Category: Church

The Catholic Church in Cambodia.

Jesuit Ordination

We arrived in Battambang about 1:00 PM on Friday for the ordination to be held on Saturday morning. Preparations were in full swing.

At the actual site of the ordination, chairs were set up for a reported 2,000 attendees.
Bishop Olivier went over the texts and different parts of the ceremony with the ministers for the next day.
Bishop Kike took photos of the young women who would perform the traditional welcome dance at the beginning of the ceremony.
Musicians with traditional Cambodian instruments accompanied the dancers for the rehearsal.
On another part of the church grounds, sleeping arrangements were prepared for the hundreds of overnight guests coming from far parts of Cambodia.
Then as night fell a simple meal was offered to those who had worked hard and would be staying overnight.

Jesuit Ordination

Yesterday and today, I was in Battambang at the Catholic center there, to participate in the ordination of Chour Damo as a Jesuit priest. The ordination was today. I went there yesterday because it is a 5+ hours drive from Phnom Penh. Yesterday as workers were preparing food, lodging, the church grounds, and the ordination site, I found Chour Damo together with his younger brother, Chour Darong who is the executive director of Krousar Thmey, an International NGO serving children at risk in Cambodia.

Chour Darong (L) and Chour Damo

New Lay Missioners

Today two new lay missioners (next to Fr. Charlie) from the Japan Lay Mission Movement came to the English mass at St. Joseph Church with the director of their program (L). They are studying Khmer language now and will eventually serve in Siem Reap and Battambang Provinces. Welcome!

Sunday of the Transfiguration and Hiroshima

A prayer for the Sunday on which we remember the Transfiguration and the bombing of Hiroshima

God of life, in a blaze of light on Mount Tabor, you transfigured Jesus, revealing him as your beloved son and promising us a share in his glory.

But in a blinding flash of warfare at Hiroshima we–the children who inherited the promise of glory–annihilated human life, disfigured the face of Christ, and mocked his gospel call to gentleness and peace.

Let the beacon of that gospel pierce again the clouds covering the earth, so that even in the darkness of these times we may believe your day will dawn. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son who lives and reigns in the unity of Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.  Amen.

New Salesian Sister

Today Sr. Chantha (with bag) took her first vows as a Salesian Sister. She attended the Salesian vocational training school where I have mass on Mondays, graduating from there about 10 years ago and then going through the formation period to become a sister. Here she is with her parents (1st and 4th from left) who are Buddhists.

Lay Mission Meeting

The lay missioners from mission-sending groups from various countries get together each month in a type of support group. This month they met at the MEP house on the Bassac River.

The session started with a prayer/reflection session in the chapel.
Then there was a break while a projector was set up.
The business part of the meeting was on a large outdoor porch overlooking the Bassac River.
Sr. Pilar, who runs an NGO for women abused and at risk, explained her program.
We concluded our afternoon with a networking activity.

Coming Along

The new church at St. Joseph Parish is moving along. Now much of the outer building is in place although enough is missing that it is hard to visualize what the final structure will look like. Here workmen load cement into a large tub for a crane to lift it to the rear of the building.

June Lay Mission Meeting

Every month lay missioners from the different mission groups get together in a support and socialization group. This month they met at the Don Bosco Vocational Training School for Girls.

First, the Salesian Sisters took the group on a tour of the school, especially highlighting the new building for teaching commercial cooking, cosmetology, hospitality, and other skills.
The new building has a large commercial kitchen which can support groups meeting in the different gathering areas.
The sisters also explained the history and ministry of the Salesian Sisters in Cambodia and Myanmar.

Retreat: Saturday

Saturday was a departure day. We had mass at 6:30 AM and then breakfast and then almost everyone was on the road by 8:00 AM, heading back to their parishes throughout Cambodia.

Looking downhill toward the sea–which isn’t visible anymore because of development that has taken place.
Looking sideways across the hillside. Just four or five years ago, there was nothing taller than the red tile roofs of the retreat center buildings in the foreground.
St. Michael’s Church at the center is a distinctive building, designed by Cambodia’s foremost architect. It is noteworthy as one of two churches left standing by the Khmer Rouge in their four years of terror. They used the church as a barracks for their troops.
Bishop Olivier was genuinely pleased to offer a gift of a wooden statue of Mary, carved by Cambodian craftsmen, to Archbishop Julian Leow who gave us a wonderful retreat.

Retreat: Friday

I have a lot of good reflections and memories from this year’s retreat for priests. One of the best memories is meeting Archbishop Julian Leow from Kuala Lumpur. He is a Francis bishop and just what the church needs. He renews my hope.