We departed early on Thanksgiving Day morning. Looking out the terminal window as the sun slowly rose over the tarmac, I shook my groggy head as I remembered the very young Guardsman who had closely examined my passport and quizzed me about my birth date. I’d stammered, incredulous at his intensity. How our world had changed and yet beckoned us to “come and see”! So now I mentally prepared myself for around 30 hours of air travel to Bangkok, Thailand. The ancient kingdom of Siam was to be the location of the seventh International Consultation on Adult Religious Education, (ICARE). I was fortunate to once more be invited as a member of the US delegation. In January 1999, we had met in Hyderabad, India and I had returned so full of impressions and enthusiasm that this time I insisted that my husband accompany me so he could experience it for himself. I also had memories of being sandwiched between strangers on long flights and dragging my luggage through foreign airports and rail stations, so the invitation wasn’t entirely altruistic. I also looked forward to meeting again my friends from two years ago.

          The first consultation in 1988 was in London, England, with a fairly small representation. It had set for itself the goal of international cooperation in advancing the field of adult religious education. Now we were to number around 80, representing 17 nations. As to be expected because of the location, Asia was well represented: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, as well as Papua New Guinea and Australia. But also sizeable delegations came from England, Ireland, Canada and the US. There was even a Salesian from India, serving as missionary to Italy. The majority were laity, serving in various national and diocesan positions in adult faith formation. The central theme of our gathering was inculturation of faith in complex and pluralistic situations. Particular attention was to be given to articles 193 – 200 of the General Directory for Catechesis, dealing with catechesis in the socio-religious context. Although the years since the first consultation had seen the publication of the revised GDC and the US Bishops’ pastoral plan, Our Hearts Were Burning, I knew that insights would come from unexpected sources. I still remembered my surprise from last time when I had come to the realization that it was the “developing” nations that were far ahead of us Euro-Americans in the concept that the formation of adults was central to catechetical ministry.

          First, some facts about our host country: Thailand is less than the size of New England in area and has a population of 66 million. The city of Bangkok alone has 9 million. For comparison, that alone is 3 times the entire population of Norway. The population includes large numbers who are ethnically Chinese as well as the native hill tribes of the northern provinces. For centuries, an absolute monarch ruled this nation which boasts of having never been colonized. In 1932 an uprising established a constitutional monarchy and the nation’s name changed from Siam to Thailand in 1939. There have been upheavals in the government since then but the royal family has been the stabilizing and unifying element. The King, Bhumibol, has reigned for over 50 years and is revered for his compassionate care of the nation. He has turned over his palace grounds for agricultural purposes and has involved himself with the hill tribes to find alternate crops to opium cultivation. While we were there, preparations were underway for his 74th birthday on December 5th. Large displays were everywhere, featuring larger-than-life portraits of the king. In addition to the red, white and blue horizontally striped national flag, whose colors stand for the people, religion, and royal family, yellow flags, denoting Monday, the day of his birth, lined the roads and fluttered from buildings. Television regularly broadcast formal tributes to his majesty by various professional groups and trade associations. The financial crash of 1997 has left its mark on this once booming nation. Unfinished skyscrapers are evident throughout Bangkok. The city itself is urban planner’s nightmare, sprawling on both sides of the Chao Phraya River. Both city and river are congested with traffic and pollution. Several modes of transportation caught our eye: the flat-bottomed canopied long-tail boats with automobile engine blocks mounted at an angle in the stern and extended propeller shafts; the motor-cycle cabs weaving through traffic with passengers riding astride in back; and the “tuk-tuks”, three-wheeled motorized open cabs, reminiscent of rickshaws. But there is a joyful vitality to all this seeming chaos. And the signature of the easygoing Thai people is their smiles and gracious hospitality.

          We were hosted at Baan Phu Waan, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Training Center, just outside Bangkok. Envisioned as a meeting place for all of the Asian Bishops’ conferences, it is unlike any ecclesial center we had ever seen. Built more on the lines of a luxurious hotel with tennis courts, pool and overlooking an artificial lake, its large terrain also is home to several schools, a youth camp, seminary, parish church and cemetery. But the Thais, a practical people, also stock the lake and the income from the fish goes a long way towards balancing the budget. The name means “Home of the Sower” after the first bishop of Bangkok who was known for his writings and evangelical activity. For those of us familiar with the General Directory for Catechesis and its use of the parable of the Sower, it was an apt place for our meeting. The Thai hospitality was evident in all the details: the complete information packets and gift attaché cases, Father Francis’ assembled staff who hurried to meet any of our needs, even the presence of a sister who was also an RN to care for any problems that might arise. Even the e-mail junkies had their own staffed internet center with free access from 8 am to 11 at night. At all the meals there was a selection of food, ranging from traditional Thai noodles to omelets and bacon for breakfast. Our beds were made and fresh towels arrived each day. It was easy to forget that there was work to do.

