Blessing a New Center

12 December 2010

Galwad Kalinga is an outreach group that is part of Couples for Christ.  They undertake some rather big projects to better the situation of poor and marginalized people in various countries.  In Cambodia they developed a small village of about twenty families a year or so ago, and now they have added a little community office and storeroom.  Today they had a special gathering to bless the new addition.

Galwad Kalinga Rafael

 The name of this little village is Galwad Kalinga Rafael, and it is located on southwest edge of Phnom Penh.  It was originally a rice field, and crop land still surrounds the little settlement.
The community center

 The village is a group of four buildings, each with five or six one-room houses set side-by-side in a row.  The four buildings form a central square where there is an open-air community center.
Beginning the ceremony

 Fr. Mario Ghezzi is the priest assigned to the area of the village, and he was invited to bless a new building which will be used as an office and storeroom.
Many children participated

 The brightly colored houses have common toilets and also public pumps connected to two wells for clean water.
Fr. Mario blessing the people

 Fr. Mario blessed all the people of the community first, and then went around to each of the houses plus the new building.  Sprinkling with holy water is a rite that is also used by the Buddhist monks in their blessing ceremonies.
Teenagers performing

 After the blessing, various groups of young people from the village and from Galwad Kalinga sang songs to entertain the group before they ate together and had a Christmas party with gifts for the children.

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