WRITER: BENJAPORN ANUNWANITCHA
EDITED: KULDEEP NAGI

St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort
(1673-1716)

Each year, April 28 is celebrated as the feast day of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, French Roman Catholic priest, and Confessor. He is known for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the practice of praying at the Rosary.


 

 

On Friday, April 28, 2023, Assumption University of Thailand (AU) will celebrate the Holly Mass at the Chapel bearing his name at Suvarnabhumi Campus. This Chapel was erected in honor of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, the founder of the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, and is designed by our President Emeritus, Rev. Brother Martin. The Chapel is used for the University’s religious functions.


 

 

This holy event will be directed by Rev. Bro. Dr. Amnuay Yoonprayong, Vice President for Moral Development Education. The congregation of AU community comprising the top management team, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and other members of the Montfortian Brothers of St. Gabriel in Thailand, and guests will participate in this annual grand event.


 

 
 
 
 
 

In addition to celebrating the Anniversary of the Chapel of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, the University will also begin celebrations of the 90th Birthday of Rev. Bro. Dr. Prathip M. Komolmas, President Emeritus. This event will be marked by wearing shirts for the 90th Birthday Celebration of President Emeritus. The shirts for this special occasion were handed out by AU President to the representatives of administrative units on April 11, 2023, the day when we opened “UNCLE BOB COFFEE.”

Hope to see you all at this annual holy event

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

Rev. Bro. Anupatt Petchara Yuttachai
The Great Professor of the Order of Saint Gabriel

Brother Martin, "A Man for All Seasons"

Brother Martin was one of the pioneers of ABAC; he was there when the institution was recognized under that name in 1972. At its inception on June 2, 1969, the school was known as ASB or Assumption School of Business. In 1973, it moved from the old Assumption Commercial College campus to Hua Mak. But the blueprint for the development of ABAC would have scattered buildings all over the grounds, which would have made it look like a "gulag". In 1979, when he took over the Presidency, Brother Martin promptly rejected this and proposed a new plan with multistory buildings and a lot of green space for relaxation.

In October 1983, the city of Bangkok was flooded, including the Bangkapi area and ABAC was forced to close down from October 4 to December 7. Final exams that had just started had to be moved to St. Gabriel's. Fearing that floods would occur again, Brother Martin decided the school had better move away and they would eventually need to close the Hua Mak Campus. Brother Simeon tried his best to dissuade him but to no avail.

Yet it was pretty obvious that the Hua Mak Campus was get­ ting too crowded. AU had to branch out. Providence was on AU's side; a lady who owned tracks of land in the Suvarnabhumi area went to see Brother Martin to offer him a piece of land. He couldn't believe his ears as he had always dreamt of creating a "University in a park." For the donor herself , to have a well-known institution close to her golf-course could only enhance her business. A deal was quickly sealed and more land added. The land owned downtown did not need to be developed any more , and its sale brought AU a hand­ some return, as land prices had skyrocketed. This was another blessing as a huge amount of cash was required for the development of the new campus. Brother Martin envisioned a city, Assumption City, that would be self-sufficient and would in-elude residences for both lecturers and students, an international school, a school of medicine, a bank, shops, etc ....., the whole project developed in an aesthetic environment conducive to learning and growth.

Brother Simeon considers Brother Martin a very rare person with the "capacity for clear vision", whole instead of piecemeal pictures, visions close to dreams that may not always be feasible. Brother Martin is essentially an "artist", he says, gifted in music, drawing, painting, and that urges him to create beauty, as beauty is conducive to the development of the person. He also views Brother Martin as a man geared towards the future, keeping himself up-to-date in order to give students the necessary tools they will need to face future market challenges. As Vice-President for Financial Affairs, Brother Simeon regards Brother Martin as a person "ready to take risks" with all this implies -- audacity and danger -- to the extent that at times he (Brother Simeon) has to ring bells and question whether the available cash is sufficient to carry on with projects. Fortunately Brother Martin has the capacity to listen and defer to others' views. 

In that regard, Brother Simeon's approach is "to cut your coat according to your cloth. We can develop as far as we can generate cash flow. And we were lucky indeed", continues Brother Simeon. Aside from the windfall from the sale of the land downtown that helped initiate the Suvarnabhumi Campus, the 1997 economic crisis did not affect the cash flow too seriously, as the number of students increased slightly year after year. Gifts from benefactors do not amount to much; on the other hand, all cash flows generated by the University must be reinvested in the institution if Assumption University is to remain officially recognized as a non-profit organization.

When asked how Brother Mart in, the visionary, development-oriented leader and risk-taker, and Brother Simeon, the Finance Person and Manager of Cash Flow, could work together in such complementary functions, with so few disagreements, Brother Simeon replied readily that they are both EDUCATORS, and CHRISTIANS, who believe in the development of human beings and who believe in the value of the Human Person. Brother Simeon described himself as one with Brother Martin as an EDUCATOR as he teaches students with respect and draws respect from students. He values each student as a son/daughter of God and values each one for the development of his own value as a human person. To him knowledge is not enough; the person's development comes first

When asked what metaphor or image he would use to encapsulate Brother Martin, he chose the "Lo comotive that goes straight towards its goal"

Brother Martin is a Man of Vision who knows what he wants, listens, moves, and is faithful to his word. As for Brother Simeon's emblem for himself, it is the compass and he has one in his office in Suvarnabhumi that points to the Cross as its guide.

Brother Martin in spite of his current handicap with his eyes still pursues his vision but maintains a close relationship with Brother President, and there is now a shift in their working relationship as they work closely together to pursue the vision of the University.

Brother Simeon says "we always agree as we work from different directions (finance and development) that we share common beliefs/values as Educators the development of human beings. Brother Simeon uses the illus­tration of the infinity figure with the meeting point of convergence on being educators - the development of human beings.