          Visually, one cannot help but notice the temple compounds or Wats that are evident throughout both city and countryside. Their colorful mosaics and sweeping rooflines give an exotic, spiritual and historical counterpoint to a scene which is in danger of being globalized by McD’s and Starbucks. Some 94% of Thais are Buddhist; less than half of one percent is Christian, around 250,000 Catholics. The Catholic church in Thailand traces its beginnings to the arrival of the chaplains of Portuguese ships in the 16th century, but there are no official documents to confirm this hypothesis. The first known missionaries to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya were two Dominicans who arrived in 1567. They were followed by Franciscans in 1582 and Jesuits in 1607. King Narai the Great (1657-1688) opened the country to foreigners and gave liberty to the missionaries to preach the gospel. This time was the start of a growing French influence. In the following 300 years the fate of the Siam mission fluctuated, at times there were severe persecutions, and at others, benign tolerance. In 1838 the first Coadjutor Bishop for the Mission of Siam was appointed. Nationalistic movements during World War II brought violence and burning of chapels and churches. Most of the current 10 dioceses were established in the 1960’s. Pope John Paul II, who visited Thailand in 1984, named Archbishop Michael Kitbunchu of Bangkok a Cardinal in 1983. The church has shown a great contribution in areas of health care, working with the poor, especially in remote mountainous areas, and dealing with the victims of prostitution and AIDS. The problems inherent to a shifting population, both within the country and migration in and out of the country in search of economic viability have been a particular concern.

          The challenge to the church in Thailand, as also echoed by most of the other Asian participants, is how to inculturate the gospel. Since the national identity and culture are so interwoven with Buddhism, there is little incentive for conversion. The Buddhists are tolerant of other religions, but voice strong resistance to any attempts by Christians to incorporate into their worship any symbols or actions that they consider inherently Buddhist. At the same time, Catholic leaders feel frustrated by a hierarchical rigidity that looks with suspicion on elements foreign to western culture. In Chiangmai, to the north, where we visited with Bishop Joseph Surasarang and his Vicar General, Father Cyril Thienvihan, we were riveted by the latter’s presentation on the ministry among the tribal people. He spoke with great energy of the catechist’s role as a facilitator for the people to experience the divine in their everyday lives. He used the example of rice, so central to the people’s lives both as food and cash crop, as the entrance point for dialogue. There is an inherent understanding of the need for the rice seed to die in the ground so that the new crop can grow; the rice also “dies” when it is eaten so that it can give nourishment and life to the people. From this point it is not difficult to draw the comparison to Christ. The bishop spoke proudly of the 2,000 catechumens who were baptized during the Jubilee Year, but also was clear that the catechumenate is of three years duration. No “rice” Christians here!

          Another important presentation was that by Dr. José Mesa of the Philippines. He spoke of the success of the early Spanish missionaries to Manila because they had taken the time to learn the language as well as its written form and to translate the catechism and prayers with sensitivity to the local culture. Elements they incorporated included the Filipinos’ dread of being alone, of their love to “come home” and the centrality of rice to their diet. He stressed that our culture is not something extrinsic to our identity; we embody it. I was reminded of a time that I was in Berlin shortly after the fall of the Wall. I recognized from a distance, a group heading back to their tour bus as Americans, just by their easy, bouncing walk. We just exude freedom, even at a scene of such historic violence and oppression.

          Finally, the liturgies themselves were moments of insight. During the Eucharistic prayer we usually gathered around the altar. I noticed that several of the Asians were barefoot. Our diversity came into sharp focus when it came time to receive, especially the Precious Blood. Some drank from the cup, some intincted the host, others turned away. There was a spontaneous choreography that was quite different from my First Communion training, even from our contemporary orderly Sunday liturgies. It was messy, but it honored each as individual, shaped by our own particular church community. If we are truly to be a world church, we must learn tolerance. We need to take risks rather than try to impose uniformity.

          So many other images and thoughts fill my memories as I look back on those two weeks. Flavors, smells, sounds, colors, crafts, vegetation, animals: all new and all intriguing. Seeing how a group of woodcarvers “discovered” an intricate design of foliage and elephants in the block of teak that they were carving brought to mind a parallel to evangelization. We are not bringing anything new to the people; we are only there as tools, chisels, to help them discover the God who has always been there in their lives. Half way around the world is admittedly a long way to refresh our view of ministry, but it is definitely worth the effort.