Swedish Church in Thailand closed – at least temporarily

Bishop Anders Stenbäck (R) installed officially Erik Stenberg Roos and Anna as the new vicar couple at the Swedish Church in Bangkok on 11 January 2019.

Erik Steenberg Roos and his wife Anna, the Swedish Church in Bangkok, are returning to Sweden and the couple will not be replaced for a while.

“Our last day in Thailand will be 8 June,”  says Erik Steenberg Roos.

“We don’t really know when and in what form the Church will start up again. But it is not closing down for good. The Swedish Church will return in one form or another. The presence of the Swedish Church in Asia will be evaluated and we will be part of that discussion,” Erik Steenberg Roos says.

The Vicar and his wife came to Phuket in 2014 where they from their home near Kata Beach served the Swedish community in all the Southern provinces. The couple moved in 2018 to Bangkok where they in January 2019 were officially installed as the Swedish vicar in Bangkok with his wife Anna again as the Church Assistant.

Back in Sweden, Erik Steenberg Roos will continue working as a vicar.

“To find an assignment will not be a problem, there is a great shortage of vicars in Sweden right now,” he says.

ScandAsia has over the years written several portraits and features with the couple. Here are some from the early days:

Church on wheels

Swedish Priest in Phuket and his unexpected path to priesthood

New Swedish Priest installation in Bangkok

 

About Gregers Møller

Editor-in-Chief • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok, Thailand

View all posts by Gregers Møller

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