by Adriano Pelosin

The PIME missionary recounts Easter in his parish of St Mark in Pathumthani (Bangkok Archdiocese), where he gathered people who were socially and psychologically disadvantaged. A life lived trusting Providence and the generosity of many, together with faith in the risen Lord, who also overcomes the fatigue and pain caused by the coronavirus emergency.

Bangkok (AsiaNews) - "The Church is a mother to all, above all in times when her children are in difficulty": writes Fr. Adriano Pelosin. The PIME missionary who has been in Thailand for 42 years, has written to our readers to share Easter in his parish of Saint Mark in Pathumthani (Bangkok Archdiocese), where he gathered people who were socially and psychologically disadvantaged. A life lived trusting Providence and the generosity of many, together with faith in the Risen Lord, who also overcomes the fatigue and pain caused by the coronavirus emergency.

Dear friends and benefactors of our children,

the coronavirus took us all by surprise and I too found my home filled with many people.

First of all I want to assure you that here in St Mark’s parish, we are all well, as are the fathers, the people and the children we support in Mae Chan, Chiangrai.

And we pray fervently and regularly also for all of you and for all the men and women who are suffering these days due to this plague. We pray every day for the dying and the dead, for health workers, nurses, doctors and hospital staff, for the relatives of the sick and the dead, for heads of state, regions and provinces

I hope all of you and your loved ones are well too. I, the children and the family here at St Mark’s pray that God will protect you from all evil and give you the strength, courage and good will to open your heart to those in need.

This morning, April 8, while we were celebrating Mass outdoors, when two families of Catholics brought us 480 eggs and 18 liters of olive oil to distribute to the poor. A few days ago another family brought us 500 kg of rice and a Buddhist monk our friend brought us 15 thousand kg of rice. There were also 18 thousand milk cartons donated for the children and the elderly.

The Church is the mother of all and shows it above all in moments when her children are in difficulty.

A Catholic teacher moved me three days ago: he brought me a portion of spaghetti with a good sauce made by his son, who is a chef.

As I said, there are many people here in the parish house of St Mark in Pathumthanai. There are five major seminarians from the Thai Missionary Institute, unable to do apostolate in other parishes because of the coronavirus.

There are two young people, Mek and Chalong, who are about 30 years old, but who have the maturity of seven year olds: they have no parents, they were abandoned as children and now they live here with us. They are very good and helpful but you always have to tell them what to do.

Somchit is seriously ill: he is here in convalescence because nobody can care for him at home and here he can have a room with air conditioning and good food.

Then there is Watsan, 48, who has to do dialysis three times a week and his wife Wan, 42. They were both wanderers, homeless. Watsan is the gardener and Wan follows Niw, John and Paul all three two years old and abandoned by their parents.

Then there is the cook Pai and her husband Bunma who is a gardener. Then there are some kids who have family problems: Pon 16 years old, Put 15 years old, Bun 15 years old, Ben and Pai and 13-year-old Beer. Then there is Rok, 23 years’ old who takes care of the boys and Ot, a 33-year-old Vietnamese who also takes care of the garden; Pen instead, in addition to the vegetable garden, cares for the animals.

Then there is Prasit who mainly follows the elderly and young people of the slums. There is a 60-year-old priest who is in a recovery, after being suspended a divinis for more than a year. There is also Father Sunday who serves as deputy parish priest and vice-rector of the community of seminarians of the Thai Missionary Institute.

In addition to praying, we organize ourselves to use our time well. We have repaired and rebuilt the chicken coops, the sheep stable, the duck and geese pens, the rabbit cages, the garden fences. We have increased the production of vegetables. Now we have an abundance of vegetables and fruits, especially melons, bananas, pumpkins, mangoes, lemons, asparagus, spinach and oriental sprouts; fish, frogs, chickens, ducks, geese and eggs for our daily food and to help many poor people.

We are located in an enviable place: close to the city but in the countryside, with large channels of water from which we can draw for vegetable gardens and fish breeding. We cannot thank God our Father enough for all this. We live the life of monks: Ora = pray et Labora = Work. It is a joy to get up early and praise God every morning together with the friends with whom we share life: the joys and sufferings, the hopes and the effort to grow and bear the difficulties of each of us. Coronavirus and the resulting government and church norms have given us this opportunity that we have never had been before.

Every morning at 6.30 we sing the psalms of the liturgical hours: Lauds and the Eucharist; we are also joined by the 6 lay missionaries: Ying, Pim, Tum, Fon, Keng, Toy and some recently baptized girls: Kwang, Nen, Name. Tato, Michelle. In the evening we sing the Office of Readings and Vespers and we stream everything via Facebook ... guitarists, flutists and cymbal players help to enliven the celebrations.

I finished writing this letter on Good Friday. I would like to wish you all good health, to stay safe so that after the desert caused by the coronavirus, we can start thinking again about a new way of living more in harmony with nature, which we must jealously preserve; more in friendship with the people with whom we share life, with more respect for the little ones and the weakest and with more sharing with the most disadvantaged and poor.

We celebrate the Lord's Easter every day, that is, we offer our life in sacrifice for others and we find it in the Resurrection with Christ and with many others.

Happy Easter to you all from me and from all the children helped by your support.