A pastoral visitation to Thailand and Myanmar highlighted once again the inspirational work being done by SVD missionaries in those places, said Provincial, Fr Asaeli Rass SVD.

Both Thailand and Myanmar are part of the SVD Australia Province and both districts are experiencing their own joys and challenges in mission.

In Thailand, Fr Rass took part in the District Assembly where the agenda included not only updates on the current ministries in Bangkok and the Nong Bua Lamphu Diocese in the north-east of the country, but also discussions around the future of the District.

“The meeting went very well,” Fr Rass said.

“Everyone is doing well in their various ministries. They want to be there, and they want to sustain the mission into the future. Everyone shared about what’s going well and also some of the struggles in their ministries.

“The meeting included discussions around the possibility of them becoming an independent mission and the SVD ASPAC Zone Coordinator was there too, to listen to what the confreres are saying.

“The outcome was that we are going to proceed slowly, not rush things, listen to what the Spirit is saying to them and the Generalate and the Provincial Council about the sustainability of their mission.

“We’ll work with the confreres, but we won’t be making a quick decision, because in the end, this is all about making sure they are looked after in the best way possible.”

After his visit to Thailand, Fr Rass travelled to Myanmar to spend time with the two SVD missionaries there.

“I went there with a sense of anxiety because I knew I was entering a war zone,” he said. “But that anxiety began to dissipate when I started going around visiting the confreres and the people in our SVD mission.

“I was really inspired by so much of what they are doing, despite the air of uncertainty over the last seven or eight years.”

Fr Rass said the two SVD confreres, Fr Tuyen Nguyen SVD and Fr Deva Savariyappan, were doing a lot of social outreach, building houses for the poorest of the poor and classrooms to teach computer literacy, music and sewing.

“It is a very practical approach,” he said. “And the people are seeing what they are doing and they are wanting more of our presence.

“I came back with a strong appreciation and gratitude for what Tuyen and Deva have accomplished. I really returned with an appreciation of the goodness of the people and the missionaries who are working hard to keep it all together.”

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: The SVD Thailand District Assembly. The District incorporates both Thailand and Myanmar.

BOTTOM LEFT: Fr Rass talks with some locals who live in the SVD's pastoral district in Myanmar.