Brother Darryl Slater Memorial Service

Brother Darryl Slater, a Marist brother from Australia, died three months ago at the LaValla School near Phnom Penh where he lived and worked with young people with severe physical disabilities. In Buddhist culture, there is a 100-day ceremony, and that was held today at the school.
Memorial Service for Brother Darryl Slater

20 March 2012

Fr. Kevin Corrigan, a diocesan priest from Australia, is working at LaValla for a year. He presided at a Catholic service for the few Catholics students and staff at the school who were joined by approximately 20 friends of Darryl who had been invited. Catholic mass for Brother Darryl

After the mass, the whole student body and staff went to the memorial behind the school where Darryl's ashes were buried. Another, simple service in Khmer language was held there to give the students a chance to acknowledge the loss of Darryl to themselves and to the school. A service with all the students

To end the service, the students were invited to come forward and place flowers on Darryl's memorial. Students placing flowers on the memorial

Then a simple breakfast was provided for the guests who had traveled to the school in Takhmau, about fifteen miles south of Phnom Penh. Breakfast for the guests

The students ate breakfast at the same time and then students and staff took care of washing the breakfast dishes. Washing the students' dishes

Then it was time for the students to go to school. Because of their disabilities, they would not be able to attend schools in their home provinces, so they live at LaValla which provides them opportunity to attend local schools in the area while at the same time, the care and love of the Marist Brothers and staff gives them a real sense of self-worth and a strong identity which they will need to get through life with a disability. Climbing into vans to go to school

Forget the ramps, hydraulic lifts, etc. For these students the hands of their classmates are all they need to drag themselves into the back of a pickup truck for the ride to school where they too can get an education.

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Fr. Kevin Corrigan, a diocesan priest from Australia, is working at LaValla for a year. He presided at a Catholic service for the few Catholics students and staff at the school who were joined by approximately 20 friends of Darryl who had been invited.
After the mass, the whole student body and staff went to the memorial behind the school where Darryl's ashes were buried. Another, simple service in Khmer language was held there to give the students a chance to acknowledge the loss of Darryl to themselves and to the school.
To end the service, the students were invited to come forward and place flowers on Darryl's memorial.
Then a simple breakfast was provided for the guests who had traveled to the school in Takhmau, about fifteen miles south of Phnom Penh.
The students ate breakfast at the same time and then students and staff took care of washing the breakfast dishes.
Then it was time for the students to go to school. Because of their disabilities, they would not be able to attend schools in their home provinces, so they live at LaValla which provides them opportunity to attend local schools in the area while at the same time, the care and love of the Marist Brothers and staff gives them a real sense of self-worth and a strong identity which they will need to get through life with a disability.
Forget the ramps, hydraulic lifts, etc. For these students the hands of their classmates are all they need to drag themselves into the back of a pickup truck for the ride to school where they too can get an education.