TO DELEGATION OF THE 80TH SERRA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND, JUNE22-25,2023
It’s with great joy that I sincerely welcome each one of the SERRA Delegation to the 80th International Convention. It’s an honor to co-host this convention in the Diocese of Chiang Mai.
The Northern part of the Thai Kingdom has been blessed by the presence of past and present missionaries with their zeal and untiring determination to announce the Good News. This year, we celebrate the 92nd year of the erection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral of Chiang Mai. We have come a long way since 1931 when the M.E.P missionaries set foot on this land, followed by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus-Betharram who came in the year 1952 and whose missionary works and presence are at the heart of the Catholic communities spread throughout the region up to the present days. On June 9- 29,2023, Chiang Mai Diocese welcomes the Bétharram Congregation as they hold their General Assembly precisely in Chiangmai.
I thank God with grateful heart for having blessed us with vocations in the Church. Each year, we have candidates for diocesan priests, religious men and women coming from the people of God.
I wish you success of this convention as you gather together from all over the world to discern on your mission. May the Holy Spirit show you clearly the right path to take. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to his harvest”. (Mt. 9:37-38)
+ Francis Xavier Vira Arporndratana Bishop of Chiang Mai Diocese, Thailand
