Every year, usually in December, the group of Maryknoll Lay Missioners in Cambodia has an overnight retreat at some center near Phnom Penh. And most years it is led by Kathy Morefield, a Maryknoll Associate and a spiritual director who spends a large part of each year in Cambodia. This year the retreat began on a Sunday and finished on Monday, a holiday because of Human Rights Day. |
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| Kathy Morefield and five of MKLM group arrived on Sunday morning. Charlie Dittmeier arrived at lunch time after presiding at mass for the English community in Phnom Penh. Here (l to r) Kathy, Sami Scott, Susan Sporl, and Peg Vamosy set up for our stay at the retreat center. |  |
| The house we used for a retreat is in a small resort-area outside of Phnom Penh. Set in a small lake, it has five rooms and a large living area. |  |
| After supper, the group got together to sing Christmas carols. The group is fortunate to have two talented musicians, Peg Vamosy on guitar and Sami Scott on the flute. Here Kathy Morefield add her voice to the merriment. They then had a board game and then started watching a movie. |  |
| In the morning, before breakfast, the group gathered in a little hilltop kiosks for a simple liturgy together. Left to right are Peg Vamosy, Charlie Dittmeier, Lindsay Doucette, Sami Scott, Susan Sporl, and Lisa Pirie. |  |
| The little kiosk is located on a small man-made hillock near to the large retreat house. |  |
| All the meals were eaten in the center's dining area, in another building near another lake. |  |
| The living room of the house provided a large and functional place for our sessions and singing and socializing. |  |
| The Bayon Temple at Angkor Wat has more than 30 of these stone faces situated throughout the edifice and the face has become something of a symbol for Cambodia. The retreat center has this large Bayon face near the gateway which provides a convenient place for a group photograph. |  |