From the south of Pakse to the northern city of Luang Prabang, a three-week pastoral journey across Laos allowed Fondacio Asia to reconnect with communities, accompany its partners and alumni, and discern new possibilities for its continuing mission in the country.
From August 4 to 26, 2026, Fondacio Asia Regional Director Roger Martin Barelli, Fondacio Asia Pastoral Companion for Laos and IFFAsia Program Coordinator Rebecca G. Garces, and Fondacio Philippines volunteer Julito S. Garces undertook their fourth pastoral visit to Laos.
For the first time, the pastoral visit reached all four Apostolic Vicariates in the country, covering Pakse, Thakhek, Vientiane, and Luang Prabang. Despite floods, disrupted schedules, and the challenges of ministry in minority contexts, the journey became what the team described as one of “grace, resilience, and renewed trust.”
More than a series of meetings, the visit allowed the team to see how years of formation, accompaniment, and partnership continue to bear fruit in different communities. It also opened conversations about how Fondacio Asia can respond to emerging needs and strengthen the sustainability of its mission in Laos.
Seeing the Fruits of Formation in Pakse
The journey brought the team first to Pakse, where they reconnected with nine IFFAsia alumni serving in parishes, Caritas, and youth centers. Their continued involvement in their respective ministries offered a concrete glimpse of how formation received through IFFAsia continues beyond the program itself.
A courtesy visit with Bishop Andrew Souksavath of the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse also opened a conversation on a possible education program. Bishop Souksavath shared the need to respond to the declining pursuit of studies among young people, pointing to an area for future collaboration.
The visit also included encounters with local youth ministry leaders and alumni, fellowship, a cultural Basi ceremony, and a music workshop with minor seminarians. These encounters placed relationship and accompaniment alongside the team’s discussions about future programs and partnerships.
Perseverance and New Possibilities in Thakhek
In Thakhek, the pastoral journey unfolded amid challenging conditions, but also revealed opportunities for the mission to grow.
The team witnessed the culmination of the Summer Camp in Pongkiew Village, where flooded streets meant crossing by boat to reach the community. Despite these obstacles, the camp became a hopeful sign of what could develop into a wider Fondacio presence in the area.
The team also reconnected with three IFFAsia alumni and met partners including Caritas Laos and the Sisters of Charity. These relationships affirmed the growing collaboration surrounding Fondacio’s mission in the area. A concrete next step has already emerged, with a Seminarian Training on Youth Ministry scheduled for April 2027.
The encounters in Thakhek reflected one of the journey’s recurring lessons: mission develops through perseverance and relationships patiently sustained over time.
Renewing Community and Mission in Vientiane
Returning to Vientiane, the team’s home base during the pastoral visit, brought another dimension to the journey: gratitude, community, and discernment about the future.
Bishop Anthony Adoun Hongsaphong reaffirmed Fondacio’s mission within the Apostolic Vicariate of Vientiane and encouraged the team—a conversation with Bro. Peter Tai, S.J., who is involved in youth ministry at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, also introduced the possibility of establishing a Language Center as a potential sustainable initiative aligned with the mission of empowering young people.
The team also met 10 IFFAsia alumni. Their continuing service to young people through their work and ministries showed how the mission remains present through people who have carried their formation into their own communities.
Alongside these encounters, the Young Lives Laos team underwent a pastoral process reflecting on their blessings and challenges. It became a moment of thanksgiving, but also an invitation to remain faithful amid difficulties and to strengthen their unity as a team.
Finding Inspiration in Luang Prabang
The final part of the journey brought the team north to Luang Prabang, a visit that initially carried uncertainty but ultimately became a source of inspiration.
There, the team encountered stories of perseverance and creativity in mission. They spent time with retired Cardinal Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun, the first Cardinal of Laos; Fr. Lo, who leads the Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang; the Sisters of Charity; and Thong, an IFFAsia Batch 11 alumnus.
Fr particularly struck the team. Lo’s courage in building the Church amid suppression, as well as the Sisters of Charity’s sustainable livelihood initiative, stood out. Reconnecting with an alumnus serving in relative isolation also underscored the importance of maintaining relationships with those who continue the mission away from larger communities and support networks.
Luang Prabang thus became more than the final geographical destination of the pastoral visit. It reinforced the value of presence itself: reaching people, listening to their experiences, and reminding those serving in difficult circumstances that they remain connected to a wider community.
A Mission Rooted in Relationship
Across the four Vicariates, one thread connected the different encounters: Fondacio Asia’s mission in Laos continues to take shape through people and relationships.
IFFAsia alumni remain active in parishes, youth centers, Caritas, and other ministries. Church leaders and religious communities continue to offer possibilities for collaboration. The Young Lives team continues its work of accompanying young people while navigating its own challenges. At the same time, new possibilities in education, language formation, youth ministry, and sustainable initiatives are emerging.
For the pastoral team, these encounters were signs that the visit was about more than following up on programs.
“This visit was more than a series of meetings. It was a reaffirmation of God’s promise to be with us,” the team reflected. “We saw trust restored, partnerships strengthened, and new directions emerging.”
From these experiences came a renewed call “to continue forming young leaders, to persevere amidst challenges, and to build sustainable models that allow our mission to flourish.”
The journey from Pakse to Luang Prabang ultimately returned the team to something more fundamental than plans and projects: the disposition with which the mission is lived.
Above all, they reflected, the pastoral visit was an invitation to “remain childlike in heart, open to God’s wisdom, ready to say ‘yes’ to His mission, and confident that with Him, nothing is impossible.”
For Fondacio Asia, the 2026 pastoral visit to Laos therefore marked both a return and a new beginning: a return to communities and relationships cultivated over the years, and a renewed commitment to walk alongside local partners, alumni, and young people as the mission continues to take root and grow across Laos.