A new bishop for Nakhon Sawan: living through difficulties in the “spirit of the cross”
Nakhon Sawan (AsiaNews) – Living through each and every difficulty in the “spirit of the cross” : that was the invitation extended by the new bishop of Nakhon Sawan, Msgr. Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovitvanit, to the faithful of his diocese during his installation on June 2. The ceremony, which took place on the feast of the Holy Trinity, was concelebrated by Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu together with 13 bishops and the apostolic nuncio Msgr. Salvatore Pennacchio, and with msgr. Joseph Banchong Aribarg, bishop emeritus of Nakhon Sawan. Over six thousand people gathered for the celebration, in the enclosed provincial stadium, among them figures such as the Nakhon Sawat provincial governor Chanin Buasuwan, and delegates from other religions such as Phra Pisitsattayadhamma leader of the Buddhist Academy Maha Chulalongkorn.
Msgr. Kovitvanit chose the theme “The language of the cross is God’s power” (verbum Crucis Dei virtus est), taken from the letter of St Paul to the Corinthians, which – he explained – “will recall me to fully accept all difficulties and transforms them into love so that it will reflect God’s love and mercy more and more”. Through Christ’s love – he added – daily suffering can be transformed into love for your fellow man and a witness to Christian life.
Card. Kitbunchu underlined that the new bishop was a native of Bangkok, where he himself ordained him priest in July 1976. The cardinal expressed his belief in Msgr. Kovitvanit’s ability to “responsibly fulfil the common interests of the community, and to proclaim the Words of God”.
The new bishop was born in 1949 in Ban Rak (archdiocese of Bangkok). At 17 he entered the seminary of St. Joseph in Nakhon Pathom. From 1976 he served as a priest in the province of Ayudhaya. From 1979 he was assistant to the rector at St. Joseph’s seminary, until 1981 when he was sent to the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome to further his studies. He returned to Thailand in 1983 as rector of the seminary of Nakhon Ratchasima, he has been vice secretary of the Thailand’s bishops conference since 1989. In 1992 he was appointed rector of the major seminary Lux Mundi in Nakhon Pathom. He then became parish priest of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in 2000 and of Assumption Cathedral in 2003, where he remained until his appointment as bishop on March 7th 2007. In Thailand he was also involved in the Foccolari movement, witnessing God’s unity in the spirit of the Gospel.
Nakhon Sawan diocese, is the largest in the Country, it extends over 13 provinces for a total distance of 93,547 square metres and a population of 8,326,052 inhabitants, 14.037 of whom are Catholics, for the most part from the Karen, Akha, Hmong, Lisu, Lahu and Mien ethnic groups, who live in the hills. Many hill-tribe beliefs and practices are still based on animism. Villages often have two religious leaders: a priest and a shaman who is said to consult directly with the spirit world. Religious rituals are a fundamental way of life influencing both personal and public decisions. In Thailand, a traditionally Buddhist country, the Church has been present since the 17th century, but the state only established official relations with the Vatican on April 25th, 1969. In May 1984 Pope John Paul II visited the country, where he was greeted by the King, and where he presided over the ordination of over 23 priests in the Lux Mundi seminary in Samphran, Nakhon Pathom.
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