Category: Church

The most important ceremony of the Catholic Church year is the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night. Click here for pictures of the Phnom Penh English community’s service.

(Second of two posts on 21 April)

Our Good Friday service was at St. Joseph Church and was well attended. Click here to see photos from the evening.

(First of two posts on 21 April)

We held our Holy Thursday service at St. Joseph Church at 6:30 PM. Click here to see the different parts of the ceremony.

We’re a week late with this post because of the past week’s busy-ness but click here to see photos of our Palm Sunday celebration at St. Joseph Church.

Yesterday I got home from the Holy Thursday service very late after a busy day–I never had a chance to eat supper–and I didn’t have time to post something here. Now today that pattern repeated with the Good Friday service. Sorry! I’ll be back on track on Saturday, I hope.

Today was the quarterly meeting of the Catholic Alliance for Charity and Development (CACD), the social outreach of the diocese of Phnom Penh. Representatives from all the Catholic NGOs and agencies and from the religious communities come together to discuss chosen topics and to become a better face of the church’s outreach to the people of Cambodia.

I was totally surprised–twice!—this weekend as I turned 75 years old. On Friday a group I meet with regularly came to the Maryknoll office where I live and then today, Sunday, the congregation celebrated with me after the morning mass. Click here to see wonderful celebrations with beautiful people.

Well…. Today was my birthday and it didn’t even occur to me until I got an e-mail this morning with birthday greetings from Peg in Louisville. I assumed no one here knew it was my birthday and just went about a normal day. Someone had called yesterday to make an appointment to see me at 6:00 PM and I was waiting for her when suddenly about 35 children and adults appeared on the front porch of the Maryknoll office! They brought food and drinks and a cake and it was a total, wonderful surprise. All of the families were from our weekly prayer group and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. It was a delightful evening and thinking back, I believe it was the first birthday party I have had in 60+ years! Thank you all!

Every month a number of lay missioners from various mission communities in various countries get together in Phnom Penh in a type of support group. For the February meeting, Sr. Len Montiel was invited to speak of her many years of experience in the kingdom. She is preparing to be reassigned with Maryknoll in the United States in March.