SVD - Celebrating 100 Years

22 SVDs in Thailand I n the late 1990s, Fr Henry Barlage, Superior General, wrote in one of his letters “confreres should not be afraid to branch out into other ministries, other directions”. So when Br James Wilkins, who was assigned to the PNG Province at the time, heard that the Franciscans were looking for volunteers to work at an AIDS Hospice outside of Bangkok, he thought it would be a good way of ‘branching out’ . He asked Br Damien Lunders if he would be interested in taking up the ministry and the reply was ’Yes’. After getting permission from the Provincials in PNG and Australia, Br James contacted the Bishop of Udon Thani in Thailand to express the SVD’s interest in his diocese. Brs James and Damien, pioneers of the mission in Thailand, spent two years learning the language. From there on the ministries in Thailand have expanded to teaching English in primary and high schools, parish, youth and migrant ministries and teaching in the seminary in Bangkok, but the main ministry was working with children and adults who had contracted AIDS, looking after them at Mother of Perpetual Help Centre, Nong Bua Lamphu. In 2010 ‘Ban Mae Marie’ was constructed to accommodate HIV teenagers. Villa Marie Hospice was completed in 2013 to accommodate long term patients who did not have a home to return to because of discrimination and rejection. The Centre continues with the necessary and important “AIDS Education and awareness program” in schools across the Nong Bua Lamphu province, training teachers to carry on the AIDS education program with their students about HIV/AIDS. Top l-r: Fr Gerard Mulholland & Br Damien Lunders with staff at Ban Mae Marie. Fr Gerard Mulholland, Br James Wilkins, Br Theo Becker & Br Damien Lunders. Bottom: The Mother of Perpetual Help Centre was constructed in 2002.