Deaf – Page 14 – Welcome to Cambodia, and…..

Asian Deaf Catholic Conference 5

Cultural Night

After the meetings, we gathered in the hall for our Sunday liturgy with the priest from Korea presiding.

Then it was time for a special dinner. A traditional symbolic basket of food was presented first.

Some trained dancers then presented traditional Indonesian dances.

Then the deaf country groups performed short national dances. First, Japan…

Asian Deaf Catholic Conference 4

Meetings

After two days of sightseeing, the work of the conference began, but first each country was invited to set up a display of their culture and activities and the deaf community. Here Japan posts some photos from their activities.

As part of their display, Japan offered deaf people from other countries to dress up in Japanese costumes.

Then the meetings began. A major focus of discussion was whether this organization should continue as just a regular conference or should become a forma association of Catholic deaf people in Asia.

the first discussions were followed by reports from each of the countries on their activities.

Later discussions on the that major issue were continued in small groups.

Asian Deaf Catholic Conference 3

After visiting the National Monument, the three buses went to the Jakarta Cathedral for a mass with the cardinal of Jakarta.

When we arrived at the cathedral, we had a tour of the cathedral museum, a game, and a short prayer at an outside grotto, and then another box lunch. We had a lot of box meals as we traveled around over three days.

The liturgy was complex with many ministers and participants, but it was well planned by a very competent staff.

At the end, Fr. Park Min Seo showed a video made by Cardinal Bo of Myanmar, welcoming our group on behalf of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences. Fr. Park was using sign language and I was interpreting that into spoken English. Other interpreters listened to my English and then interpreted the thoughts into their national sign languages.

Then the cardinal and all the ADCC 3 priests posed for pictures with these ministers and then with each of the national groups. I am wearing an ear piece connected to my phone which was connected to Zoom and a service that translated spoken Indonesian Bahasa into English.

Asian Deaf Catholic Conference 2

National monument

We spent quite a few hours in these three buses this week. On the first full day, after breakfast we boarded them to go the Indonesian National Monument.

Inside building below the large monolith, a guide gave a brief summary of Indonesia history which interpreters relayed in sign language.

As might be expected many school children were at the monument for field trips. These students were waiting their turn to see the exhibits.

The exhibit hall had four walls of colorful, historically accurate dioramas with figures (not paintings) to depict important scenes in Indonesia’s past.

Later, back outside, we ate a box lunch on the monument’s platform before boarding the buses to go to the next stop.

Asian Catholic Deaf Conference 1

Arrival

The Catholic deaf groups of Asia started a conference held every three years to bring the Catholic deaf people together for a time of learning and celebrating our faith together. This third conference, delayed several years by Covid, attracted 150 participants.

Four of us from Cambodia attend ADCC 3 in Jakarta. Here we have arrived at the Samadi Center at 1:30 AM and encountered a Filipino deaf family I first met in Cebu in the Philippines 35 years ago.

In the morning our group was fortunate to encounter Fr. Park Min Seo, a deaf priest from Korea, who is the main figure in the Catholic deaf church of Asia.

The curse of the Internet is that work follows one everywhere. Shortly after breakfast, Julie Lawler and I participated in a Zoom meeting with two technical assistants in New York who are coming to teach interpreter training in Cambodia.

The first formal activity of the conference was an opening mass presided over by Fr. Park Min Seo who welcomed everyone and invited their participation.

In the evening, the South Koreans had not yet arrived but everyone else gathered for an introductory session to explain what would happen during the next five days.

Deaf Week

Preparation

Deaf Week around the world is September 17-23, and our big Deaf Day celebration will be on Sunday, 17 September. We are using the Don Bosco Vocational Training school’s outdoor area and a DDP staff team went to look at the site. Upon returning, they gathered to discuss the placement of the various activities.

Customizing

One of our barber students spent some after-hours time customizing his bike. I’m not sure how he got the yellow plastic strips or what they are from, but he spent a couple hours fixing up his ride.

Birthday

Then the staff and students gathered in the eating area outside to surprise Sreytin.

And there was the mandatory group photo!

The planning begins….

The last full week in September is celebrated annually as Deaf Week, a time for deaf people to celebrate their situation, their life, their culture. We celebrate Deaf Week at DDP but this year we are late getting started. Today we had our first meeting about our activities that will start just about a month from now.

Time to go….

Today we said goodbye to two of our student barbers (L2 and L3) who have finished their training. Their families came to pick them up–and a barber chair and a lot of supplies to help them establish their own business when they get back to their home villages. It is rewarding to see them hopeful and excited on their departure, and we wish them all success!