Category: Church

The Catholic Church in Cambodia.

Church Priorities

The Catholic Church has been active for 2000+ years and has initiated and developed many valuable programs and services. Based on the vision and teaching of Jesus, though, probably the two most important responsibilities of the church are not building schools and hospitals—valuable, even necessary as that is–but [1] providing the eucharist in which the people of God are united with Jesus their head and [2] serving the poor which Jesus constantly spoke about. Today I was at St. Frances of Rome Church, one of the oldest parishes in Louisville.

The small neighborhood church, simply but tastefully appointed, provides a warm and welcoming space for the community to gather in.
The church also each weekend puts out baskets (under the table above) to collect non-perishable foods for community food pantries. Today I dropped off a couple boxes of cereal we had to donate.

Theology Discussion

Every two weeks a group of us priests and lay people meet for two hours to discuss a theology book. Currently we are going through a book by an Irish theologian, Diarmuid O’Murchu who presents some challenging ideas about God and about humanity’s place in creation. Today for the first time we met at Nazareth Home Clifton in the lobby of the independent living building where the priests live.

This kind of gathering is really difficult in Cambodia because almost none of the laity would have the background in theology to participate and discussing a book in English would also present a big problem.

On the road again (Phnom Penh 5)

After the consecration of the new St. Joseph Church yesterday, parish communities and ministers like the brothers and sisters and priests were invited to a lunch. I sat with the Missionaries of Charity. I had mass with them last Thursday and will again this coming Thursday morning before I leave. Eating with us is quite different from the sisters’ situation not long ago when they religious community rules would not allow them to eat in public with non-community members. It is wonderful now that they are more accessible to the whole community and their gifts and talents and faith are available to everyone. Next to me is Fr. Jeanluca, a PIME (Italian mission group) priest who is rector of the Phnom Penh seminary.
Saturday morning we had the consecration of the new St. Joseph Church building. Saturday evening we had the regular weekend mass in the new venue of St. Jude Thaddeus School. The English Catholic Community uses the covered rooftop of the school.

Most of my time here in Phnom Penh this visit has been meeting with people. I had a list of tasks to be accomplished but have not completed most of them because of so many meetings with individuals. Yesterday I met with Fr. Kevin Conroy, another former Maryknoll Associate Priest. He and I lived together at the previous Maryknoll office. I met him in his new room in the Tuol Tum Poung area.

In the background in the center of the photo is a 10-storey orange building which is the guesthouse where I am staying this trip. It costs me $15 a night.

Consecration of New St. Joseph Church

Before a Catholic church is used for worship, the building is blessed and the altar is consecrated for sacred use. On May 2nd the new church at St. Joseph Church was consecrated with a long ceremony.

The ceremony, attended by perhaps 800-900 people, began outside with a procession that would around the new church building.
Once inside, Bishop Olivier presided, accompanied by the other two bishops in Cambodia and a new bishop from Thailand who is a former missionary in Cambodia.
Before the altar was consecrated, Bishop Olivier inserted relics of saints into the top of the altar–a tradition from the early days of Christianity when masses were celebrated in the places where martyrs had been killed.
Next the top of the altar was smeared with holy oil and then pots of incensed were arranged on it during a special prayer.
Finally altar cloths were put on the altar and it was ready for celebrating the mass of dedication.

On the road again (Phnom Penh 4)

For most of the past 25 years I have had morning masses once a week for the Salesian Sisters in Tuol Kork and twice a week for the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s sisters) at their orphanage. Now this week I have renewed those contacts. First I went to the Salesians and, blessed with an abundance of fruit from their mango trees, I went home with a box of sliced mango (my favorite fruit). Then the next day I had mass for the MC Sisters and they noted the occasion on their mass board.

The fork is a disposable bamboo utensil from my Eva Airlines (Taiwan) flight to Cambodia.

What’s New in Archlou

The Archdiocese of Louisville has a podcast every month about people and activities in the local church. It’s a half hour program that is also televised. Yesterday Sr. Susan Gatz, a Sister of Charity of Nazareth, and I were interviewed by Dr. Brian Reynolds, the chancellor of the diocese. He asked us about our ministry experiences as missionaries outside of the United States. Our program was taped yesterday but will be broadcast in May.