Am I a Catholic priest who is an Australian or an Australian who is a Catholic priest?

Now, this week's title may seem pedantic or just totally ridiculous but it does have a scintillating relevance for me as one having lived so long in Bangkok and being part of the Thai Catholic Church.

I am part of a local Church where only priests and seminarians can give out communion at mass even when then are hundreds coming forward for communion and there are not enough clergy available.  Yet lay eucharistic ministers practise elsewhere in the Church under Church discipline and law for ministries.  Why is this so here?
I have a wedding soon and the bride and groom were told that even the singer has to be Catholic.  I have never heard of such a thing.   Why is this so here?
I preside at eucharist in a cathedral where a fortune was spent on renovation and prestige presentation but the finished product shows a lack of appreciation of symbolism with no proper place for the presider to preside.  Why is this so here?
At church, people are told what posture is important for showing reverence but it all just seems to copy how Buddhists posture themselves at the temple.  It is not a Catholic Church requirement.  Why is this so here?  

I try to understand what I am caught up in.  Under the surface, this Church seems to be made up of Catholics who are so affected by Thai Buddhism.  They do not seem to appreciate our belonging to the universal Roman Catholic Church, so rich in history and tradition.  This is so even with the priests here.  What is done here is all about being the Thai Catholic Church.

Is it about this being such a young Church?  No, there is much more at play.  I can sense this.  Once again, I put forward that the base card is the culture card.

After talking this week with a long term mentor here, I take to heart his line that the Thai Catholic priest is Thai who expects to be treated like a Buddhist monk which means with great reverence and respect.  My friend did not even mention their being part of the Roman Catholic Church as he explained that this does not matter to them.  It is about being Thai and they then they are Thai in a certain way - the Roman Catholic way.

For me, this leads to a strange experience.  It leads to frustration as I believe it should be different with rightful change leading to a greater appreciation of our wider belonging but not to be, I am told.  Just accept it for what it is, I am told.  But how can this be?  I still yell this line to myself as this is not just about me but wider, deeper and more important issues.

Maybe this all takes me back to a basic reason why I remain here so long.  This Church needs me and others like me for reasons that they do not understand and probably never will.  They need us to show them the other Church, to show them other models of Church.  It is not for me to judge their ways.  It just is that the Church is so rich and the Thai way is not the only way.  Just following the Thai way can be so limiting, even if that is what Thai priests and bishops may believe.  I say this with the deepest respect and with a true sense of humility as who am I?  But!