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EASTER 2013

Schedule for Services

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Collection of donations for raising churches in Thailand

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SUPPORT LOCAL SEMINARIANS

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Miracle-working icon of St. Nicholas

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Dear in the Lord, brothers and sisters,
All who care about the future of Orthodoxy in the nation of Thailand - peace to you all and a blessing from the Lord!

Today, I hasten to share with you the joy – the approved project and approximate documentation for the construction of an Orthodox Church in Bangkok in the name of the great saint of God, St. Nicholas, archbishop of Myra in Lycia. A few months ago, our church in Thailand purchased a plot of land for a temple, and now we are beginning to direct its construction, embodying our cherished dream – to have a temple in the capital of the Kingdom, the visible evidence of God's glory and our zeal for the Holy Orthodox Faith. 

More than 30 million Thai baht was raised for the purchase of land and construction of the temple in Bangkok. Gathered from private donations, which is particularly important to us and what better than any words testify that our nation was and is and will always be Orthodox, despite the futile attempts of ardent atheists, cynical and vicious Christ's scorners, who are trying to kill the soul of the people. «Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered» (Ps.67, 2) - put the sign of the cross, the victory sign, and patiently, with faith and hope in God's help, let us to do the work of God, the work which we are called.

The Foundation Committee of the Orthodox Church is now ready to give a concrete answer on the full cost of construction and decoration of St. Nicholas Church in Bangkok and cancel the earlier decision to suspend the collection of contributions for future expenses.

Currently we are contracted with a construction company in Thailand which has built several Orthodox churches in the country. The overall assessment of building and decorating the church is 16 million Thai baht. Another 3 million baht is needed for the internal decoration: purchase of icons, vestments and liturgical vessels. In total, the construction of an Orthodox temple in Bangkok will require expenditures in the amount of 19 million baht (about 630,000 U.S. dollars).

Given the previous amounts received and expenses associated with the purchase and registration of land, there is a project shortfall of about 4 million baht (about 130,000 U.S. dollars). It is this amount - four million baht that we have to collect.

My dears! I pray to the Lord that He, through the prayers of His saint St. Nicholas, bless our labors. For, after no more than 9 months, by April-May 2013, we may have the new temple’s golden domes and crosses ascending to heaven, «spouting the heaven's forgiveness to the sinful earth».

Endeavor, beloved, to worthily finish this work, continue to the glory of God's to make mercy and sacrifice, wholeheartedly, to reveal the fruit of faith, hope and love for the Lord. «Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved» (Acts 4:12).

As before, the receipt and expenditure of funds is recorded in the official Website of the Orthodox Church in Thailand. 

I acknowledge the honest and prudent use of funds donated to the Foundation Committee of the Orthodox Church in Thailand. Tirelessly I remind all workers for the Church of the words of the Biblical prophet: «Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully» (Jer. 48:10).

With a prayer for you all,
Unworthy archimandrite Oleg (Cherepanin),
Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church
in Thailand

page of funds collection

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN THAILAND Foundation
Bank Acc. 130-103505-5
Beneficiary's Bank: THE SIAM COMMERCIAL BANK PUBLIC CO.LTD
Branch- RATCHAWAT
SWIFT Code- SICOTHBK
Bank address: 9 Rutchadapisek Rd., Jatujak, Bangkok, 10900.
when making the transfer, please specify: «Donation for Bangkok».

It is possible to transfer money by PayPal:

Consolidated statement of income and expenditure.

Historic existence of Orthodox Christian Church in Thailand was initiated in 1999. In response to numerous requests from Orthodox believers, generally citizens of the former USSR, who by the will of God were far away from their motherland for different reasons, the Holy Synod of Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) on its meeting on December 28, 1999 made a decision to open St. Nicholas' parish in Bangkok. By the same decision of the Supreme Authority, the priest from the Diocese of Yaroslavl, hegumen Oleg (Cherepanin) was appointed as the rector of the newly formed parish.

The establishment and development of Orthodoxy was going very complex, sometimes even dramatic. The local legislation in the sphere of religion did not provide for Orthodoxy as a different confession of Christianity. In 2001 His Eminence KIRILL, the Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the Chairman of Department for External Church Relationships of Moscow Patriarchate, paid the first official arch-pastoral visit to Bangkok. In the outcome of this visit, St. Nicholas' parish was converted into Representation of Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), and hegumen Oleg (Cherepanin) became the Representative of Russian Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Thailand with the blessing to give spiritual guidance to Orthodox flock in Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Kingdom of Cambodia as well. It took nine long years of insistent work and prayers to convert local residents, the citizens of Thailand, to Orthodoxy, so that Thai state authority would finally accept the Orthodoxy. On July 20, 2008, after more than seven months of examining the question in Department of the Interior, it was decided to register Orthodox Church in Thailand as a social organization.

On this web site the staff of parishes and church committee of Orthodox Christian Church in Thailand, including Thai, Russian, Romanians, Greeks, French and a great many of other nationalities, will narrate about their spiritual life on the blessed land of Thailand, and history and culture of the country.

Without a doubt, Russian Orthodox Church, from which Orthodoxy in Thailand originated, has a special meaning for every person amongst us. Its Head - His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia - is our Patriarch as well. By familiarizing yourself with the material on this site you will see that two-fold interstate relationship between Russia and Siam (historical name of Thailand) is unique in many aspects. Personal friendship of outstanding monarchs Rama V (Chulalongkorn) and His Majesty Nicholas II (Romanov), who was later canonized by Russian Orthodox Church, grew into the friendship and collaboration of two great states and nations. Even the years of stagnation, atheism and godlessness, which fell upon Russia, could not ruin the kindly feelings of these two nations. The official visit of Russian President V. V. Putin to Thailand in 2003 and the return official visit of Her Majesty Queen of Thailand Sirikit in 2007 tied anew the historical chain of mutual sympathy of our nations.