Diocese of Chiang Mai
| Diocese of Chiang Mai | |
 |
|
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Country | Thailand |
| Metropolitan bishopric | Archdiocese of Bangkok |
| Diocesan bishop | Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana |
| Emeritus diocesan bishop | Joseph Sangval Surasarang |
| Vicar General | Joseph Haelom Wutthilert |
| founding | 1959 |
| surface | 48,013 km² |
| Parishes | 31 (2018) |
| Residents | 3,025,649 (2018) |
| Catholics | 50,913 (2018) |
| proportion of | 1.7% |
| Diocesan priest | 25 (2018) |
| Religious priest | 22 (2018) |
| Catholics per priest | 1,083 |
| Religious sisters | 107 (2018) |
| rite | Roman rite |
| Liturgical language | Thai |
| cathedral | Sacred Heart Cathedral |
| address | 5/3 Charoen Prathet Rd. 12 Chiang Mai 50100 Thailand |
| Website | http://www.cmdiocese.org/ |
The Diocese of Chiang Mai ( Latin : Dioecesis Chiangmaiensis , Thai : สังฆมณฑล เชียงใหม่ ) is a Roman Catholic diocese in northern Thailand .
The diocese covers an area of 89,483 km² with the provinces of Chiang Mai , Chiang Rai , Lampang , Lamphun , Mae Hong Son , Nan , Phayao , Phrae . It is subordinate to the Archdiocese of Bangkok as a suffragan .
With a Catholic population of 1.7%, it is the diocese with the highest density of Catholics in Thailand (overall less than 0.5% of Thais are Catholic).
history
The diocese goes back to the Apostolic Prefecture Chieng-Mai, which was established on November 17, 1959 from the Apostolic Vicariate Bangkok . On December 18, 1965, she was elevated to a diocese. On April 25, 2018, there were areas for the establishment of the Chiang Rai diocese .
cathedral
The current Sacred Heart Cathedral in Chiang Mai was inaugurated on October 30, 1999. It is already the third Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the first was built in 1931, which was then replaced by a new cathedral of the same name shortly before the elevation to the diocese.
bishop
- Lucien Bernard Lacoste , also Bishop of Dali , 1959–1975
- Robert Ratna Bamrungtrakul , April 28, 1975-17. October 1986
- Joseph Sangval Surasarang , Oct. 17, 1986-10. February 2009
- Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana , since February 10, 2009