Society Matters | Volume 30 No. 3 | Spring 2020

5 Volume 30 No. 3 | Spring 2020 Fr Rajasekhar Reddy Bobba who will take up further studies in Bangkok. Also taking up further studies is Fr Duc Linh Nguyen who has served as pastor at Phonsungnoi for four years. “All of the parishioners will miss him,” says Truong. He has poured sweat and blood for the growth of the parish.” Fr Toub Anisong Chanthavong, who has been stranded in Laos during the pandemic, unable to cross back into Thailand, will be Resident Priest at Mother of Perpetual Help Church. Meanwhile, Br Damien Lunders and Br Ron Fratzke are continuing their ministry in Nong Bua Lamphu in Udon Thani Diocese. Br Damien runs the Mother of Perpetual Help Centre, and, during the pandemic, together with Br Ron, who teaches English in local schools, has been giving out school supplies for low-income families around the region as part of the Centre’s outreach program for those in need. The Society of the Divine Word was invited by the Bishop of Udon Thani in 1998 to take carriage of the fledgling AIDS centre. Since that time, the Centre has been assisting babies and young children of HIV and poor families in Nong Bua Lamphu. The program started with assisting about 40 children and has grown into helping almost 400 people each year. The Centre’s outreach program includes an AIDS Education and Awareness Program, which goes out to around 20 schools each year. The SVD ministry includes the Ban Mae Marie Home for Teenagers which began as a home to care for orphans of AIDS but has now been opened up to for care of non-HIV- related teenagers and the elderly. And in Bangkok Fr Anthony Le Duc and John Hung Le are looking forward to resuming their face-to-face ministry with Vietnamese migrants as COVID-19 restrictions ease. There are about 50,000 Vietnamese illegally working in Thailand. The SVD priests not only carry out sacramental ministry, but also provide social and legal support, especially in situations of emergency, such as accidents or death. Fr Truong says the pandemic has curtailed many of the SVD missionaries’ usual activities, but it has also been a time of reflection and growth. “The coronavirus pandemic certainly changes the way we live and how we go about our business,” says Fr Truong. “It teaches us how to cope with changes, and perhaps coming out of this experience, we will grow to appreciate the small perks of life, such as eating with one another, embracing each other, and worshipping together. “Change gives the SVDs in Thailand an opportunity to grow and be transformed by the mission of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Unexpected turns of events give way for unexpected graces.”