Many of you are probably familiar with the name Phra Maha Dr. Thongrattana Rattanawanno Thavorn, a Thai Buddhist monk in the Theravada tradition, also known in the Focolare Movement as Phra Ajahn Luce Ardente.
He was born in Ban Paa Phai, Lee district, Lamphun province, in 1944. He was ordained as a novice in 1957 and as a monk in 1964. After being ill with diabetes and other complications for more than a year, he passed away on Nov. 10, 2025. He was 81 years old and had lived 61 years in monastic life.
The Focolare Movement maintained a close relationship with Venerable Dr. Thongrattana for three decades, beginning with its invitation to meet Pope John Paul II in 1995 in Manila. That same year, he met Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement, in Rome. From then on, he remained involved in interreligious dialogue with the Focolare.
For those involved, this dialogue was more than a formal encounter or participation in religious ritual. Chiara Lubich described interreligious dialogue as an exchange of spiritual life and a “dialogue of life,” an approach that Phra Maha Dr. Thongrattana embraced.
He later requested to spend time at the Claritas House in Loppiano, near Florence, Italy, where religious from different congregations live together while receiving formation in the spirituality of unity of the Focolare Movement. There, he prayed, worked, and shared daily life with others, seeking to put love and compassion into concrete practice.
Over the years, those who accompanied him described the relationship as one of “mutual love,” forged through shared joys, struggles, and perseverance during difficult moments.
His path was not without misunderstanding. Some monks questioned his involvement with a Christian woman, asking how a Buddhist monk could follow Chiara Lubich. He replied that he did not follow her personally, but her charism of unity and universal brotherhood.
When asked what he had gained from this path, he answered simply, “I have received the charism of unity and universal brotherhood. That alone and Nirvana is enough for me.”
Phra Maha Dr. Thongrattana stayed at Claritas House several times, beginning in 1995. He often recalled simple gestures that deeply affected him. On one occasion, he found his shoes cleaned and his robes carefully washed and ironed. When he asked a fellow resident, a Catholic monk, why he had done this, the reply was simple: “Because I love you.”
Moved by this experience, he later returned the gesture through small acts of service, describing these exchanges as lessons in mutual care and love expressed through daily life.
One of the most profound experiences he shared took place at a church in Nemi, near Rocca di Papa. There, he encountered a large crucifix depicting the suffering of Jesus. He recalled being so shaken by the image that he initially left the church before returning to ask why Jesus had been crucified and what wrong he had committed.
He was told that Jesus died out of love for all people. When he asked whether this included them as well, the answer was yes. He later reflected, “It was the crucifix of Nemi that made me understand that Christianity is a religion of love.”
As his health declined in later years, friends continued to visit him, including during his recuperation at his kuti in Nakhon Pathom. He often returned to the memory of the cross in Nemi when reflecting on suffering.
In October 2025, while seriously ill, he sent a message to Margaret Karram, president of the Focolare Movement, saying: “I suffer, but my suffering is nothing compared with the suffering of Jesus on the cross. As a son of Mother Chiara Lubich, I will endure to the end.”
Despite his illness, he never complained and accepted his condition with perseverance. He died peacefully at 5:50 a.m. on Nov. 10, 2025.
Phra Maha Dr. Thongrattana kept a rosary in his alms bowl and owned a Crucifix of Assisi given by Maria Voce, the second president of the Focolare Movement. He also received a crucifix necklace from Cardinal Kriengsak Kovitvanich, explaining that the crucifix taught love.
Chanting rites for his merit were held for five nights, from Nov. 10 to 14, 2025, at Phra Pathom Chedi Temple in Nakhon Pathom. Buddhists and Christians joined the ceremonies. Senior Buddhist monks preached on several nights, recalling his virtues and commitment to interreligious understanding.
His cremation on Nov. 15 drew monks from Theravada and Mahayana traditions, Buddhist nuns, lay Buddhists, and Christians. Attendance was estimated at around 600 people.
Many remembered his oft-repeated words: “Love everyone, love always, love with joy when you meet someone. And if you don’t understand, it is because you are not loving.”
Those who knew Phra Maha Dr. Thongrattana remember him as a friend, teacher, and bridge-builder who practiced compassion across religious boundaries through lived example.
