After a devastating fire, the Rama 9 community is whole once again. Thank you so much for your support!

A review of Fr. Joe's new book, "The Open Gate of Mercy" in the Huffington Post

Father Joe will talk about his 40 years in Klong Toey and the adults and children behind the stories in his new book, “The Open Gate of Mercy.”

ear Friends,

I will miss the day-to-day life at our beautiful Mercy Centre.

She has mostly had to learn everything herself. Mum couldn't be there for her, and Miss Dao also has to take care of Granny, as she'd promised her mother. You know, things like mixing her betel nut chaw and holding her hand crossing the street. She has three older half-brothers and a half-sister, but they aren't close. Her half-sister is married, and Dao only saw her once at the temple for her mother's cremation.

Over 2, 500 slum children attend daily.

Our schools follow the Thai national kindergarten curriculum; and our school children learn to read, write, count, play, dance, say nice words, fight germs, and sing the old songs, the same ones our mothers and grandmothers taught us when we were young.