Retreat for New Marist Missionaries 9-13 May 2013

The Marist Brothers have established themselves as one of the solid and effective Catholic mission groups in Cambodia. They have been associated with Maryknoll for many years and we have a lot of interaction with them. For four Marist brothers and three Marist lay missionaries coming to work in Asia, an orientation program was held which which ended with a retreat in Sihanoukville led by Charlie Dittmeier. [Thanks to Ador and Rodrigo for additional photos.]

Arriving in Sihanoukville

	We arrived at lunch time after a van ride from Phnom Penh, and then there was time to look around the Catholic center where the retreat was held.
	Two of the lay missionaries are a married couple and they have their young son with them, and he and a neighborhood child played with some of "big kids."
	Neang is a young Cambodian woman, a friend of Maryknoll and the Marists, and she came on the retreat as a helper with the little boy. Here she and George talk about the plan for the week.
	Maristela and Estela took advantage of a quiet time in the evening for a chat before supper.

The Program

	On the first day, George, Ador, and Andres cooperate in getting the projector set up. We used it often, for the talks and for the liturgies and other activities.
	The retreat schedule called for one talk a day with a lot of time for reflection. Here the group copies down some suggested questions for reflection after one of the talks.
	The retreat goal was to help prepare the Marists for mission in Asia. Charlie started off talking about mission and then ended up with thoughts on the church and on discipleship.
	Estela from Mexico was honored on Mexican Mother's Day with a song sung by her husband Rodrigo. Their son Josue accompanied them on this retreat.
	For the first four days of the retreat, we were the only group at the center and we could comfortably fit at two tables in the dining room. The food, as usual, was simple Cambodian fare but good.
	One of the responsibilities of each group that uses the Catholic center is washing their own dishes after each meal. In our group there were always more than enough willing hands for a simple task.

Prayer Times

	On the third evening together, we held a reconciliation service in order to ask for and express forgiveness for any faults and failings experienced during the two months of the orientation program. This service started in the small chapel at the Catholic center.
	The last part of the reconciliation service involved candles representing the light that each of us should be for the world, and then outside an exchange of candles along with a statement of forgiveness. At the end Charlie Dittmeier blessed the group in front of their assembled candles.
	The next day the morning prayer was led my Maristela who began the service in the courtyard outside the main buildings. Different members of the group took responsibility for planning and organizing each day's prayer and mass, and the group prepared very creative and expressive services.
	Part of the service was prayed at a Marian grotto on a hillside above the church compound, and then there was a procession in silence to the small chapel.
	The morning prayer finished here in the chapel and then the group went to the talk for the day in the meeting room. This group was blessed with four or five members who regularly accompanied us on guitar.
	On the last day, because we were leaving after lunch, the morning prayer and mass were combined. Andres prepared this service and he had written on colored papers various phrases and ideas that came out of the talks and prayers during the week, and these formed the basis for the prayer of the faithful.
	From the initial prayer service prepared by Ador, candles were an important part of the prayers, and on this last day they appeared again as all were reminded of their role as light for the world. From left to right: Maristela, Huon, Estela, Andres, Mitsuaki, George, and Ador.
	At the end of the service, before lunch and our departure, Charlie Dittmeier concluded the prayer with a blessing.

Different Retreat Scenes

	There was one hour-long presentation each of the five days of the retreat, and every day also included morning or evening prayer and liturgy plus meals together. The rest of the day was free for reflection or for an exploratory trip to the beach at Sihanoukville.
	The Catholic center is on a hillside overlooking the port at Sihanoukville, the country's only deepwater port. The hillside is normally quiet and takes on a special air at dusk.
The retreat group: Juan Castro, Estela Rodriguez, Andres Barrera, Maristela de Godoy, Charlie Dittmeier, Dominador Santiago, Mitsuaki Hatanaka, George Palandr, and Rodrigo Sanchez
	Ador and Estela enjoy a conversation in the break after the morning talk.
	Finally it was time to leave, and after the final lunch, Andres swept the dining room floor while others cleared out the sleeping rooms and put chapel items away.
	The Catholic center is a busy place and because there is a three-day holiday this week for the king's birthday, four different youth groups were booked to use the facility. This group arrived yesterday afternoon and ate breakfast outside. After our departure, they would move into the main dining room.
	The trip from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville is just 200 kms (120 miles) but it takes more than four hours because of the roads and traffic. Halfway on the journey, the van made a rest stop where Ador, George, and Mitsuaki noted a huge jackfruit hanging from a tree.
	The retreat ended on Monday and we returned to Phnom Penh that day. The next evening there was a small sending ceremony at the Marist house in Phnom Penh and then the retreat group went out to supper together. At the ceremony each of the new missionaries in Asia signed a three-year agreement to serve.

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