New Bishop to follow in Footsteps of St. Francis

Like his motto 'Pax et Caritas', Bishop Charatsri stressed the importance of being a living witness.

BANGKOK (AsiaNews) - The new bishop of Chanthaburi, Mgr Silvino Charatsri, plans to fulfil his Episcopal duties as "God's instrument [. . .] bringing peace and love to the people according to the model of Saint Francis of Assisi" who led a "simple but full life" and Mother Theresa who "served God and the poor with her greatest love."

Installed last Saturday, Bishop Charatsri takes over from Mgr Lawrence Thienchai Samanchit, Bishop Emeritus, who resigned at the mandatory age of 75.

Like the motto 'Pax et Caritas' which he chose for his episcopate, Mgr Charatsri stressed the importance of being a "living witness" in today's society.

For him we all have a duty to "proclaim the Good News and the Kingdom of God" which is "love, justice and peace," he said, and "put them into practice through the meditation of the Words of God."

Born on 10 December 1959 in a Ban Nok Kwaek, a village in Bangnokkhuak district, the new bishop joined the minor seminar in 1971 and the major seminary in 1989.

He was ordained to the priesthood on 9 May 1987 in the diocese of Ratchaburi where he became vicar general.

He completed his studies in the fields of evangelisation and moral theology in the Philippines and Italy respectively.

Bishop Charatsri is grateful to his family for passing on their faith to him.

The day after Benedict XVI appointed him he went to visit his 78-year-old mother who told him to "just follow your faith," promising that "I will always pray for you."

As a last token of his new duties Chanthaburi's new bishop remembered something he wrote in his diary before his ordination, namely that one of his important tasks will be to take care of "children and the elderly."

The mission in Chanthaburi was established by Pope Paul VI on 18 December 1965. It includes eight provinces in eastern Thailand with a population of 4.5 million people. Catholics are around 36,000 divided in 88 parish churches with 88 diocesan priests, 20 religious priests, 14 men religious and 193 women religious.

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