10 December 2020

On 5 December, national fathers’ day here in Thailand, in our community of Sampran we brought forward our celebration of the solemnity of the Immaculate Mary, which as we know has an especial significance for the Camillians. On that day the young temporary religious Domenico Savio Comsan Chaisodsai made his solemn profession, by which he committed himself for his whole life. This was a very intense day, which very many people took part in, including religious from various religious Institutes, and this despite Covid-19 (about 500 people).

Amidst so many restrictions and difficulties caused by this wave of Covid-19 which has shocked the world, this event was a ray of light and hope for our Province which greatly needs vocations, as for that matter is the case elsewhere. Our charitable activity to help the last, the elderly, HIV patients, special children…needs loving hands that attend to them…It is not easy, in a country that is almost totally Buddhist, to find vocations, not least because the religious Orders that are present are many in number and each one of them seeks to have a following. In addition, our Order requires sacrifice and total dedication and thus if the value of our vocations is not understood well it becomes difficult to adhere to it…Despite everything, the Lord sees and provides and thus we are immensely grateful to him because the number of religious is slowly increasing.

Next Saturday, 12 December, four new religious will make their solemn professions in Vietnam. In that country the situation is different because Catholicism is much more present and well rooted and the vocations are more numerous. One could say a great deal about this young and promising Camillian Delegation, but I will confine myself to expressing the whole of my gratitude and joy as regards this latest beautiful event in which, for the first time, I will not be able to take part because of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

We must always sow and know how to wait patiently…Our Lord does the rest and we are always grateful to him…

Sante Tocchetto