Kriengsak Kovitvanit

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Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovitvanit (Thai: ฟรังซิสเซเวียร์ เกรียงศักดิ์ โกวิทวาณิช, born June 27, 1949) is bishop of the roman catholic diocese of Nakhon Sawan, Thailand.

Born in Ban Rak, he entered the St Joseph's Minor Seminary in Sampran. 1970-76 he studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, and was ordained as priest on July 11 1976. At first he was assistant priest at the Nativity of Mary Church in Ban Pan, 1977-79 at the Epiphany Church Koh Vai. 1979-81 he served as vice rector of St Joseph's Minor Seminary in Sampran. He went to the Gregorian University in Rome from 1982 till 1983 to specialize in Spirituality. 1983-89 he was rector of the Holy Family Intermediate Seminary in Nakhon Ratchasima, and then till 1993 under-secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, as well as rector of Lux Mundi National Major Seminary in Sampran since 1992. In 2000 he became parish priest at the church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Hua Take, and also since 2001 a special lecturer at Sampran major seminary. Since 2003 he was parish priest of the Assumption Cathedral and secretary of the council of priests of the archdiocese of Bangkok.

On March 7 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the new Bishop of Nakhon Sawan, which was vacant since 2005 when his predecessor Louis Chamniern Santisukniram was made Archbishop of Thare and Nonseng.^[1] He was ordained on June 2 by Michael Michai Cardinal Kitbunchu.