Church – Welcome to Cambodia, and…..

Theme for Day of Peace

January 1st each year is celebrated as an international day for peace. Today Pope Leo announced the theme for this year’s celebration.

The theme for the January 1, 2026 Day of Peace is:“Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace.” The theme “invites humanity to reject the logic of violence and war, and to embrace an authentic peace based on love and justice.”

It was interesting that at the 50th anniversary of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners last weekend, Marie Dennis announced a new peace initiative from Pax Christi. Marie was previously the director of the Maryknoll peace and justice office, and then was national head of Pax Christi, and the international head of Pax Christi. She now directs the international Pax Christi’s Catholic Non-violence Initiative. It is an attempt to put non-violence at the center of Catholic theology. They are meeting with Vatican officials about that in October.

The pope has also written a book on peace, with the title “And let there be peace.”

MKLM Anniversary/Monday

Actually this was the day after the anniversary weekend. I had planned two days post-anniversary to visit friends at Maryknoll but things didn’t work out that way.

At breakfast I felt a little soreness in my throat and wondered if I was coming down with something, and then learned that one of the people at the weekend’s anniversary festivities had tested positive for Covid on returning home and called back to New York to tell us.

I canceled my plans to visit the elderly guys at the seminary building and basically stayed in my room all day except for visiting some offices after breakfast before the Covid scare. But by lunch time my throat soreness was gone and with the negative test, I’m declaring myself virus free and getting on with life till I leave after lunch tomorrow.

This is the front of the main building at the Sisters Center. I had the room circled, a VIP visitor suite.

Srs. Ann Sherman and Regina Pellicore, in the back of the kitchen, as we were heading up to the treasury department.

Srs. Luise Ahrens and Regina, both former Cambodia Maryknollers. Luise now oversees the education of all the sisters, especially making sure that sisters from less developed countries are able to get university degrees in the US.

Finally we got up to the treasury department where Renato Abella works. An old friend, he was formerly with the Maryknoll Lay Missioners but moved to the Maryknoll Sisters when the lay missioners reorganized.

This is the main chapel of the sisters, with monastic-style seating.

Tonight I had dinner with another old friend, also a former Maryknoller in Cambodia, Adel O Regan. It was good to catch up on all the people we have both known.

MKLM Anniversary/Sunday

One of the best parts of this anniversary weekend was reconnecting with old Maryknoll friends like Joe Loney and Juan Zuniga.

Elivira Ramirez, Executive Director of Maryknoll Lay Missioners, gave a report to begin the morning.

Then Mike Wrob, chairman of the Board of Directors, gave a report on the board’s activities and plans.

Bob Short gave an update on the activities of the Maryknoll Associates.

After all the reports were finished, the program ended with a final lunch. In the afternoon, I went to the Mariandale center in Ossining to meet with Dominican Sister Janet Marchesani. We worked together with Catholic deaf people 45 years ago. Now her Dominican Sisters of Hope have been donating money to assist the Deaf Development Programme in Cambodia.

Returning to Maryknoll, I moved from the center of the Maryknoll priests and brothers to the center of the Maryknoll Sisters to meet with sisters I have known from Hong Kong and Cambodia. Sr. Regina Pellicore welcomed me.

MKLM Anniversary/Saturday

Today’s morning prayer was presented online by Julie Lawler (L) and Sophy who were in Cambodia.

Part of the prayer service involved an appeal from Narith, a deaf staff member of DDP, for more Maryknoll Lay Missioners to come to Cambodia.

Ella a young woman from a family that supports the Maryknoll Lay Missioners spoke about how to engage her generation in mission.

Then the MKLM staff working at the Maryknoll center were recognized.

Next all the participants were asked to gather in the courtyard for a group photo.

Then Bishop John Stowe, OFM, gave the keynote address–very well received–for this anniversary program.

Following the bishop’s presentation, he and Fr. Lance Nadeau, Maryknoll Superior General, presided at the jubilee mass.

Every meal was delightful, being with old friends and meeting previously unknown Maryknollers. And the food was delicious!

Then in the evening there was a reception, another occasion to engage others of the Maryknoll family.

MKLM Anniversary/Thursday

August 14-17, the Maryknoll Lay Missioners are celebrating their 50th anniversary at Maryknoll, New York. I flew up from Louisville to celebrate and reflect on the 38 years I spent with the lay mission group.

It’s always so pleasant to come back to the beautiful Maryknoll seminary building.

Registration was in the Walsh Building and as soon as I walked in, I encountered our former Cambodian colleagues, Dave and Judy Saumweber and Sami Scott.

After the mass we had dinner at the Sisters Center.

The first official function was a mass for all the guests at the chapel of the Sisters Center. I interpreted the first scripture reading into sign language.

The first day program ended with reflections on Maryknoll by Sr. Ellen McDonald and Fr. John Sivalon (pictured here).

St. Joseph Farewell for Charlie

Today at the 10:30 AM mass we had a farewell for Charlie. This was his last mass with the English Catholic Community in Phnom Penh before returning to the United States tomorrow.

At the homily Charlie spoke of faith, not as assent to a series theological statements but rather a force that leads us to do as Jesus asks us.

A special part of this liturgy was the presence of deaf people and staff (front row, all Buddhist) from the Deaf Development Programme with Maryknoll Lay Missioner Julie Lawler interpreting in Cambodian Sign Language for them.

After some reflections there was time to take photos of various groups within our English Catholic Community. Here are the various liturgical ministers who serve our community.

St. Jude Farewell for Charlie

Tonight I had my last mass at St. Jude school, our Saturday night venue, and we had a full house. Afterwards we had a simple farewell program. Fr. Kevin, who has been with me for 20 of my 25 years, introduced the program after the final prayer of the mass.

Before mass Benilda Fernando, a pillar of the English Catholic Community, Hang Tran, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner, and Fr. Kevin Conroy and I got together for a photo.

Before leading the blessing of the community for me, Fr. Kevin spoke of our living and working together in the parish community. It was a really well developed reflection and I immensely appreciated it.

And another goodbye

For 37 years I worked with the Maryknoll Lay Missioners, especially in Hong Kong and Cambodia. In Cambodia we work with lay missioners from other countries and some of the international group got together for an Italian dinner opportunity to say goodbye to me.

St. Vincent de Paul Meeting

Today the St. Vincent de Paul Society of our English Catholic Community met with the national leadership of the SVDP group in Cambodia to talk about our experiences and to get our English group more closely aligned to the SVDP worldwide model. It was a good meeting!

SVDP is a lay organization, i.e., it is not run by priests but by lay people. Priests are not supposed to be regular members. I’m still involved because I started SVDP with our English community and am helping with formation.

Two things are really important in the Catholic Church:
• the eucharist: at the Last Supper, Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me.”
• serving the poor: again at the Last Supper, washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus said “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

Those were Jesus’ explicit commands. He never said build hospitals, run Catholic universities, protect the environment. Those are all good things and we must do them. But when it came down to the essentials, he wanted us to gather and support each other in the eucharist and then go out and serve the poor.

[More tomorrow…]