A good friend’s funeral…

Last night, Cambodia time, a funeral was celebrated at the Maryknoll headquarters in Ossining, New York for Fr. Ed McGovern. Ed was a former prosecutor for New York City courts but made a career change and became a Maryknoll priest and was assigned to Cambodia in 2004. He and I lived together until 2008 when he was elected to the General Council for the Maryknoll priests and brothers group. Good guy. I’m going to miss him.

In the photo, Fr. Ray Finch, the Superior General of the Maryknoll priests and brothers, incense’s Ed’s coffin at the beginning of the funeral in the main chapel at Maryknoll, New York.

New Manager

Today the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme welcomed a new program manager, Mr. Sau Soknym. Soknym had previously worked for the Maryknoll Seedling program until it closed so he is well known to many of the DDP staff and the Maryknoll community. He will be in charge of managing the day-to-day operations of the DDP Administration and the five projects. Welcome, Soknym!

A jump in the wrong direction….

Cambodia seemed to be blessed. It took a year to reach about 350 COVID-19 infections in the kingdom–and no deaths. Then on 20 February four Cambodians bribed guards and sneaked away from quarantine and started a surge of infections. In just five or six days 200 new infections were discovered and the numbers keep increasing.

Because of that all schools in Phnom Penh and Kandal Province have been closed and the prime minister has asked people not to come to the capital city.

Dreaming…but not too high



This young woman is fulfilling a dream that I have encountered in many young mothers like her–to have a little business, in this case a drinks shop, to contribute their share in supporting the family but being able to be with and care for their children throughout the day in the shop that is the front part of their home.

The Old New Year

The Lunar (Chinese) New Year was February 12th but there are still plenty of remnants of the holiday decorations still around Phnom Penh. Many stores and other establishments still have their doorway decorations.

The colorful new year flower arrangements are the most perishable of the decorations and many have found their way to the trash, but a surprising number still grace the fronts of stores and homes.