Category: Church

The Catholic Church in Cambodia.

Job Coaching 2

Kim Ratana, the director of Caritas Cambodia, offers some comments on the training the Caritas projects are undergoing.
Invited to this job coaching training were all the Caritas Cambodia projects that deal with employment and people with disabilities. Here Kevin Cook explains about assessment of clients to see if they are ready for employment.

Job Coaching

Caritas Cambodia has organized a training on job coaching for this week, inviting all the Caritas projects that involve people with disabilities. Mr. Kevin Cook, an American now resident in Thailand, is teaching the theory and practice of successfully finding appropriate employment for people with physical and intellectual disabilities.

The training was originally scheduled for five days but then the government threw a wrench in the works by declaring yesterday a holiday on three days’ notice which necessitated shortening the time with Kevin to three days.
The style of the training involves a lot of interaction and discussion in the table groups and then quick summaries of their thought and ideas.

A commitment

Today Sr. Bernadette Pheng Sreymom professed her perpetual vows as a Salesian sister. The ceremony was in Kampong Cham, her home province, and many people from Phnom Penh and other provinces came to show their support and appreciation.

For the ceremony large tents were set up to accommodate the hundreds of sister colleagues and friends from the north and south of Cambodia.
I believe Sr. Bernadette is the second Cambodian young woman to become a Salesian sister. She is assigned to the Tuol Kork community so I have known her there where I go for mass on Monday mornings.
A very joyous group gathered to be with Sr. Bernadette as she took her final vows.
Bishop Suon Hangly, the prefect of the Kampong Cham diocese, received Sr. Bernadette’s vows for the church.

Progress, but slow….

The construction at the new St. Joseph Church is continuing but there isn’t much dramatic change from week to week. There is some landscaping of the plot around the church going on but the real work is inside now.

Visitors from Korea 3

Isolation is one of the most debilitating characteristics of deafness. Because deaf people often don’t share a common language with society, they can be ignored or shunted out of the mainstream of information and personal contact. That makes the visit of the Korean deaf group significant, just at a superficial level.

But another positive result of the visit is the opening of the eyes and minds of our deaf students to possibilities that are common in developed countries like Korea but are unheard of for deaf people in Cambodia. It is so important for them to gain a new vision and be challenged by a dream of who they can become.

That new vision can be a reassuring one, too. Over the years I have talked with deaf teenagers and have had them relate a fear and a question about when they will die–not at an old age but as they approach young adulthood. Too often deaf children never have the opportunity to meet and be around deaf adults. They literally never see them and some of the youth interpret that to mean they will die before they get old. Having a Korean deaf group with confident, mature, capable deaf adults–some with gray hair–come to DDP lets deaf youth know there is life after their teens.

Visitors from Korea 2

Yesterday 25 deaf people from a church in Busan, Korea came to visit DDP. It turned out to be a really affirming event for our visitors and for our students and staff.

We started off explaining the five projects that form the work of the Deaf Development Programme.
Then the visitors were invited to ask questions about the life and circumstances of our deaf people in Cambodia.
Our visitors brought a lunch box for all the staff and students at DDP and then also unwrapped boxes of practical gifts for them.

Grandparents Day

Today was the fourth observance of Grandparents Day that was started by Pope Francis.

As part of the observance, I asked all the grandparents at the Saturday evening mass to put up their hands. Three people did so. If I were in the United States probably 2/3 of the congregation would put up their hands but we have an unusual demographic here.

Our congregation is made up of young adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. They have come here to work and earn money to support their families back in their home countries. Their younger siblings–even often their own children–are in their home country and it’s the grandparents taking care of them. Our congregation are here to send money back for them.

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 Fr. Kevin blessed the altar.
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.]