Chiang Mai, Thailand — July 2025

Religious members from three Salesian Family congregations joined the Training of Trainers (ToT) program for Ancestral Wisdom and Organic Intellectuals (OIs) this month at the Research and Training Center for Religio-Cultural Community (RTRC) in Chiang Mai. The program, under the visionary leadership of Fr. Niphot Thianwiharn, draws on over five decades of his work alongside Indigenous communities throughout Thailand.

The Salesian Family was represented by:

• Fr. Albeiro Rodas, SDB, director of Don Bosco Kep, Cambodia
• Fr. George Plathottam, SDB, India
• Sr. Dory Elena Ramirez, FMA, with pastoral experience among Bunong children in Mondolkiri, Cambodia
• Sr. Martina Thabah and Sr. Rita Kera, MSMHC, Indian Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians, a congregation founded in 1942 by Venerable Stephen Ferrando, SDB
• Sr. Milagros Ramírez, Carmelite of the Sacred Heart, a missionary also serving the Don Bosco Kep apostolate

They participated alongside diocesan clergy, Redemptorists, Jesuits, and lay leaders from eight Asian countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

🌍 Empowering Organic Intellectuals for Indigenous Leadership

As a committed member of the Catholic Network of Indigenous Peoples of Asia (ROOTS), Fr. Albeiro Rodas also served as the technical director of the ToT. The program centers on recognizing organic intellectuals—natural leaders deeply rooted in ancestral traditions, communal wisdom, and harmonious relationships with nature—as vital agents of change in Indigenous communities. These leaders contrast with traditional intellectuals by bringing lived experiences, grassroots insight, and cultural resilience to the forefront of community development.

ROOTS emerged through a series of encounters in Chiang Mai between Fr. Niphot and representatives of Indigenous communities across Asia. Encouraged by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), this collaboration was inspired by Pope Francis’s teachings on Indigenous inclusion, care for creation, and synodality as expressed in Laudato Si’, Laudate Deum, and Querida Amazonia. After the Asian Forum for Indigenous Peoples held in Nepal in November 2024, ROOTS was formalized as a platform promoting Indigenous voices in shaping a more inclusive Church. As Fr. Niphot notes, “It is not about the Church in Asia, but the Asian Church.”

📚 ToT Methodology: Learning, Immersion, Transformation

Participants followed a three-stage process:

1. Pre-workshop Online Modules – grounding participants in Indigenous knowledge systems
2. Physical Workshop in Chiang Mai – featuring keynote talks by Fr. Niphot, and an immersive experience in Karen villages, where participants spent time with communities who have become models of cultural empowerment and sustainability
3. Post-workshop Application Phase – participants are expected to design local initiatives that reflect ToT principles and submit them for certification after one year.

This dynamic, reflective process mirrors the Salesian educational spirit, placing strong emphasis on formation, grassroots empowerment, and reverence for the ancestral wisdom of vulnerable communities.

🌱 Toward a Synodal and Indigenous Church

In line with Pope Francis’s vision for a more inclusive and sustainable world, the participation of the Salesian Family at the ToT signifies a growing commitment to building bridges between Indigenous cultures and the Church’s educational and pastoral mission. These efforts offer valuable insights for Salesian projects across Asia—particularly in Cambodia, where holistic development, care for the Common Home, and formation of young leaders are deeply aligned with this initiative.

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