the proclamation of the Gospel to non-Christians. As you might know, the majority of the population in Thailand is Buddhist. On this, most of the Xaverian Missionaries' work is done mainly with non-Christian people.
Before starting my Xaverian formation, I stayed in Bangkok in one of our communities. In this way, I would like to describe some of the main works we are doing in our Xaverian Communities.
Firstly, in Bangkok, we work in slum areas, mainly in Khlong Toei, the largest slum area. There, our primary activity is to visit the poor such as the handicapped, the bedridden, and the abandoned people. We offer them medicines, food, and other needs. Most of the poor we visit are Buddhist. Secondly, we are training children in human and spiritual formation by having different activities that may interest them, for example, sports, camps, or outings. We work with the children, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. Thirdly, in collaboration with NGOs, we give scholarships to poor children.
In Phop Phra, in the north of Thailand, we have Saint Joseph the Worker parish. In this Parish, we work with the Akha people, an ethnic group. It is challenging to work there because, apart from the Thai language, they have their dialect. In this place we have two Xaverian confreres working there: Fr. Matia and Fr. Gordi.
Furthermore, in their mission, the Xaverians take care of the activities of the Parish, and visit the Christians and non-Christians in the villages of this place. They visit a refugee camp for Burmese people and celebrate the mass in their area. They also collaborate with volunteers to teach English in some villages.
The mission of Umphang, which is at the border of Thailand and Myanmar, is a challenging one because the confreres do the first evangelization. Umphang is one of the biggest districts in the north of Thailand, which had never experienced the work of evangelization since 2014 when the Xaverians arrived. Moreover, the Xaverians were the first pioneers who came to this place. In this mission, we have two Xaverian confreres who are working there: Fr. Tardely and Fr. Alessio. Now, they are trying their best to learn local languages.
These are some of the main works the Xaverians are doing in collaboration with some volunteers who come from France, Spain, and Italy. While starting the work of evangelization, they are teaching English in some schools and sharing some important values with the children or young people. Now, the Xaverian fathers are building a church and one dormitory for both the refugee children who are from Myanmar and the Thai people.
