Church – Welcome to Cambodia, and…..

First Mass at St. Jude School

Our first liturgy as the English Catholic Community at St. Jude Thaddeus School was enhanced by the blessing of the church (the people) and the building (the place where the church meets). In addition we were fortunate to celebrate the renewal of their marriage vows by Manuel and Juanita Isip.

Manuel and Juanita Isip (both in white) in the front row at the first mass at St. Jude Thaddeus School.

Juanita and Manuel renewed their promises with the community as witnesses. We thank the Isips for their faithfulness and the example they give to all our married members.

First Mass at St. Jude School

Our Saturday night English Catholic Community finally found a new home at St. Jude Thaddeus International School. Starting 20 July, our Saturday masses will be held in their new multipurpose room. These are pictures from our first liturgy there.

Because this was the first time for our gathering at St. Jude Thaddeus School, Fr. Charlie explained both the building and the church blessing liturgy we would celebrate that evening.

First we had a blessing of the people–the church–and then Fr. Charlie blessed the building where the church will meet from now on.

As the blessing of the building ended, members of the parish covered the previously bare altar with the altar cloths and set out the candles and the liturgical books to be used.

Then we continued with the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist in our first mass in our new center.

After the last blessing, everyone turned to face a rear balcony for a photograph to help us remember this special day.

[Our special thanks to Ms. Myra Dalmacia, the director of the St. Jude Thaddeus International School, who has invited us to use her school for our liturgy. And our sincere thanks to Tommy Boukhris Photography who took these photos for us.]

New Church Progress

The warehouse we are taking over as a worship space for our Saturday night liturgy for the English Catholic Community is almost ready. It’s still got a rough concrete floor, no fans, etc., but we have a “sanctuary” and the old altar we used to use at World Vision and 229 plastic chairs. Tomorrow is the day for our first gathering there.

New Church Progress

Our first Saturday evening mass at St. Jude Thaddeus School’s multipurpose room is getting close but we’re getting things ready mostly on schedule. Today I took the old altar we used at the World Vision auditorium to the school on top of a tuk-tuk. That’s Sambath, known to three decades of Maryknollers, taking it off the top. While in the hall, I also tested the new sound system and it works. We’re getting there!

New Church Progress

Today we were at St. Jude Thaddeus School where we are going to use their multipurpose room for our Saturday evening masses. Today’s goal was to test their sound system, try out our projector, and see how to arrange the chairs. We had planned originally to put the altar on the red platform and project on the wall behind it but the room has permanent skylights and we found the brightest area of the walls is just where we wanted to project. That is not going to work!

Cleaning up

Today a group of lay missioners in Phnom Penh visited the seminary to talk with the seminarians who will be priests in three years. Then we had dinner together and then Sambath, Chamroeun, and Ratana did the dishes.

New Church Progress

Our two wicker cabinets and keyboard and processional cross arrived at St. Jude Thaddeus School after a short one kilometer ride from the DK Meeting Centre.

Myra, the school owner, and two staff move our cabinets into a storage area they created for our church materials.

New Church Progress

The furniture and equipment from the previous St. Jude Thaddeus School building has now been moved to the new site of the school. Currently it is held in what will be a multipurpose room while the classrooms are being completed.

Visitors

A group of us continue to meet on Wednesday evenings for a liturgy and then dinner together. Tonight we were joined by Rachel (L, seated) and her daughter Chenda (2R, standing). Rachel was a Maryknoll Lay Missioner in Cambodia, arriving in the same group with Charlie Dittmeier in 2000.

New Church

The new St. Joseph Church is getting more detail on the outside and getting ceilings and column decorations on the inside. Fr. Chatsirey is talking about being in the new building by Christmas.