Jesuit History in Thailand
The First Wave
The Jesuits came to Thailand in 1607, long before the present country of "THAILAND" was a united land. The capital of the KINGDOM OF SIAM was then located at Ayudhya, approximately 90 kilometers north of present day Bangkok.
♦Some highlights of the first wave: 1607-1764.
The Second Wave
Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932. The name of Siam was then officially changed to the KINGDOM OF THAILAND ("thai" meaning "free"), and its capital was Bangkok. In 1954, the Catholic Mission of Bangkok (now known as the Archdiocese of Bangkok) was headed by Msgr. Louis Chorin, MEP (Paris Foreign Missions), and in his capacity as leader of the local church, he wrote to the General of the Society of Jesus, Very Rev. Jean-Baptiste Janssens, and asked him to send Jesuits back to work in the Kingdom of Thailand.
♦Some highlights of the second wave: 1954-to-1979
Modern Waves & Currents