I raise my voice in gratitude to God and to some many people, who by their love and support have carried me to this new place and moment.
Fr. Mike Bassano (r) handing out supplies, January 2005.

Since 1998 Fr. Bassano has served in Bangkok, Thailand, working with HIV/AIDS patients, as well as abused and orphaned children in the slums of Khlong Toey. He joined Maryknoll in 1987 as a priest associate and was assigned to the Society's Chile region for 10 years, where he ministered to the families of detained and disappeared peoples in the southern district of Santiago.

A drama enthusiast since his high school days, Bassano has memorized the Gospel of Matthew, and with his guitar has performed in the streets of Chile and Thailand as a street-preacher throughout his mission career.

From time to time Father writes articles that are published in MARYKNOLL magazine and in Revista MARYKNOLL as well as in Syracuse newspapers. In an article he wrote for the Catholic SUN in 2004 he wrote: Our Maryknoll commitment to this AIDS Hospice Center at the temple began on the first week of November of 2003...Sompang is a 50 year-old man who came to the temple about four months ago. We see each other every day. He asks me to massage his legs from time to time as he cannot walk and is in a lot of pain at times. The other day as I was massaging his leg he said to me, "You know today you are massaging my legs, but when we get to heaven I'm going to massage your legs." ... I also told him that we don't have to wait for each other to get to heaven. We can help each other now by being together and enjoying each other's presence.