We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who organized and participated in the ice hockey event in support of the Mercy Centre.

We celebrate Father Joe’s 85th year—a lifetime dedicated to compassion and unwavering care for the children and families who need it most.


 

Happy New Year to all our wonderful friends and supporters! 

On our first working day of 2024, the Mercy Centre team had the incredible opportunity to meet with our Founder, Father Joe.

May your New Year be filled with blessings, prosperity and abundance for you and your family. The holiday season is upon us, and I wish you a time of love and warmth during this time of year. 

Blessings on a Monday morning – it’s not that often I get to write and tell you about our Heroes. Of course, every Mercy kid is a Hero. “Daughters and Sons” as goes the Irish song. Mercy orphans, who fought off the “bad guys” and still do… that’s why they are with us here at Mercy. Still, I don’t get to show you even some of little stuff, actual pictures very often – so “here we go”.

My most beloved St. Mary’s Catholic Church in the small town of Athol, where I said my first Mass 58 years ago – a wooden church, seated 40 people.  Built by my Irish ancestors. Now gone, as the farming town of Athol is now almost deserted, down to about 30 people and they recently closed the post office. Small farming is no longer profitable. The railroads are long ago built. 

I’m also sending a picture of me, a few years later, joyful, after my Redemptorist congregation had assigned me here to Thailand.  A picture of my first “home” here in the slums of Klong Toey, part of the slaughter house. We were literally avoided by “proper” society, outcast Catholics, because they lived with and butchered the pigs.

This is where we lived and where we began our first Catholic kindergarten in an un-used pig pen.  Me, living with the Catholic population.  Outcasts to all, but to speak of that in a moment. Mosquito nets and dirt floors and a portion of rice nightly near the door to keep the rats happy. And nasty feral cats – the dogs ran from the cats.

We had Holy Mass in a “make-shift” chapel under the railway bridge.  That’s why I went there; the Catholics had no church, no sacraments, no priests, no schools.  The children of the slaughter house had no opportunity to go to school.