Diocese of Chiang Mai
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The (Roman Catholic) Diocese of Chiang Mai (Dioecesis Chiangmaiensis, Thai: สังฆมณฑลเชียงใหม่) in northern Thailand. It is a suffragan diocese of the archdiocese of Bangkok.
The diocese covers an area of 89,483 km², covering all of the northern provinces of Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phayao, Phrae). As of 2001, of the 5.8 million citizen 36,518 are member of the Catholic Church.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] Cathedral
The principal church of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Thai: อาสนวิหารพระหฤทัย, Location ). 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 larger church was inaugurated on February 28 1965.
[edit] Bishops
- Joseph Sangval Surasarang: appointed October 17, 1986
- Robert Ratna Bamrungtrakul: April 28 1975 - October 17 Oct 1986 (resigned)
1959-1975 the prefecture and later diocese was administrated by Bf. Lucien Bernard Lacoste, bishop of Dali.
