Thailand offers participants a welcoming and meaningful immersion experience centred on encounter, learning and accompaniment.
After arriving in Bangkok, the group will spend several days with Catholic Mission partners and local communities. We will spend time visiting the Good Shepherd sisters in Din Dang where they will learn about the sisters’ ministry and spend time understanding the challenges faced by vulnerable women and families. Through listening to their stories and witnessing the sisters’ work, participants gain an insight into the importance of dignity, compassion, care and community.
The group will then travel to Pattaya, where participants will meet Sr Piyachat and learn about her ministry supporting vulnerable women and children through education, care and vocational training at the Fountains of Life Women’s Centre. Participants will also encounter the work of Sr Apinya, who supports children experiencing marginalisation and disadvantage.
The immersion continues with visits to projects supported by the Fr Ray Foundation, providing participants with further opportunities to encounter people whose lives are often affected by disability, poverty and disadvantage. The group will learn about initiatives supporting people who are blind, children with special needs, vulnerable children and families, as well as early childhood education.
These encounters provide an opportunity to look beyond statistics and headlines and to meet people whose lives and experiences challenge us to think more deeply about poverty, inequality, inclusion, dignity and social justice. Participants are encouraged to listen, ask questions, reflect and learn from the people they meet.
Throughout the immersion, participants will also have opportunities for prayer, reflection and faith-sharing, helping them to understand the role of the Catholic Church and its missionary partners in accompanying vulnerable communities and bringing hope to those most in need.
The immersion concludes in Bangkok, where participants have time to reflect on the experiences and relationships they have shared before returning home.
