austraLasia
#1843
New presence amongst Thai
tribes receives boost from first Salesian Perpetual Profession of tribal
member
BANGKOK: May 13th
2007 -- Kunyaum, Maehongson is at least 1,000 km north of Bangkok, deep in
the mountainous regions of Northern Thailand, but it was there, on 1st May, that
a Karen tribesman, Brother David Vichienseang Kontrakoondee, made his perpetual
profession as a Salesian, the first such tribal member to do so. Some 500
or more Catholics from the area participated in the event, which highlighted in
an important way some of the new thrust of the Thai province mission.
Within the last 12 months the Salesians have opened a hostel in Chiangmai, where
large numbers of tribal people from the mountains are located. The hostel
caters for around 40 tribal youths from different tribes and offers them free
lodging and technical education. By next year the number is expected to
rise to 60. Of the 20 or so northern tribes, at least 9 of them are
represented in the hostel. Before year's end the Salesians will also be
opening an aspirantate at senior school level for those youngsters at the hostel
who are interested in the possibility of Salesian life.
Several days later, at Sampran, on 5th May to be precise, Brother Anthony Anusit
Chanpen made his first profession as a Salesian. Fr Dheparat, provincial,
made the point that Brother Anthony was a survivor of the four who started out
in the novitiate, 'Die Hard no. 4'! Brother Anthony comes from Banpong,
Ratchaburi.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the
Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for
ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact mailto:admin@bosconet.aust.com. Use
BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library
at at http://sdl.sdb.org/. To contact austraLasia by voice on Skype, the Skype
name is austraLasia.