Diocese of Chiang Mai
Encyclopedia
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
(Dioecesis Chiangmaiensis, Thai: สังฆมณฑลเชียงใหม่) in northern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It is a suffragan diocese of the archdiocese of Bangkok
Archdiocese of Bangkok
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangkok, Thailand dates back to 1662, when the of created. It was renamed in 1841 and in 1924...
.
The diocese covers an area of 89,483 km², covering all of the northern provinces of Thailand
Provinces of Thailand
Thailand is divided into 76 provinces , which are geographically grouped into 6 regions. The capital Bangkok is not a province but a special administrative area and is included as the 77th province since it is administered at the same level as the other 76 provinces. The name of the provinces are...
(Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Province
Chiang Mai is the second-largest province of Thailand, located in the north of the country. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Tak, and Mae Hong Son. In the north it borders Shan State of Burma...
, Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai Province
Chiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Phayao, Lampang and Chiang Mai. In the north it borders Shan State of Myanmar and Bokeo of Laos.-Geography:...
, Lampang
Lampang Province
Lampang is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Lamphun and Chiang Mai. The old name of Lampang is Khelang Nakhon.-Geography:...
, Lamphun
Lamphun Province
Lamphun is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Mai, Lampang and Tak.-Geography:Lamphun is located in the river valley of the Ping River, surrounded by mountain chains....
, Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son Province
Most of the areas of Mae Hong Son Province are complex mountain ranges and likely still pristine virgin forest. Of the approximately 6,976,650 rai of national forest reserves, 88.02% is thought to be pristine virgin forest...
, Nan
Nan Province
Nan is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Uttaradit, Phrae and Phayao. To the north and east it borders Sainyabuli of Laos.-Geography:...
, Phayao
Phayao Province
Phayao is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nan, Phrae, Lampang and Chiang Rai. In the north-east it borders Xaignabouli of Laos.- Geography :...
, Phrae
Phrae Province
Phrae is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, Sukhothai and Lampang.-Geography:Phrae is located in the valley of the river Yom.-History:...
). As of 2001, of the 5.8 million citizen 36,518 are member of the Catholic Church.
History
The diocese dates back to the Prefecture Apostolic of Chieng-Mai, which was erected on November 17, 1959. On December 18, 1965 it was elevated to a diocese.Cathedral
The principal church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Thai: อาสนวิหารพระหฤทัย, Location 18°46′30.5"N 99°0′11.2"E). The current church was inaugurated on October 30, 1999, and is already the third cathedral of the diocese. The first Sacred Heart church was built in 1931. Shortly before the elevation to a diocese, the new, and larger, church was inaugurated on February 28, 1965.Sacred Heart College and the kindergarten school that surround the church building were added later (2475 = 1932).
Originally there were 40 students, now there are over 4,000. In the last few years an English Program has been created.
This currently has just over 100 students. Each class is small, around 16 students or so, and has two teachers: A native Thai speaking subject teacher and likewise a native English speaking subject teacher.
Whilst Sacred Heart College is a private school, its prices are controlled by the Government and are very much lower than international private schools in the area. Student range from pre-school up to university age. http://www.sch.ac.th/sc7.htm / http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sch.ac.th%2Fsc7.htm&sl=th&tl=en&history_state0=
Bishops
- Francis Xavier Vira ArpondratanaFrancis Xavier Vira ArpondratanaFrancis Xavier Vira Arpondratana is a Bishop of Chiang Mai, Thailand, appointed on February 10, 2009.Born in Sam Sen, Bangkok, Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana was ordained a priest for the Archbishop of Bangkok on June 7, 1981 by then Archbishop Michael Michai Kitbunchu. He was the vice-rector of...
: February 10, 2009 - present - Joseph Sangval Surasarang: October 17, 1986 - February 10, 2009 (resigned)
- Robert Ratna Bamrungtrakul: April 28, 1975 - October 17, 1986 (resigned)
- 1959-1975 the prefecture and later diocese was administrated by Bf. Lucien Bernard Lacoste, bishop of DaliDali, YunnanDali City is a county-level city in and the seat of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, northwestern Yunnan province of Southwest China.-History:...
.