Diocese of Surat Thani
Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil
Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil
Bishop's Residence,
15 Moo 6, Chonkasem, 41,
Tambon Makhamtia, Amphoe Muang,
Surat Thani 84000, Thailand
Phone: (6) 77-282-543; (66) 77-282-840
Fax :(66) 77-283-416
Email: jprathan@hotmail.com
Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil of Surat Thani, a Salesian, was born Feb. 9, 1946, in Wat Phleng, Ratchaburi. His family later moved to Nakhon Pathom, 50 kilometers west of Bangkok. In 1964 he entered the novitiate of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) and on Oct. 2, 1965, he took his first vows. He studied philosophy and theology in Hong Kong and Israel before Pope Paul VI ordained him a Salesian priest at the Vatican on June 29, 1975. He has a degree in spirituality from his congregation's Pontifical University Salesianum in Rome. He had served as provincial of the Salesians in Thailand from 1998-2001 and was elected as provincial again in Feb. 14, 2004. He was appointed Bishop of Surat Thani by the late Pope John Paul II on Oct. 9, 2004. On Nov. 28, 2004, he was ordained bishop.
Less than a month after his episcopal ordination, on Dec. 26, 2004, the tsunami, a result of a massive earthquake off Indonesia's Aceh coast, hit Thailand's southwestern coast. Six of Surat Thani diocese's 15 southern provinces were affected by the tsunami. The disaster killed 5,400 people and about 3,000 were listed as missing, but presumed dead in Thailand.
Bishop Prathan serves as president of the Catholic Commission for the Clergy, and president of the Catholic Commission for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life. He is also the president of the Catholic Commission for the Seminaries and Vocations.
15 Moo 6, Chonkasem, 41,
Tambon Makhamtia, Amphoe Muang,
Surat Thani 84000, Thailand
Phone: (6) 77-282-543; (66) 77-282-840
Fax :(66) 77-283-416
Email: jprathan@hotmail.com
Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil of Surat Thani, a Salesian, was born Feb. 9, 1946, in Wat Phleng, Ratchaburi. His family later moved to Nakhon Pathom, 50 kilometers west of Bangkok. In 1964 he entered the novitiate of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) and on Oct. 2, 1965, he took his first vows. He studied philosophy and theology in Hong Kong and Israel before Pope Paul VI ordained him a Salesian priest at the Vatican on June 29, 1975. He has a degree in spirituality from his congregation's Pontifical University Salesianum in Rome. He had served as provincial of the Salesians in Thailand from 1998-2001 and was elected as provincial again in Feb. 14, 2004. He was appointed Bishop of Surat Thani by the late Pope John Paul II on Oct. 9, 2004. On Nov. 28, 2004, he was ordained bishop.
Less than a month after his episcopal ordination, on Dec. 26, 2004, the tsunami, a result of a massive earthquake off Indonesia's Aceh coast, hit Thailand's southwestern coast. Six of Surat Thani diocese's 15 southern provinces were affected by the tsunami. The disaster killed 5,400 people and about 3,000 were listed as missing, but presumed dead in Thailand.
Bishop Prathan serves as president of the Catholic Commission for the Clergy, and president of the Catholic Commission for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life. He is also the president of the Catholic Commission for the Seminaries and Vocations.
Previous Ordinaries:
- Bishop Michael Praphon Chaicharoen, S.D.B. (June 21, 1988-May 20, 2003)
- Bishop Pietro Luigi Carretto, S.D.B. (June 26,1969 -June 21, 1988)
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