The little Church in Laos rejoices for two imminent historic events: on September 16  three new Laotian priests were ordained  in Savannakhet; while on December 11, on the second Sunday of Advent, the solemn celebration for the beatification of 17 martyrs including priests, religious and lay people who lost their lives in Laos is expected to take place in Vientiane.

The Church in Laos received the official approval of the government for both celebrations,.

Philippine Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, Archbishop of Cotabato will preside over the celebration on 11 December. The Mass of ordination, on September 16, was attended by Laotian Bishops of the Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Paksè.

“It is a historic moment for our Church, a real year of grace”, says to Fides His Exc. Mgr. Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, Apostolic Vicar of Paksè. “We are really very happy. We note with satisfaction that the country is opening up more and more and that we are benefiting from this new approach. We hope to strengthen a fruitful cooperation with the civil authorities for the good of the Church and the Lao people. We are confident that we will have guests at the celebrations, such as Bishops or representatives of Cambodia (with whom we share the Bishops’ Conference) and we also hope from other neighboring countries. It will be for us a time of full communion with the Holy See and the universal Church. We thank Pope Francis who allowed the celebration of the martyrs to take place in Laos. It is a great gift for all of us”, he concludes.

At the ordination Mass, presided by His Exc. Mgr. Prida Inthirath, Apostolic Vicar of Savannakhet, the other two Laotian Bishops (from the Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane and Paksè, in addition to the Apostolic Administrator of Luang Prabang) were present as well as two other Bishops (one from Thailand and one from France), 54 priests from Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, numerous religious women and over a thousand Catholic faithful who came from all over the country.

Mgr. Tito Banchong spoke to Fides news agency : “It was a moment of intense prayer and of great hope for us. A historic moment, in which we received a special effusion of God’s grace. Everything was done in the best way, in an atmosphere of great serenity. Civil authorities from the town of Savannakhet were also present. It was a very happy moment for all of us”.

In 2005 in Vientiane, thirty years after the last ordination in 1975, Sophone Vilavongsy was ordained priest, Laotian and missionary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). In December 2006 Pierre Wilaiphorn Phonasa and Luke Sukpaphorn Duangchansai were ordained priests. In 2009 in Savannakhet it was the turn of Fr. Matthieu Somdet Kaluan. In 2011 another new priest: Fr. Pierre Buntha Silaphet.

Of about 6 million people, mostly Buddhists, about 1% are Christians in Laos among whom about 45 thousand Catholics. Besides the three Apostolic Vicars, the number of diocesan priests in the country with the three newly ordained priests goes up to 20, while 11 are religious priests.

The church in Laos is now preparing to celebrate the beatification of 17 Laotian martyrs, to be held in Vientiane on 11 December.

The Laotian martyrs,  were recognized by Pope Francis in 2015, in two separate cases: the first is that of Italian missionary Fr. Mario Borzaga OMI and of the first local catechist, Paolo Thoj Xyooj, killed in odium fidei in 1960. The second concerns the first Laotian priest, Joseph ThaoTie, along with that of 14 companions of his: ten of these are missionaries belonging to the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (MEP) and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). Then there are also four lay indigenous catechists.

The fifteen martyrs were killed between 1954 and 1970 by the communist guerrilla fighters, Pathet Lao.

 

source: Agenzia Fides