These webpages are a short introduction to help you know us better.
The Society of Jesus first came to the Kingdom of Siam in 1607, with the arrival of Father Baltasar Sequeira, a Portuguese Jesuit who was chaplain to the Portuguese traders coming from Malacca. He arrived to the capital of Ayudhya, and began to build a church and work for the Christian community. The last Jesuit of that early era died in 1767, in the area of present day Bang Chang, Samut Songkhram province. He was a prisoner of the invading Burmese army, which had just destroyed the Siam capital of Ayudhya, and were leading their prisoners back to Burma. The name of this last Jesuit of the first wave is unknown.
One hundred eighty seven years later..........In 1954, the Apostolic Administrator of the Mission of Bangkok, His Excellency Msgr Louis Chorin, MEP, wrote a letter to Very Rev. Fr. General Jean-Baptiste Janssens, asking him to send Jesuits to work once again in the Kingdom of Thailand.
His request was readily acted upon, and on November 17, 1954, Father Pietro Cerutti arrived by ship to Bangkok's harbor of Khlong Toei. He was warmly welcomed by the Bishop of Bangkok.
The Jesuits in Thailand have always been a small group --- in the first wave of 1607-1767, and in the second wave of 1954 to the present. Do numbers matter? Maybe. But what is surely more important is the Spirit that sustains and motivates. St. Ignatius used to call us "this least Society of Jesus." As long as we can be of service to the Lord and his church, the Jesuits are very privileged to be co-workers in Siam.....in Thailand.
|
From our earliest times, from our very beginnings, from the era of St. Ignatius and his first companions, the briefest summary of Jesuit spirituality has been "AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM" - a short Latin phrase that means "To the Greater Glory of God." This phrase is what impells Jesuits to try their best in the service of the Kingdom of God: to help all men and women come to the knowledge of God's love for us in Christ, so that we all may respond to that love with "praise, reverence, and service of God our Lord." The impelling word is "greater" -- a word that makes us always hope to do more, for God, for the Church, for the Lord's people, for the coming of God's Kingdom of justice, peace, and love. The "General Congregation" of the Jesuits is called only on two occasions: first, when there is the necessity to elect a new Father General for the Society; second, when matters of greater moment arise that need to be discussed and decided upon by this supreme legislative body of the Jesuits. |
The number of Jesuits assigned to, or working in, Thailand, has always been small, even from the first group of missionaries who came in the ealry 1600s. Although numbers may say a lot to historians, we hope that anyone who contributes to the Kingdom of the Lord is invaluable. Today there are 28 Jesuits assigned to, or working in, Thailand. Like the first group of Jesuits with St. Ignatius, we are of many ethnic and cultural backgrounds. ("International" is one of the charactersitcs of being a Jesuit, through all the ages of our history.) These 28 Jesuits come from 9 different nationalities, and range in age from 87 to 22. Thailand = 12 Indonesia = 5 Spain = 3 United Kingdom = 2 USA = 2 Canada = 1 France = 1 Malaysia = 1 Philippines = 1 The Society of Jesus was founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540. Ignatius and the first companions knew each other from their student days in Paris starting in 1534. The Church, under the leadership of Pope Paul III, formally recognized and approved this new religious congregation on September 27, 1540. Ignatius was unanimously elected its first general, and his life and writings are the spirit that still direct the personal and corporate life of the Society of Jesus today.
|
