The young priest, always something of a misfit, chose an unconventional spot to start his preschool: a former pigsty near a slaughterhouse in one of Bangkok’s poorest neighbourhoods.

For a fee of a penny or two a day, the Rev Joseph Maier took in children from the most destitute families, teaching them to spell their names in Thai and feeding them what was often their only meal of the day.

He also lived nearby, his neighbours the castoffs in the capital: butchers, scavengers, street vendors, professional beggars, thieves and prostitutes. Wooden planks formed walkways over the muddy ground, which turned into polluted swamps during the rainy season.



 

It’s been a ‘grim’ dreadful  time.  Even for the stray cats & mangy slum dogs.: not so easy to scrounge. Less eatable garbage.  

Our kids being mostly on the street; not many homes with television sets, not much at home to eat, not many homes with ice -boxes,  missing lots of meals,  often hungry, has not helped make it through each new day.  But our kids are resourceful:  that happens when you are hungry day after day, you quickly learned the art of slum trash survival:  different price for used plastic bottles, empty beer bottles, paper of all sorts.  Whatever the junk man will buy, plus you learn to read his scales, so he doesn’t try to fool you on the weight.   

Here is new  110 seconds with Father Joe. Hope you like it…..

Dear family, hither & yon 

You’ve heard it said: we don’t have friends, only family, & so many of us, all of us, when you think about it ,  Mick welcomed  into his Irish family.  It’s like:  the door is always open:  tea at four in the afternoon.  You do not  need to knock. 

We, his personal family, which was truly also his musical family.    Not only of the Irish jigs & reels but he truly knew the heart-beat, lyrics, the melody the songs which told 
his own history and thus the history of Ireland from “The Rising of the Moon to the Ryan Road” to mention just a couple.  
 
 

Today is a very special day, a day to celebrate a man who has given so much in such love to our communities. We at the Mercy Centre want to wish Father Joseph H. Meier a happy and blessed 57th anniversary of his Ordination Day as a priest.

Dear everyone       
 
To light a pair of candles: A Catholic candle lite by me the priest and a Buddhist candle lite by the Abbot just as we did, with our beloved Sister Maria standing by, 50 years ago. Seeking Protection & Blessing from our Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Jesus whose statue stands tall in our poverty-stricken Catholic chapel under the bridge next to the slaughterhouse & a candle from the Buddhist Temple directly across the canal. 
 
To light candles seeking special heavenly protection and blessing once again officially begging heaven for our slum slaughterhouse
children. School is now in Session. Just as ‘we begin school ’in an un-used holding pen for pigs, with our first six slaughterhouse kindergarten boys and girls those 50 years ago. Slum Slaughterhouse kindergarten is once more back in session.