Recently by chance, I met Fr. Kinley Tshering, former provincial superior of Darjeeling Jesuit Province in India, the first and only native Bhutan Catholic priest.
Bhutan is a close Buddhist theocracy with a population of less than a million,
located in the Eastern Himalayas in South Asia, sandwiched between India and
China. Bhutan is the second least populous nation after the Maldives. Bhutan
and the Maldives were the only two countries without Catholics. But about 10 years
ago, the Bhutan government allowed freedom of religion, and at present, there
are about 100 Catholics, mostly from Nepal or India.
Peaceful Bhutan with the best gross national happiness is the only
carbon-negative country and the least corrupt. A place where smoking and
damaging nature are banned. Never having been colonized, Bhutan was able to
develop a distinct identity based on Buddhism introduced in the 7th century AD.
Basic education and health care are free for all in Bhutan.
Foreign missionaries are not allowed to live in Bhutan; only native Catholics
or Christians can work. About 77 percent of the population is Vajrayana
Buddhist and about 23 percent is Hindu. Less than 1 percent of the population
follows other religions.
Born in the upper class in Bhutan, Fr. Kinley was amazed when he saw the little
child in the manger in Christmas cards. When he went abroad at age 5 to a
boarding school run by Jesuits in Darjeeling, he saw the crucifix in a convent,
and the sisters explained to him the story of the little boy in a manger in
relation to the man on the cross.
At age 15, on May 18, 1974, he was baptized in secret. Despite the objection of
his family, he aspired to be a priest; but due to the objection of nearby
missionaries, he entered university, earned an MBA, and worked in a company for
three years. Being the first MBA holder in Bhutan, graduating from the
prestigious IIM-Bangalore, he had many opportunities to succeed.
One day, on a business flight to Kolkata in 1985, he sat next to Mother Teresa
who awakened in him a calling to the priesthood when he confessed his wish to
be a priest. Holding his hands, Mother Teresa said, "Many people don't
talk like you. You have a vocation. You should be a priest."
Over his Bhutanese coat (culture), he has put on his Christian coat (faith). Being
inclusive, he can understand Catholicism better thanks to his Buddhist
background. He became a priest because he was fascinated by Christ's love.
Looking at missionaries dedicating themselves to the poor, he also desired to
live for the poor. He joined the Society of Jesus on June 21, 1986, was
ordained on Oct. 23, 1995, served as a principal at St. Joseph's High School,
and also served for the Jesuit Province for six years.
For the last two years, he has worked as a missionary in Bhutan. His dream is to
build a social welfare center to help the poor in Bhutan. He is not allowed to
build a Church, but building a Catholic center to help and educate boys in need
is possible.
Another dream of his is to make a native a priest. He hopes to be "a
man for the marginalized, a servant of the joy of the Gospel, to smell like the
sheep, to go out where others don't want to go to love and serve. My goal is
not to convert people. I think practicing mercy and love is more
important."
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2019/12/162_279832.html
The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ Dec. 5(online), 6(offline), 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment