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

Thailand is a nation of more than 60 million people, located in the center of mainland Southeast Asia, surrounded by the countries of Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia.

Buddhist: 95%, Muslim: 4%, Christian: 1%

The government of Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a functioning parliamentary democracy. Tourism, sustained industrial growth and a strong agricultural foundation have made Thailand one of Asia's so-called "little tigers." Current social problems have resulted more from rapid economic growth and dislocation than from poverty.

Franciscans in Thailand

Although very small, the Catholic Church in Thailand is quite old. It began with Portuguese traders in the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya during the early 16th century and has continued up to the present. The Catholic Church is influential far beyond its numbers, in part because of a system of Catholic schools run by various religious orders of men and women (Salesians, Redemptorists, Gabrielites, etc).

Portuguese friars are known to have been present in Ayutthaya in the 16th century, but soon faded from the scene. But even before that there were Spanish friars who came from the Philippine Islands. Franciscans thus were present in the kingdom of Siam for a period of about 200 years. In the middle of the 20th century, a young Thai man from mixed Buddhist-Catholic family, John Mary Thom Kobkris, joined the Franciscans and received an education in Vietnam. Sadly, he died at a young age in France during World War II while assisting refugees fleeing before the advancing German army. Poor Clares of the Capuchin family, from Italy, founded monasteries in Thailand in the early part of this century and these have flourished vigorously--six are scattered throughout the country, with an abundance of vocations among Thai women.

Thai vocations to the Franciscan order

The Franciscan Foundation of Thailand, currently under the general administration of the Order, depends upon the interest and goodwill of friars throughout the world. The current community is very small and, at the present time, our only hope of continued growth is to reach out to friars in other entities. We encourage friars with an interest in foreign mission in general and Asia in particular to consider this effort. Please note the following:

• While our work is centered in a prayer center and with AIDS patients, our primary need is not for friar doctors, nurses or masters of contemplative prayer; rather, we are looking for friars with a strong community spirit and with an international vision.
• Friars should be willing to commit themselves to an international and inter-provincial community--with all of its attendant opportunities and difficulties.
• Since Thailand is a thoroughly Buddhist culture, friars should come with an open heart, respectful of those whom God is calling by a different light, and bringing the best of our Franciscan mission spirit.
• The Thai language is a tonal, phonetic language which is acquired with some difficulty. We very much encourage younger friars to consider applying, because of their greater facility with language.

Br John Summers, OFM, President
Franciscan Foundation of Thailand
43 Moo 8, Lamsai
Lamlukka, Pathumthani 12150
THAILAND

John Summers (Santa Barbara, USA) e-mail to: Johnsumm@ksc.th.com