124 His Mission, Our Mission became more convenient. Located centrally in Thailand’s capital, it became a gathering place for Vietnamese Catholic immigrants, nourishing our spirit every weekend and during the Lunar New Year festival. The pastoral work of the missionary priests created a bridge for immigrants to meet during holidays, sharing both joys and hardships. Sharing meals together A joke often made was “first Mass, then party.” With immigrants, it was hard to gather everyone, and not everyone lived nearby, so after each Mass, every family would bring a dish to share. I think this was a beautiful tradition. Many people from Central Vietnam came to Thailand for work, and the atmosphere at the SVD house was truly different. There was no grand church with full amenities, just a basic community that felt warm and intimate, something an expatriate deeply cherished. The spirit of “sharing meals” created a cozy and congenial atmosphere. People didn’t feel like isolated islands. I think our situation was quite similar to the large crowds that followed Jesus in the past. Like my family, each trip was over 30 km, not close at all, but going to the SVD house felt like reaching a green pasture to rest and rejuvenate both spiritually and physically. Responding to the call to “give them something to eat,” the SVD priests in Bangkok understood these community sentiments, creating opportunities for everyone to share their “five loaves and two fish.” “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) I still remember each Lunar New Year (Tet), the image of the priests and the laypeople decorating the house, making traditional rice cakes, and staying up late to watch over them
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