St Peter's Church
Tomorrow, Catholics living in Nakhon Pathom will have a chance to greet Pope Francis visiting St Peter’s Church in Sam Phran district.
Dating to the reign of King Rama III, Father Albrand cruised along the rivers from Holy Rosary Church to Sam Phran aiming to spread the faith in the Chinese communities. He started by building a mobile seminary with bamboo. In 1886 Father Andre Jeng set up the first mansory building, which eventually became a school.
“The meaning of building a temple is to set up a community. A priest didn’t only teach religious beliefs but also educated local residents about agriculture.
“Initially, this area was lined with sugar cane plantations and Father Andre taught villagers to grow rice. We opened a school 160 years ago because we believed that education can help enhance the quality of life,” said Father Anusorn Kaewkhachorn, who serves as a director of the Shrine of Blessed Nicolas Bunkerd Kitbamrung.
“We’re the second biggest Catholic community following Baan Tharae in Sakon Nakhon. Nowadays, our Chinese-Catholic descendants, who have been working in Bangkok or other countries, will come home during the Chinese New Year celebration. We will conduct the Holy Mass here and then youngsters will perform a dragon dance to maintain Chinese traditions.”
In 1971, the compound expanded with a striking boat-like church paying tribute to St Peter, who tradition holds was a fisherman. But the church was burned down and the present building was rebuilt in 1989 on the same site.
The design remains the same as the original. Simple but modern, the high wood ceiling and deck encourage visitors to imagine they’re boarding a boat to heaven. At the end of the church, there’s a white marble altar and a statue of Christ accompanied by a sculpture of the Virgin Mary.
Spread over the 100 rai land, a sacred site was filled with the Shrine of Blessed Nicolas Bunkerd Kitbamrung in 2003 — a memorial to sacrifice. Its octangular structure refers to the Beatitudes recounted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel.
The wall boasts two large oil paintings depicting Blessed Nicolas’ life. Alongside, a fibreglass figure of Blessed Nicolas and his relics are enshrined in a glass coffin. A Makha wood altar features carved teak statues from a scene of the last supper. There’s also the 100-year-old cemetery behind the church.