Charles Dittmeier – Welcome to Cambodia, and…..

Cambodia-Thailand Conflict

Bishop Olivier of Phnom Penh is a very active player in the life of the kingdom and always reaches out to the Buddhists to address issues, celebrate events, etc. In the current conflict between the kingdoms of Cambodia and Thailand, Bishop Olivier has gone to the front lines with a Buddhist delegation and has engaged with Buddhist leadership in praying for peace.

The joint prayer events take on a form not so familiar to Christian groups. Literally hundreds of Buddhist monks came together for this joint prayer service.

New Year 2026

Cambodia-Thailand Conflict

Dittmeier Christmas Time

Today the Dittmeier family had their Christmas gathering at Nazareth Home Clifton where I live. This was a first because always before we met at my sister Mary and husband Mike’s home. The out-of-state families with children came this year, though, so we moved to Nazareth Home where there was more room for the children to play. It was a delightful gathering.

Christmas Time

John’s gospel begins with “In the beginning was the Word….and the Word was God…. All things came to be through him”. Creation spirituality asks us to consider that the Incarnation–God becoming human and part of creation–was not just a one-time event with the birth of Christ but that God was incarnate in creation from the beginning, from the Big Bang.

In Luke’s gospel, in his account of the birth of May’s son, he reminds us three times that Jesus was born in the city of David. There, when the promised savior is born, shepherds and angels–representing the land and the sky, the earth and the heavens, the totality of creation–rejoice together. The Incarnate One is part of all creation, not just the human species.

Christmas Time

On Christmas Eve, the psalm instructs all creation to rejoice–the sky and the land, the sea and the plains, even the trees–because God is coming to rule with world with justice. Likewise, the prophet Isaiah proclaims that the son to be born is cause for rejoicing because he upholds and sustains justice. People who have been burdened will stand up straight; those who walked in darkness will emerge into the light.

Christmas Day

Christmas is more than the opportunity to reflect on the innocence of the child Jesus lying among the sheep and the cattle. It is mean to focus our attention on the wonder of God’s desire to become one with humanity and thus all of creation

Christmas Eve

The St. Boniface Christmas Eve service started with a blessing of the nativity scene.

A Catholic funeral in a Catholic church

Today I had a funeral for a parishioner of St. Boniface. It was the first funeral I have celebrated since my return, and it was certainly different from the funerals I had in Cambodia, most of which were held in Buddhist pagodas.

Finishing Advent

After the 11:00 AM mass today, the parishioners got busy changing the theme of the sanctuary from Advent to Christmas.

Local shepherds were seen near the nativity scene by the sanctuary and were invited to take their places early.

I have a funeral at St. Boniface on Tuesday, but after that we can start setting out flowers and making other arrangements for the Christmas Eve 5:00 PM liturgy.