The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand (CBCT) and the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Thailand will hold a sacred music tribute in memory of Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother.
The event, “A Royal Requiem: Music in Memory and Prayers,” was announced during a press conference on Oct. 26 and will mark the first anniversary of Queen Sirikit’s death.
The performance will also honor Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati, the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, following her death last June at age 47.
The King and Queen are scheduled to attend the premiere performance on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. at Assumption Cathedral in Bangkok.
A second performance will be open to the public on Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. at Mahidol University’s main campus in Salaya, west of Bangkok.
Archbishop Francis Xavier Vira Arpondratana, president of the bishops’ conference, said the commemoration reflects the long relationship between the Catholic Church, the Holy See, and the Thai monarchy.
“The history of the Catholic Church in Thailand is inextricably linked with the benevolence of the Thai monarchy, a sacred bond stretching back to the Ayutthaya period,” Archbishop Arpondratana said.
He described the musical tribute as “both a solemn act of suffrage and a testament of enduring friendship.”
The Thai Catholic community has held Requiem Masses and Eucharistic liturgies of thanksgiving since Queen Sirikit’s death on Oct. 24, 2025.
A special anniversary Mass was celebrated last week at Assumption Cathedral.
The project is being organized under Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, chairwoman of the organizing committee, and brings together Church, educational, government, and private institutions.
“This performance brings together our shared reverence through the universal language of sacred art,” said Khunying Patama.
Participating institutions include St. Francis Xavier Convent School and Mahidol University.
The musical program, curated by Rev. Peter Booncharat Suksawang, head of sacred music for the bishops’ conference, includes works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, Gabriel Fauré, Gustav Mahler and Henry Purcell.
The Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Gian Paolo Peloso, will perform with the Thai Christian Choir, Mahidol University Choir and student choristers from St. Francis Xavier Convent School.
Queen Sirikit’s ties with Catholic education date to her childhood.
During the Second World War, when wartime bombardment disrupted life in Bangkok, the young M.R. Sirikit Kitiyakara transferred from Rajini School to St. Francis Xavier Convent School, which was closer to her family residence.
She studied at the convent school from her second primary year through early secondary education before continuing her studies in the United Kingdom in 1946.
Queen Sirikit later supported interreligious harmony and educational institutions across Thailand during her reign alongside King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Her ties with the Catholic Church also included a meeting with Pope John XXIII at the Vatican in October 1960 and the visit of Pope John Paul II to Thailand in May 1984.
