A youth delegation from Verona, Italy, spent August 21–26 living the daily life of northern Thailand’s mountainous Catholic communities in an intensive faith-and-service immersion across the Diocese of Chiang Mai.
Organized jointly by Young Caritas Verona and CPAG, the group was split into small teams and hosted across five key parish districts: St. Cecilia Parish (Huay Ton Nun), Our Lady of the Rosary Parish (Khun Yuam), St. Peter Parish (Mae La Noi), St. Paul Parish (Mae Sariang), and St. Joseph Parish (Samoeng).
According to the Diocese of Chiang Mai, the youth lived alongside local Thai and indigenous Karen Catholic families, sharing community meals, cultural activities, and hands-on parish service projects supporting local development and youth ministry at the village level.
The diocese noted the mutual joy of the exchange — local parishioners and Italian youth experiencing the universal Church through authentic, localized community life.
A Decades-Long Bond
The visit was made possible through the long-standing relationship between the Church of Triveneto in northern Italy and the Diocese of Chiang Mai.
Priests from the Fidei Donum program of Triveneto have served in Chiang Mai since 1997, beginning at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Lampang with the PIME Fathers.
In 2000, they were entrusted with Our Lady of Peace Parish in Jae Hom, and later expanded to Lamphun Province, where they built the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and continue to serve at the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Don’t Let Thailand Be Just a Place You’ve Been To
On the final day, the teams reunited at the Chiang Mai Diocesan Center for a closing Mass presided over by Bishop Peter Suphot Roeksujarit of Chiang Mai.
In his homily, Bishop Suphot welcomed the youth warmly:
“Your journey from Verona to Thailand is very meaningful to us,” he said. “Therefore, your journey this time is not just a visit, but a continuation of the path of faith that previous generations have walked.”
Reflecting on the Gospel “God is faithful” and “Be watchful”, the bishop likened faith to walking a mountain path: “Some parts are easy, some are steep, some are tiring, and some we cannot see the path ahead. But the important thing is that we are not walking alone.”
He urged the youth to see God at work through the simplicity, hospitality and faith of the Karen people they met.
“At first, we might think, ‘We came to learn about their lives,’ but after spending time with them, we may find that ‘God used their lives to teach us,’” he said.
“The important question is not just, ‘What did we see in Thailand?’ but, ‘After what we saw, how have our hearts changed?’”
The bishop recalled the late Fr. Giuseppe Berti, a Fidei Donum missionary who gave his life proclaiming the Good News in northern Thailand, as an example of daily faithfulness.
“We don’t always need to do great things, but to be faithful in the small things every day: faithful in prayer, faithful to family, faithful to friendships, faithful in studies and work,” he said.
He left the youth with three words: Remember, Reflect, Act.
“Remember what God has shown you here. Reflect — ask yourself what God is changing in your heart. Act — when you return to Verona, do something different. Because if this trip only changes the images on your phone but not your heart, the journey is not complete.”
“Don’t let Thailand be just a place you’ve been to, but a place where God has touched your hearts,” Bishop Suphot concluded. “And if one day your faith grows weary, remember: ‘God is faithful.’ Before we could be faithful to Him, He was always faithful to us.”
He asked for mutual prayers — the Italian youth for the Church of Chiang Mai and its Karen communities, and the diocese for their growth in faith — as one family in Christ, even when far apart.
