
The short school holidays are over but every single day of the three weeks was full of a range of fun activities for the children. We had four German volunteers, three long-term and one with us for a month, and they were shepherded from house to …


The short school holidays are over but every single day of the three weeks was full of a range of fun activities for the children. We had four German volunteers, three long-term and one with us for a month, and they were shepherded from house to …

The kids returned to school this week after a busy three weeks of holidays. The final event was a big sports day which was preceded by a fantastic Halloween parade. All of the kids love dressing up and the house mothers put tons of effort into th…

Last week saw the arrival of our latest batch of German volunteers. Three young adults, having completed high school, have chosen to spend ten months of their gap year at Sarnelli House. They will live at the children's houses and support the staff…

Our “Thai teachers” project continues to be very successful. Our initial teachers moved on and have made careers for themselves in the Thai public education system. They were a wonderful trio and while we were sad to see them go, we are also happ…

Stichting Vrienden van Sarnelli, a Dutch charity, has been a generous supporter of Sarnelli House for almost 20 years. Led by Leon and Henriette Castermans, they have been remarkably good to Fr. Mike and the children and staff. Leon and Henriette…

The long school summer holidays have come to a close and the children have returned to a life of learning! The new term openings have been staggered according to school and grade and the final groups, kindergarten and vocational college went back…

Two years after the last one, another violent cyclone stormed through the small village of Don Wai past Saturday, causing enormous havoc. Our brand new Sharon Houminer House, home to five children living with severe physical disabilities, was the…

Last Saturday saw a beautiful celebration held in our small parish of Don Was. Fr. Black held a church feast for the parish and it was preceded by a celebration of 25 years of Sarnelli House and the opening of The Sharon Houminer House for our ch…

On December 1, 2024, to mark World Aids Day, the Thai Red Cross Society held a ceremony to recognise individuals and organisations in Thailand for their contribution to the care of people with HIV/AIDS. 16 awards were presented, with 13 awarded t…

September saw the arrival of our four new volunteers from Germany. From the APO church in Oberhausen and Network M in Germany, David and Junis were warmly welcomed. After a short orientation, they were placed in their houses where they will live …

The October school holidays had lots of activities for the children. The holidays were shortened this year, as the schools were keen to make up for lost days due to the bad flooding in September. But the children, staff and volunteers packed a …

This week marked Thai Mother's Day and homes and schools throughout the land celebrated the unsung heroes of our society. Sarnelli House was no different as the children gathered to pay tribute to and give thanks for their house mothers and other…

This week we celebrated another trip around the sun for Fr. Mike. He turned 86 on Tuesday and last weekend, the children and staff, plus his younger sister Brigid and dear old friend Tony Zola, gathered in the hall to celebrate. There was dancing…

The children have enjoyed their holidays so far, with trips to water parks and cinemas, art and baking activities, and the always popular swimming sessions. As the school year ended, many children celebrated graduations, from kindergarten parties…

At this time of year, with the temperatures regularly hitting over 100° F (40° C), the children seek liquids, shade and most of all, water. The swimming pool is in constant use and is being maintained by our two Bens - Benedikt Kaiser from the RV…

Last Saturday, St. Cornelius Church in Pai Si Tong hosted a church feast, attended by the Bishop, over 50 priests, brothers and nuns and hundreds of parishioners. It was the first church feast in the area for many years and it was also an opportu…

Fr. Mike came to the office in very good mood last Tuesday morning. His beloved Green Bay Packers had beaten the reigning Super Bowl Champions the Kansas City Chiefs that morning and he made his way over to Ms. Kung's office in high spirits for w…

The school holidays were only three weeks long, but the kids, staff and volunteers packed a lot into those three weeks. There was a trip to the aquarium for the toddlers where they stared into tanks looking for Nemo, and peered into turtle cages.…

The last day before the return to school saw our annual sports day. Organised with the help of Nong Khai group, Foundation for Child & Youth Development, it was a fun day for all of the kids. They were selected on rival teams, pink and blue and e…

Last month, 12 of our house mothers attended a daylong seminar held in conjunction with the Good Shepherd Sisters Social Work team. The theme for the day was “Reading with children”. The social work team identified the benefits of reading to kids…