Life in a Parish is changing all the time. People come, stay and move on. Some go for further studies, some just move to other places or migrant workers go back to their home countries. During Sunday Mass I realised that the number of Mass participants had dropped enormously over the last three months which made me sad. Behind those who left our Parish stand brilliant stories, saddening ones as well. I wished that new people would join, not to only fill up our church, but to bring new life to our Parish. Yet - how to bring them to our church?

I came across a story of a pastor in New York that goes like this: Even though the pastor wasn’t a good preacher and the choir’s singing was of poor quality, there was always a huge number of a people joining his services. The pastor made no bones about his recipe: ‘I pray them over!’

How simple is that? Praying them over! I can do in Nong Bua Lamphu, Thailand what this pastor does in New York. So I simply started to pray.

A week later all of a sudden, a woman from one of Nong Bua Lamphu’s districts came to our Centre and asked for our Mass schedule. Someone else who needed help to get a certificate translated, ended up at our church, received help, and now comes to our Sunday Mass. Another teenager was approaching our church on a Saturday afternoon. She asked: ‘Is this the Catholic church? I am a Buddhist, my whole family is but I want to be baptised’.

Actually I do believe that prayer works but was this really connected to my prayer? With a wink I was finding myself sitting in the Sunday Mass and giving a smile towards the Lord. Prayer makes a difference!

PHOTO: Members of the parish at Nong Bua Lamphu, where Br Bernd is working (and praying!).