Fr. Ray Foundation

The Fr. Ray Foundation is an umbrella organisation named after its founding member, the Redemptorist priest, Father Raymond Brennan. Since its establishment the foundation has managed to successfully change and save the lives of thousands of children, teenagers and adults who have been abandoned in Thailand. In total the Father Ray Foundation contains a total of 5 different foundations. These include:

* School for the Blind
* Vocational school for the Disabled
* Children's home
* Drop-in centre for Street Children
* Home for the elderly.

Until recently, the Father Ray Foundation controlled The Pattaya Orphanage; an orphanage established by Father Ray, but was forced to relinquish control over the orphanage in January 2008 due to complications with the owners of the land on which the orphanage was established. As of 2008, the Father Ray Foundation is home to some 750 people of all ages who are based throughout the entire organisation [Fr. Ray Foundation official website] .

History - Before the foundation

Father Raymond Brennan was a Redemptorist Priest born in the USA who in 1972 was requested to assist at the local church, St. Nikolaus church, Pattaya. One morning while opening the doors of the church he found a newborn child lying on the stairway. Not knowing what to do, he took the child and began to provide it with the care and love it deserved. Word of his generosity soon spread across Pattaya resulting in more children being brought to him. Most of the children presented to Fr. Ray were the offspring of Thai women and US servicemen who were stationed at the U.S. military base at Sattahip during the Vietnam war.

Father Ray grew concerned about the sudden boom in "war babies" and began to visit the U.S. military in Thailand in the hope of finding ways and means of aid to care for the children. Father Ray held meetings with several officers in the army which resulted in representatives from the army and Father Ray himself visiting Bishop Thienchai Samanchit, the Bishop of the Chanthaburi Diocese at the Bishop’s House, Siracha. During these visits, Father Ray informed the Bishop that the American veterans wanted to build a home for the children in Pattaya and present it to the Diocese, of which Father Ray Brennan would be the manager. Fully aware of the task ahead Bishop Thienchai Samanchit replied, “It is not difficult for you to build a home for orphans and then wash your hand and go home, while it is not known where the Diocese will get money from to feed those orphans”.

After producing 500,000 Baht to pay for the management of the orphans, the Diocese passed a resolution accepting the Pattaya Orphanage to belong to the Diocese. Construction of the orphanage began immediately and on October 24, 1978, the Governor of Chonburi Province issued the Pattaya Orphanage establishment license. Official adoption from the orphanage was granted on March 27, 1981, when permission was received for the orphanage "to be a child welfare organization operating for the adoption of both Thai and foreign children." Since its creation the orphanage has continued to strive and develop. In 1995, a 3-storey building was constructed as the lodging or boys and mentors.In 1999, a 5-storey building was constructed as a learning place of Sot Pattana (Audio Development) Kindergarten for dumb and deaf children and as the lodging of both male and female small orphans.In 2001, a 2-storey building was constructed, the lower floor being the dining hall, the upper floor being the multi-purpose meeting hall, the last piece of construction for the Pattaya Orphanage.

Establishment of the Fr. Ray Foundation

After the creation of the Pattaya Orphanage the initial idea to form a foundation which would provide care for those who had become destitute in Thailand was considered.

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