A group of 10 nuns and 3 priests recently held their live in or missionary encounter in Umphang from 10th to 17th of September 2024. The program is a part of their 6-month missionary training organized by Thailand Pontifical Mission Society. Umphang was picked as their live in destination because it is a rare example of a new approach of doing mission in non-Catholic majority countries like Thailand with its Buddhist predominance. Some nuns were allowed to take out their veils before staying in the villages as an act of person-to-person encounter rather than a religious invasion. Bishop Trairong Multree, the new bishop of Suratthani diocese and the outgoing director of Thailand pontifical mission, also joined the program. On 15th of September 2024, together with the group and accompanied by Fr Tardelly Reynaldo Fulgentio, he visited Kologaw village in Karen State of Myanmar where he baptized a new-born baby of a family. The place has been served by Fr Tardelly Reynaldo Fulgentio since 2016 and becomes example how missionary work in two bordering countries can be done, across Thai Myanmar border from Chiangrai Province (Chiangrai Diocese) up to the southern part of Thailand. (Tardelly Reynaldo Fulgentio s.x.)
