BANGKOK (LiCAS News): Thailand’s southernmost Catholic community welcomed its first indigenous Lahu priest on June 25, marking a milestone for the Diocese of Surat Thani and its expanding ministry among northern ethnic groups.
The Divine Mercy Catholic community in Betong hosted a welcoming ceremony for Father Stephen Pirun Sae-Jang, newly ordained as the diocese’s 20th priest.
Father Pirun made history as the first member of the Thai Mission Society [TMS] from Surat Thani, and the first priest of Lahu ethnicity to serve in southern Thailand.
Father Pirun’s arrival held deep significance for the local community.
The Lahu people, originally from the Tibetan Plateau, migrated through Yunnan, China, before settling in the remote mountain regions of northern Thailand. In Thai, they have traditionally been known as “Muser” [hunters].
Historically rooted in animistic beliefs, strong community cohesion, and egalitarian social structures, a branch of the Lahu migrated thousands of kilometres south to Betong decades ago, seeking fertile agricultural land.
Despite their geographical separation from the main Lahu communities in the north, the Lahu in Betong have preserved a strong cultural identity while gradually integrating into the Catholic community of Thailand’s deep south.
The celebration in Ban Bo Nam Ron Subdistrict featured traditional pageantry. Lahu community members, dressed in vibrant traditional attire, led a ceremonial procession with the Chakhu Dance, performed to the Poi Tiway rhythm—a sacred dance invoking blessings and expressing communal gratitude.
Following the cultural welcome, Father Pirun presided over the Eucharistic liturgy, which included the solemn veneration of the relics of the eight Blessed Thai Martyrs.
Several senior clergy attended the historic occasion, including Father Amornkit Promphakdee, vicar general of the Diocese of Surat Thani; Father Prem Khundon, parish priest of St Peter’s Church in Betong; and Father Natee Theeranuvat of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
“Your arrival is not a coincidence, but a part of God’s plan,” said Nahwa Saeli, representative of the Divine Mercy Community, in her congratulatory address.
Quoting the Gospel of John, “And he has appointed you to go and bear fruit, and your fruit will remain” [John 15:16], she added, “The community is ready to be a family, to encourage and support your ministry with prayers always, even as you face challenges in the future.”
The Catholic Church’s engagement with the Lahu in Yala Province is centred on the Divine Mercy Sanctuary Project, a pastoral initiative of the Diocese of Surat Thani to accompany northern ethnic communities who have settled in southern Thailand.
The diocese has allocated a 50-acre site in the verdant hills, serving as a permanent chapel, sanctuary, and community centre. It provides a spiritual home and pastoral anchor for northern ethnic communities who have migrated south, including the Lahu, Hmong, Akha, Kachin, and Shan.
Plans are underway to develop a hillside shrine for retreats and theological formation. The site already features a prominent monument of the Divine Mercy.
Under the pastoral care of St. Peter’s Church in central Betong, the sanctuary has become a destination for cross-border pilgrims. Catholic groups from neighbouring Malaysia regularly travel to Betong for Sunday Mass before making pilgrimages to the hillside sanctuary.
