|
Orphans serenade PCEC meeting
Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg welcomed everyone
to the first Sunday meeting of the New Year on January 3, 2010 at the
Amari’s Henry J. Beans Restaurant. He also extended a special welcome to our
guests Father Michael Weera, Toy, and the Children’s Choir from Pattaya
Orphanage. After the usual announcements he called on Father Michael to tell
us something about himself and the Orphanage.
 Father
Michael Weera shares with PCEC members a brief history of how Pattaya
Orphanage came about. In 1972, Father Ray Brennan, a priest of the
Redemptorist Order, found a small child on his doorstep. This was followed
by more children - although Father Brennan has now passed on, the orphanage
he established continues, with 160 children ranging in age from newborns to
uni undergrads.
Father Michael said he is currently 69 years of age and has been a Catholic
Priest for the past 40 years. He explained that his Catholic faith comes
from his Chinese Christian grandparents. He mentioned that there are about
300,000 Catholics in Thailand, most who are also descendents of Chinese
families as well as many descended from Vietnamese families. His parents
were both teachers and he also has spent the last 50 years as an educator.
He then provided a brief history of how the orphanage came about. In 1972,
Father Ray Brennan, a priest of the Redemptorist Order, was asked to care
for a small child. This was followed by more children. In 1974, Father Ray
and American military personnel at the Utapao air base approached the local
Bishop about building an orphanage. With financial promises by the Americans
and Father Ray volunteering to oversee the operation, the Pattaya Orphanage
came into existence in September 1974.
 Richard
Smith, former chairman of the Pattaya City Expats Club, greets Toy and
Father Weera from the Pattaya Orphanage, before the children present their
Christmas carols.
After Father Brennan’s death, the orphanage continued under the Father Ray
Foundation until its administration was taken over by the Catholic Diocese.
Father Michael said he was asked to become the director of the orphanage in
2008.
Father Michael then spoke about the current operations of the orphanage
noting that many children still have at least one parent but were abandoned
by them. This causes a problem because without the mother’s written consent,
the child cannot be placed for adoption. So, although they place several of
the children for adoption, the orphanage still must care for many children
from infancy to adulthood.
He said that when the children approach their teen years, they are now
sending them to Catholic schools around Thailand rather than continuing
their education in Pattaya. This, he said, is done primarily because
Pattaya, being a rather freewheeling tourist city, is not the best
environment for teenagers.
Father Michael said that many of the children go on to a fairly productive
life with some achieving higher education. But, some do fall victim to
alcoholism and drugs as well as HIV/AIDS. Father Michael concluded by saying
that the children need a lot of attention and love. He invited members of
the audience to visit the orphanage and meet the children.
The Children’s Choir filed in and positioned themselves on the staircase.
Accompanied by their guitarists, they entertained the audience with several
Christmas songs. But the highlight were the ten small boys and girls dressed
in American Western garb. The boys had penciled moustaches and all were
wearing cowboy hats. They were center front and captivated everyone with
their dancing; what they may have lacked in choreography, they certainly
made up with exuberance. Afterward, the children filed out to much applause.
The club also had some small gifts for the children.
The meeting concluded with Judith Edmonds conducting the always informative
and sometimes humorous Open Forum where questions are asked and answered
about living in Thailand and Pattaya in particular.
Ten Caroling cowboys (and
cowgirls!) entertain
the grateful members of Pattaya City Expats Club.
Prayer not parties,
for Sattahip Buddhists
Patcharapol Panrak
While most people celebrated New Year’s Eve with champagne and parties,
a group of Buddhist monks and believers rang in 2010 with temple bells, prayer
and meditation.
 Worshipers
pay homage to the revered Phra Khru Worawethamunee, better known as Luang Poo
Ee, the late abbot of Wat Sattahip.
Nine monks headed by Assistant Abbott Somsak Khunathammo led thousands of devout
worshippers in prayer, listening to Dharma and receiving the precepts at Wat
Sattahip Temple on Dec. 31.
Starting at 11 p.m. and continuing into the wee hours of the New Year, the group
meditated and prepared mentally for doing good deeds in 2010 and forgetting
about the past. They prayed for peace and unity of the Thai people and abstained
from alcohol during the proceedings.
In the morning, the group made merit by offering dried foods to Buddhist monks
and novices and listened to religious sermons.
Later worshipers paid homage to the revered Phra Khru Worawethamunee better
known as Luang Poo Ee, the late abbot of Wat Sattahip.
Aquanauts earns 100% pass rate for 2008 with certification
of 2 new instructors
Dan Cook and Ben Wertsch became
Open Water Scuba Instructors early last month.
Staff Reporters
Pattaya’s Aquanauts Dive Centre became the only scuba diving facility in
Central Thailand to post a 100 percent pass rate on the PADI instructor exam
when two of its students earned their professional certifications last month.
Dan Cook, 18, and Ben Wertsch, 24, became Open Water Scuba Instructors in a
three-day exam Dec. 18-21 at the Discovery Beach Hotel that tested their dive
knowledge and skills in written, swimming pool and open water tests.
Cook of England spent two months training with Aquanauts on Soi 6 in North
Pattaya while Wertsch spent three as part of the company’s long-established
professional internship program. Their certification marked a milestone for the
PADI 5-Star Career Development Center as it posted a perfect pass rate on the
multi-school instructor exam for the second straight calendar year.
Company officials also noted that Aquanauts has the best pass rate of any
internship program in Thailand and has had the only 100 percent pass rate since
June 2007.
Huay Yai Temple draws big crowds seeking to be ‘born again’
During the ceremony, the person is
covered with a white cloth while lying or sitting on a black cloth with his or
her hands pressed together, as though he or she is already dead. The black cloth
is later taken out and burnt as a symbol of cremation. The person is then
regarded as being “born again”.
Patcharapol Panrak
The end of what has been a difficult year for many brought Thais and
foreigners from all over the country to Huay Yai Temple over the New Year’s
holiday to participate in a ceremony done for both the dead and living to ward
away evil spirits in hopes of turning their fortunes.
Elders reported that the temple has been extremely crowded with worshippers
wanting both to make merit by offering food to monks and to partake in the
bangsukul konpen rite.
The ceremonies reached their climax on Jan. 3 with the release of nine
auspicious animals into the wild to bid adieu to the Year of the Ox and welcome
in the Year of the Tiger, which begins with Chinese New Year Feb. 14.
Bangsukul is most commonly practiced as a ritual during which saffron robes are
offered to monks in dedication of a dead person to pave a smooth path for them
into the afterlife. A derivation on this, the bangsukul konpen, is tailored for
the living and is a common practice in Northeast Thailand for those facing
upcoming hard times.
During the ceremony, the person is covered with a white cloth while lying or
sitting on a black cloth with his or her hands pressed together, as though he or
she is already dead. The black cloth is later taken out and burnt as a symbol of
cremation. The person is then regarded as being “born again”.
While Buddhist text stresses that the ceremony cannot change one’s karma, which
depends on their deeds following the ceremony, it does make people feel better
and believe that it will lead to better luck.
Huay Yai Temple Abbot Sarawut Jittapanyo said monks there have long been known
as a center for the bangsukul ceremony and, this year, many more people than
usual came to the temple seeking to make merit and be reborn. In fact, so many
arrived that the ceremony had to be moved from the temple’s old wooden hall,
where revered Abbot Luang Phor Kan still lies in state in a glass coffin.
Monks performed their chants in numerous ceremonies to meet the demands of the
crowds who came from all over the country for the ceremony as well as tour the
Pattaya areas famous tourist attractions.
Guests from all over the country
visited Huay Yai Temple over the New Year’s holiday to participate in a ceremony
to ward away evil spirits in hopes of turning their fortunes.
|
