Tharae Catholic Community prays for HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha on Christmas Eve

As part of their long-held tradition, residents of the Ban Tharae Catholic community in Sakhon Nakhon’s Muang district gathered at St Michael’s Cathedral at 7pm Saturday for a Christmas Eve mass and procession.

Representatives of the community also staged a play to re-enact the gospel story about three wise men following the Star of Bethlehem to find the infant Jesus in a manger.

After the prayer, the Catholic worshippers entered the cathedral for a mass led by arch-bishop Antony Weeradej Jaiseree, the head of the Tharae-Nong Saeng archdiocese.

The princess fainted while training her pet dog in Nakhon Ratchasima on December 14. She is now in stable condition at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok.

Ban Tharae is the largest Catholic community in Thailand. Its members celebrate Christmas Eve with an elaborate procession every year. They are descendants of Catholics who migrated from Vietnam to Thailand during the Vietnam war.