Thailand Information | St. Clare's Hospice | Retreat Center

In 1985 the Franciscan Friars (Order of Friars Minor) began a new mission in Thailand. Then Minister General, John Vaughn, together with the friars of the Foundation of Conferences of Asia and Oceania (FCAO), started the Thailand Project. Franciscans had been in Thailand centuries earlier but had no friar presence in recent times. The original goals of the mission were to enter into dialogue with Buddhism and Buddhist culture, to give witness to the Franciscan way of life and to seek out and foster Thai vocations to the Franciscan Order. In order to accomplish these, land was acquired from the Cardinal Archbishop of Bangkok, and a small prayer center was established near the village of Lamsai, about 60 kilometers northeast of Bangkok. Since then the property has been developed further: a full-service retreat center has been developed and a hospice has been established for people dying of AIDS. Since Augustine Fernandes (Pakistan) and Jim Heinsch (USA) formed the first friar community in Bangkok in 1985, friars from Australia, Spain, Philippines, USA, Korea and Italy have all contributed to the Foundation. At present, the small Franciscan community consists of friars Antonio Egiguren (Cantabria, Spain), Gabriel Sabolla (Genova, Italy) and John Summers (Santa Barbara Province, USA), and Mr. Roy Pollard (a Secular Franciscan lay missionary from the USA). A Secular Franciscan fraternity has been formed and these lay "Third Order" members meet monthly . In addition to the work at Lamsai, other pastoral work is done by friars and we hope to be able to receive young men to begin training for lives as a Franciscan friar soon.