The Immaculate Conception Parish in Sangkhomphathana, Bueng Kan Province, Thailand is situated in a new and small village, but has already grown into a vibrant spiritual home for its people.

The parish is one of two under the pastoral care of parish priest Fr Chanthavong (Toub) Anisong SVD, along with Jesus of Nazareth Catholic Church, Phon Charoen, and both are not only places of worship, but also of Christian outreach to those in need.

Situated in north-eastern Thailand at the southern end of the Province which to the north, borders the Mekong River border with Laos, Sangkhomphathana village and Phon Charoen feature a rural landscape dominated by rice paddies and rubber plantations.

Fr Toub, who became the first SVD priest from Laos when he was ordained in Melbourne in 2019 and assigned to Thailand in the Australia Province, arrived in Sangkhomphathana village two years ago.

“It is a new village and it is small,” he said. “The people are farmers and most of them are financially poor. Because of this, many of them leave the area and go to Bangkok to find jobs there.”

He said he received a warm welcome from the people, even though, as a missionary religious priest he does not have money or material goods to give them, unlike some other priests.

Despite this, Fr Toub is warmly appreciated for his pastoral outreach to the poor and the sick in both parishes and provides basic provisions for them, where possible.

“A part of my ministry is visiting the sick and giving something to the poor when I have something to offer them,” he said.

The parish communities are faithful in worship and devotions, with a particular love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is a regular Rosary group, and at the beginning of October, parishioners processed through Sangkhomphathana village carrying a statue of Mary.

“The village is small and surrounded by large Buddhist villages,” Fr Toub said. “But the people live in harmony between Buddhists and Christians.”

Fr Toub said his ministry as a missionary priest in rural Thailand has deepened his trust in God’s loving care.

“It has shown me that by living in simplicity, owning nothing, having nothing, everything is dependent on God’s providence alone,” he said.

The Divine Word Missionaries have been present in Thailand since 2000 when two SVD Brothers took up the invitation of the Bishop of Udon Thani to take on the care of a fledgling AIDS centre. That centre has thrived and grown and there are now 12 SVDs in Thailand, in Udon Thani Province, Bueng Kan Province, and in the capital, Bangkok. The missionaries are from a range of different cultural backgrounds, including Vietnamese, Indonesian, Indian, American and Laotian. 

PHOTOS

TOP RIGHT: Fr Toub Anisong SVD with parishioners of Immaculate Conception Parish in Sangkhomphathana, Bueng Kan Province, Thailand.

MIDDLE LEFT: Parishioners made a procession through the village in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the beginning of October.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Fr Toub prays with a parishioner during a home-visit.