"I want the diocese to be also a focal center of prayer," Bishop Chusak told CNA.
Bishop Chusak explained that there was a lack of contemplative religious congregations in the diocese. He said every diocese ought to have at least one, and the Red Nuns have filled the void.
The bishop said the monastery will serve as a "beacon of prayer" that will energize the region, bear witness to hope, and bolster prayer life in the region.
Bishop Chusak is also the head of the Thai Catholic bishops' inter-religious dialogue efforts. He noted that the nation's majority Buddhist population has great admiration and respect for Catholic pastoral and apostolic ministries in education, social services and charities. These efforts are led by various religious missionary congregations.
"The Buddhists and other faiths here have mainly seen sisters in action, but they will also see sisters who continuously pray," Bishop Chusak added. "It does not mean that our other religious and consecrated nuns don't pray."
"People will get to know our silent contemplative monastic way of life," the bishop said.
The Redemptoristine nuns were founded by the Italian mystic Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa in 1731 with the support of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorist priests. The nuns' rule was approved by Pope Benedict XIV in 1771.
Blessed Crostarosa was beatified June 18, 2016.
This article was originally published on CNA March 18, 2016.