64 years of zealous missionary life in Thailand

By Fr Joseph Kriengsak
THA provincial secretary

Banpong, Thailand, 25 December 2018 -- The most senior member of the THA (Thailand – Cambodia – Laos) provincial community, Fr Pietro Daniele, passed away on Christmas Day2018 at the St Camillus hospital, and went to the house of the Father, 91 years old. The humble, faithful and very zealous Italian missionary spent 74 years as a Salesian religious, 64 years as a Salesian priest and 64 years as a frontline missionary in Thailand.

For the last five years, Fr Pietro has been confessor in the Banpong – Nazareth House, high school Aspirant community of five SDBs and 34 aspirants, located next to the St Joseph's Parish and Sarasit School in the ‘Salesian town' of Banpong.

Fr Daniele was born near Padova, Venezia (Northern Italy) in 1927, and joined the Salesian Aspirantate in Trento (1939-1943) at 12 years of age. He became a consecrated Salesian at the end of the novitiate during WW2 with his first profession on August 16, 1944. Due to the war, also affecting northern Italy, his post-novitiate formation was in ‘refugee mood’. After 3 years of practical training in Pordenone and 4 years of theology at the Crocetta, Turin, he was ordained priest at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christian in Valdocco in July 1954 and 3 months later arrived as a new missionary in Thailand.

Most of his 64 years of missionary life were spent according to obedience in most of the Salesian houses: Hua Hin (7 years – assigned three times), Don Bosco Bangkok (10 years), Ban Saeng Arun (9 years – assigned three times), Betong – on the Malaysia border (7 years – assigned twice), Pranburi (6 years), Koh Sa Mui (1 year), Ronphiboon (1 year), Banpong Nazareth House (9 years – assigned three times), Don Bosco Banpong (5 years), Yala (1 year) and Banpong-Sarasit (1 year).

Fr Daniele was a much appreciated confessor and spiritual guide, always available to move according to the needs of the mission, including also the extremely dangerous zone near the Malaysia boarder with hundreds of road blocks, bombings and daily security concerns. We pray for his eternal rest and wish that his humble, courageous and faithful Salesian life witness to many young people in Thailand will find its response in the call to the vineyard of the Lord.

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