I was reading the current issue of L'Osservatore Romano and I noticed a striking title of brief article: "First ever Catholic school in Laos." Something in me went, "really, wow!!!" In the States so many of our dioceses are merging or closing Catholic schools we forget that in other parts of the world --Laos for example-- education is not a possibility on a large scale. Where education is given, liberty happens. So, when the people of Laos can open a school as part of an initiative of the "Circolo San Pietro" (Circle of St Peter), I am extraordinarily happy. Wouldn't you be?
The article in L'Osservatore Romano reads:
The first ever Catholic school in Lao was recently opened in Ban Simang. The school was inaugurated on 10 February and is an initiative of the Circolo San Pietro (Circle of St Peter), which also recently received recognition as an ecclesiastical organization from the Italian Government.
The school building, which had previously been used as a chicken-run, was turned into a school for children between the ages of two and five that can accommodate 80 students. There, a group of Caritas sisters will manage both school and a medical care centre.
The project was financed by the Cicolo's Commission for international aid, which in the past has also funded projects such as creating scholarships for Lithuanian seminarians, providing hospitality for child victims of the nuclear diaster at Chernobyl, and contributing to a professional school in Malindi, Kenya. This year, Circolo San Pietro celebrates the 141st anniversary of its founding.
