Pattaya awaits new Catholic Church

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Pattaya will soon be home to another Roman Catholic Church.

The Church of the Assumption Pattaya, on Soi Siam Country Club, about 10 kilometers from Sukhumvit Road, will open with a blessing Nov. 19. Rev. Francis Xavier Kritsada Sukkaphat, a junior clergyman at St. Nikolas Church, will take over as lead pastor.

Built by Chatri Sophonpanich and Phornthep Phornprapha for about 60 million baht, not including land costs, the church was constructed an a “green environment zone.” Meant to be both environmentally sensitive and Thai-accented, the 21 rai house of worship resides in the Thaworn-Usa Thani Botanical Garden with the intent of instilling a tranquil mood in parishioners.

The Church of the Assumption Pattaya is administered by the Diocese of Chantaburi headed by Bishop Silvio Siripong Charatsri and was opened with an eye toward the increasing numbers of Thai and foreign Catholics in the area.