Priestly Ordination of five Betharramites in Thailand

Right from the evening before, there was a great bustle in Ban Betharram, home to the Betharramite missionaries in Chiang Mai: volunteers were preparing food for the numerous Karen and Acka Christians who were filling the courtyard with their colorful costumes.
The ordination started at 10 am. However, quite in advance many people gathered inside the cathedral and in the square in front of the cathedral where maxi-screens had been installed to allow people to attend the rite of the ordination. Apart from the five Betharramites, a priest  was ordained for the Diocese and a deacon for the Society of the Missionaries of Thailand.
The celebration - attended with great enthusiasm and devotion - was enlivened by the singing of the Thai Liturgy, by the excitement of the young ordinands and by the enthusiasm of the faithful present.
The celebration was followed by greetings and gifts offered to the newly-ordained priests and deacon. Then the large crowd, like the one of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, sat down for the meal.
We congratulate our young priests and we wish them to be servants of the people of God, in tune with Pope Francis’ vision.