Centenarian Father Lai - 60 years of service to Taiwan and Taipei’s first naturalized foreigner

In 2015, Father Lai was awarded the prestigious ‘Order of Brilliant Star’ by the President of Taiwan. More recently, he became the first naturalized foreigner in Taipei for his significant contribution to Taiwan and now carries a Republic of China identity card. Father Lai was born in the Spanish city of Galicia in 1917 and came to Taiwan in 1969. Due to his rich background in medicine, Father Lai taught courses in medical ethics from 1970 to 2000. With over three decades of teaching, Father Lai has students in hospitals scattered throughout Taiwan, so regardless of where he goes there is always a friendly face to greet him. 

Father Lai is particularly concerned about patient care and is not only responsible for the health of Jesuits in Taiwan, but also makes regular visits to church members in the hospital. On one occasion, when the condition of a priest hospitalized with a stroke suddenly deteriorated, Father Lai rushed to the hospital and accompanied him until dawn. The next morning, the priest awoke to find his fellow Jesuit brother, Father Lai, by his bedside, still jovial and in high spirits.

Father Lai says he doesn’t particularly enjoy eating health foods, but never eats overly full and never sleeps too long, so as not to put an unnecessary burden on his bodily organs. In addition to his busy daily schedule, which ensures sufficient exercise, he is simple, down-to-earth, humorous, cheerful and brimming with love - most definitely the ideal recipe for a long life. At one hundred years old, he still continues to visit old Jesuit brothers in the hospital and meet up with many old friends still in need of him.

Centenarian Father Lai - 60 years of service to Taiwan and Taipei’s first naturalized foreigner  

URL：http://www.peopo.org/news/330449

(以下是中文對照)

百歲賴神父 奉獻台灣一甲子 北市首位殊勳歸化外國人

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已在2015年獲得總統府頒發「景星勳章」的賴甘霖神父，最近更成為台北市第一位以殊勳歸化我國國籍，並領取中華民國身分證的外籍人士。賴甘霖神父於1917年生於西班牙的嘉里西亞（Galicia），1969年，賴神父來到台灣，因他擁有深厚的醫學背景，在1970年至2000年間，開始教授醫學倫理相關課程，幾十年來，他的學生分散在全台灣各大小醫院，以他不論到哪一所醫院都好像回自己家一樣熟悉，幾乎都會遇到熟人親切地跟他打招呼。

賴神父特別關心病人，他不但是台灣耶穌會士的健康守護者，也經常到醫院探訪教友。有一次，某位神父中風住院，病情突然惡化，賴神父被通知到醫院，他便一直陪伴生病的神父到天明。第二天看到賴神父，仍然精神奕奕等候在修會弟兄身旁。

賴神父說自己不喜歡吃保健食品，不吃太飽、不睡太飽，不讓身體器官有過多的負擔。加上每天的繁忙行程，運動量也很足夠。還有個性單純樸實、幽默開朗又充滿愛心。這應該就是他的長壽秘方。一百歲的他，至今仍不斷在一家又一家醫院奔走，去探訪關照他的耶穌會弟兄，以及許許多多需要他的朋友。