Mr. Jan Olav Johannessen has been appointed as the new priest at The Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Pattatya. He is replacing the former priest Mr. Lars Haugen who has been priest for the area since 2006.
Mr. Jan Olav Johannessen has for the last 16 years worked as an industrial councillor. Years ago he worked as a youth priest in KFUK/M in Stavanger, Norway. After that he lived 3 ½ years in Singapore before settling down in New York. He finished his engagement in The Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Antwerpen. Now he is back and pleased with the prospect of returning to Asia where he and his wife started years ago.
His wife, Tone Johannessen, is a trained nurse and has worked at Sunnaas Hospital, Radiumhospitalet, Rikshospitalet, Lovisenberg and as a ward sister at the pain clinic at Aker University Hospital in Norway. The couple has three children, Kjell, Lene and Bjarte.
“We feel very privileged to be able to return to the East and to start an exiting and challenging service in Pattaya – this time with lots of experiences that we didn’t have before. We hope these experiences will be of use to us and others”, says Jan Olav Johannesen.
