PARISH HISTORY

Before 1995, Catholic Sunday Mass services were said at Our Lady of The Assumption Church in Phuket Town, a small chapel in the center of Patong, and Saturday evening twilight Mass at Le Meridien Hotel, south of Patong. There was no such service available north of Patong hence accessibility was a problem, particularly for our visitors to the Laguna and northern areas of Phuket.

James Batt arrived in 1995 as head of the Laguna Hotel Properties, and together with his wife Angie, became well acquainted with our beloved late Father Richard, who passed away suddenly in August 2011; and as a result of this new friendship, the celebration of Sunday Mass commenced in the Laguna area in 1995 until St. Joseph’s Church opened on 6th July 2014

In the early years, Sunday Masses’ attendance was very small, sometimes less than 10 people made up of two resident families and occasional visitors. However, under Father Richard’s spiritual guidance and urged on by his encouragement and determination, the congregation grew gradually but steadily.

Along with the growth in numbers in our local Catholic community, the need for greater spiritual, liturgical, and pastoral guidance and leadership most particularly for the youth of our community as they prepare to receive all the blessed sacraments and continue to grow in their Catholic faith.

Today the Laguna Catholic community has approximately 150 resident members made up of Thai and expatriate families of many nationalities and Sunday Mass attendance averages over 100. Our large number of active Filipino members have established an excellent choir and they lead the singing of hymns at Mass.