Author: Charles Dittmeier

Maryknoll Christmas

Christmas is a work day in Cambodia but at supper time the Maryknoll Cambodia Mission Team got together with several friends who pray with us every Wednesday and we had a delightful dinner together.

The early arrivals sit down for some chitchat.
A lively table finishing up dessert.
James Havey (L) is a Maryknoll Lay Missioner and his family came from the USA for Christmas in Cambodia. Here the family looks at a chalice that was used for today’s Christmas mass. It was donated by Dr. Havey (C) in memory of his father who was a long-time member and leader of the Knights of Columbus.

Signs of Christmas

Being a Buddhist country and culture, there is very little Cambodian appreciation of Christmas in the religious sense, but as happens with so many Western holidays and celebrations, the commercial aspect comes into play. Few people could identify Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Jesus but those same people would buy red “Santa suits” to dress up their children. They become especially popular for “international” schools which have Christmas programs to prove they are international which is the label that attracts parents. Here are some photos of shops selling the Santa clothes.

Wearing the latest…

It’s interesting to see new styles and fashions and practices pop up in Cambodia and wonder if they are fads in other countries that are taking hold here, or if they are just homegrown trends becoming established.
It’s not unusual these days to see young children like the two above sporting these quirky caps with long ear pieces that are supposed to resemble animal paws

Soft Target

Last Easter three churches were bombed by terrorists in Sri Lanka and 290 people were killed. World Vision International became concerned about its facilities around the world and has them to increase their security practices. The English Catholic community rents the auditorium of World Vision in Phnom Penh for its Saturday evening mass and now we need to introduce new security measures. We had an extensive meeting with World Vision and heard their requests for really stringent measures that wouldn’t be suitable for a church service, e.g., signing in and signing out, bringing no bags, backpacks, etc.

In the end we arranged that all our members will be issued ID badges which they must wear each week. Because we get tourists and others coming to our services irregularly, people without badges will be asked to sign in and possibly have their backpacks checked. It’s a nuisance but a measure we can live with. About ten years ago I was talking to an official of the U.S. State Department and he cautioned me that our congregation would be a prime soft target for terrorists. It’s all foreigners, we have various ambassadors and UN officials coming, and it would generate a lot of publicity which would be attractive to the terrorists.

Simbang Gabi in Phnom Penh 3

The Philippines Embassy in Phnom Penh was trying to recreate the spirit of the Simbang Gabi pre-Christmas devotions celebrated on the nine days before Christmas in the Philippines but limited it to three nights. The first two nights were Catholic masses but the third night was an ecumenical service with people attending from five Christian churches.

A woman pastor from the Jesus Is Lord church led a session of praise and worship.
Another leader, from the International Christian Assembly, led music performed during the collection of the offering
A Christmas nativity scene erected outside the Embassy of the Philippines.

Simbang Gabi in Phnom Penh 2

This evening the Filipino Community had a second Simbang Gabi mass at the Philippino Embassy.

This was the second of the three evening services to be held as part of Simbang Gabi. The first two were Catholic masses. The third will be a Christian ecumenical service.
Again the mass goers were treated to Christmas music after the service, this time from the Nine Harmonics (one was missing tonight!). They had an energetic and fun performance.