by Dr. Iain
Corness
The
Redemptorist Pastor at the St. Nikolaus Catholic Church on Sukhumvit Road
is Fr. Joe Vallope. He is a Catholic priest who says that he is very happy
to be in Pattaya, but would also not say no to a stint in the Vatican. Fr.
Joe really is an interesting person.
He was born in Chantaburi, one of five children of a
Catholic doctor and his wife. The Catholicism came from his
great-grandparents who came from China, via Vietnam. Catholicism that had
endured oppression, and a Catholicism that would see him through life as
well.
When he was nine years old and in 4th grade at school,
he was sent to the seminary in Sriracha. This was not his decision, but
one made for him by his parents. “We were a very pious family and it was
Pope Pious XII who said that every family should have one child enter the
priesthood.”
There were around 100 children studying at the seminary
when he went there, but only 15 percent made it through to the end.
“Many reasons,” said Fr. Joe, “some could not study Latin, some were
homesick because they were so small, some wanted to be something else and
some just got to know it was not their real vocation. At nine years of
age, you don’t really know.”
After finishing grade 12 in Sriracha, the young Joe was
sent to America to continue his education, spending four years in
Wisconsin and another four years in New York. During that time he studied
philosophy and theology, ending up with his Bachelor of Arts degree and a
Masters in Education and another in Divinity.
While he was in America two important milestones were
reached for his future career. The first was when he was 21 years old and
he asked himself the question, “Am I going to take the final vows?”
The answer he deduced for himself was in the affirmative, and that he did
indeed believe that this was his true vocation. The second was his
ordination itself, which he did when he was 26 years old, at an age which
is apparently quite young to become ordained in the Catholic Church.
Shortly after this he returned to Thailand to work in
Parish Missions, a tour of Catholic duty that has spanned 21 years in
total and took Fr. Joe all over Thailand. However, there were other
duties, and one of those was his return to America in 1982 to work in
Mission Appeals for 12 months. “This means begging for money,” said
Fr. Joe with a smile. “For many Americans, to see an Asian in the habit
was a rewarding experience, as many had donated money for ‘pagan
babies’ overseas. They thought I was a pagan baby showing that I had
become a Catholic - but in fact I already was a Catholic.”
After his return to the Kingdom he spent some time in
Pattaya, seconded here in 1985, as an assistant to help the late Fr. Ray
Brennan with his publications. This was good placement by his superiors,
as Fr. Joe was also a prolific writer, and has by now authored 30 to 40
books, in Thai, on the Catholic religion.
After six years he was sent to Bangkok where he worked
as a Parish Priest for three years before returning to Pattaya for Parish
Missions for four years. The shuttle service to Bangkok and return
continued with Fr. Joe going to Bangkok again in 1998, but he returned
here in 2002 to take up the position as Pastor at St. Nikolaus Church.
I asked Fr. Joe directly whether he has ever
entertained any real doubts over his final choice of vocation. “Never
any real doubts. After ordination I worked with Fr. Charles Cotant - he
kept me in order, and Fr. Francis Gotreaux. These two people gave me a
good example, somebody for me to imitate.”
I also asked, in the light of world-wide defections
from religions, whether life as a priest was a difficult one to follow. I
received a wonderful lecture in response. “Difficult? Absolutely not at
all - as long as you are faithful to your vocation. I emphasize being
‘faithful’ - it is like a husband and wife being faithful to each
other. In fact it is a very easy life - if I want to have a sleep this
afternoon then I can.”
Is life as a Catholic cleric difficult in such a
predominantly Buddhist country? Again I received another wonderful
lecture. “Thailand is a very special country because of the King. He is
the head of all religions. ‘Thai’ means ‘free’ and that means
freedom in religions, because of the King. Different religions have been
seen in Thailand throughout history. Many foreign missionaries have worked
with former Thai Kings.”
It seemed somewhat out of place to ask a cleric if he
had advancement in his calling as an ambition, but I asked anyway if he
had any ambition to be the first Thai Pope. “The first Thai Pope? I’m
not looking to be a bishop or a pope - but it would be nice!” he said
with a definite twinkle behind the glasses. However, he did also say,
“I’m very happy in the priesthood and working in Pattaya. I would be
happy here for the rest of my life. I come from an old-fashioned
background, and being a priest is a life-long position.”
He also has a life-long hobby. Jogging! “I get up
every morning and go jogging at 4 a.m. for two and a half miles. I also do
two and a half miles every afternoon. It is good exercise. I began jogging
when I was nine years old in Sriracha. I believe that when you are
physically healthy you are mentally healthy.”
But it is the parish that takes up most of his time,
with two and sometimes four masses every day, both in English and in Thai,
for like Catholicism, Fr. Joe is also international.
