The grandfather of Bishop Andrew Souksavath Nouane Asa was a close associate of the missionaries from the Paris Foreign Missions Society [MEP] who evangelised in Pakse and other parts of Laos during the early years of Christianity in the country.
Asa’s grandfather helped missionaries by “preparing food for them and helping them with pastoral service” and his parents followed in his footsteps.
Nearly a century later, the 51-year-old Bishop Asa serves more than 20,000 Catholics in the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse which encompasses the southern provinces of Attapeu, Champasak, Salavan and Sekong.
Pope Francis appointed him the second native bishop of Pakse on May 31 last year. He was ordained on 15 August 2022 in the Church of Saint Joseph in his native village of Kamphaeng, about 30 kilometres north of Pakse.
The bishop spoke about the missionary heritage of the tiny Church in Laos, the faith of his ancestors, and its growth in an interview with Vatican News published in October.
In Laos, our life is missionary every day and in all circumstances. Simple, with few resources, but with the great joy of being like this
Bishop Asa
“In Laos, our life is missionary every day and in all circumstances. Simple, with few resources, but with the great joy of being like this,” Bishop Asa said.
“In this sense, I can say that we are in deep harmony and put into practice the words that Pope Francis gave us in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium [Joy of Gospel],” the bishop explained.
Catholicism in Laos dates back to the 16th century when Dominican Father Gaspar da Cruz of Portugal, became the first European missionary to set foot in the country. He was followed by Jesuit missionaries including Father Giovanni Maria Leria who visited from what was then called Tonkin [Vietnam].
A succession of political, religious and military forces created serious problems for the Jesuits and other missionaries, prompting them to rethink and recast their missionary strategies in Southeast Asia.
Church records say churches in the Kingdom of Laos remained largely isolated and shadowy amid the kingdom’s bad relations with Siam [Thailand] and war between the neighbouring states.
In this sense, I can say that we are in deep harmony and put into practice the words that Pope Francis gave us in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium [Joy of Gospel] Bishop Asa
In the 17th century, the Jesuits who visited Laos decided to establish ties with Macau. The king of Laos reportedly approved expecting to get a supply of weapons and goods. Despite all the efforts., the Lao mission declined and closed in 1650.
The Catholic mission was reborn in the late 19th century when in 1878, MEP missionaries arrived in Laos and set up an indigenous Church.
MEP priests founded their first mission station on 8 December 1885, which is traditionally accepted as the foundation day of the Catholic Church in Laos. The Apostolic Vicariate of Laos was established in 1899.
Oblate missionaries arrived in 1935 and focused their work mostly in the mountainous tribal areas in the north of the country.
There are about 51,000 Catholics in Laos today in four apostolic vicariates. Most Catholics are ethnic Vietnamese.
Laos expelled all missionaries and closed all churches in 1976, a year after the overthrow of the monarchy and the communist takeover. However, the situation changed in December 2019 after the Lao government passed a law guaranteeing religious freedom. This allowed Christians to practice their faith without being disturbed, after decades of persecution
Bishop Asa says that the Church continues the missionary legacy as it was in the early days. The priests visit remote villages to offer pastoral care to Catholic families.
“They also talk about Jesus to other people to those who don’t know him with joy in the heart,” the bishop said.
A former French colony, Laos has a population of around 7.3 million people. It does have formal diplomatic ties with the Vatican. An apostolic delegate based in Thailand oversees the affairs of the Laotian Church.
Laos expelled all missionaries and closed all churches in 1976, a year after the overthrow of the monarchy and the communist takeover. However, the situation changed in December 2019 after the Lao government passed a law guaranteeing religious freedom. This allowed Christians to practice their faith without being disturbed, after decades of persecution.
However, the law has been little publicised and is practically not applied in the interior of the country where Christians continue to face discrimination from some provincial officials and local Buddhist villagers who view Christianity as an alien faith.
Bishop Asa said that his birth, in 1972 ,into “a deeply Catholic family” living near the bishop’s house in Pakse was a great privilege. “We attended Mass every Sunday and then talked about the Word of God,” he recalled.
He joined a minor seminary when he was 16 and continued his studies at the university with a government scholarship. French Father Pierre Antonio Jean Bach mep, former apostolic vicar of Savannakhet, helped him head to Canada, where he would complete his “studies towards the priesthood.”
In Vancouver, he studied philosophy and theology, with financial support from the local Catholic community.
He was ordained on 30 December 2006, and one of his first charges was to serve 300 Catholic families at St. Joseph’s parish in Kamphaeng “the village where my family was born.”
In 2006, there were only three priests in the vicariate and the number of Catholics was about 17,000. Priests had to care for more than 5,000 Catholics each.
Bishop Asa had 10 mission stations under his watch, some of them difficult to access, in the mountains or in the forests. “In some places, there were 20 Catholic families, in others 50. I was always on the move,” he recalled.
“Today the work has not changed much,” the bishop said.
The Vicariate of Pakse has 64 mission stations, sometimes mere wooden chapels, where indigenous families “gather to pray and listen to the Word of God, often led by a catechist.”
“Today we can move freely, and we only need special authorisations for large gatherings of people; there are no obstacles in the daily service,” Bishop Asa said.
* This report is an edited version of a feature first published by Portuguese-language Catholic weekly of the Diocese of Macau, Jornal O-Clarim, on November 20.
