Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
Palm Sunday is one of those days that traditionally many Catholics try to attend mass. Although longer than usual, the service is different in a way that attracts people and holds their attention. Click here for photos from Palm Sunday in Phnom Penh.
[The link is not functioning completely so click on it and then scroll down to Preparing the Lenten Environment to read today’s post.]
Lent is a very meaningful season for most Catholic Christians and it is taken seriously. Our English Catholic community tries to celebrate the different events of Lent in a way that invites people to participate and that supports them in their struggle to live as followers of Christ. Click here for pictures from Lent in 2017.
Cecilia Espinoza and Sam Stanton finished up their week in Cambodia with a dinner with the Maryknoll Lay Missioners team here. (L-R): Dee Dungy, Cecilia Espinoza, Sami Scott, Maria Montello, Russ Brine, and Sam Stanton. Missing: James Havey and Charlie Dittmeier was taking the picture. The next morning the Stantons headed for the Philippines on their way back to the United States.
That solves the problem of where to put the live chickens for the ride back to the provinces. It creates another problem, though, because they drool a lot when hung upside down.
Now THIS is what you call a convenience store–at least as long as you only want bread and don’t mind the layer of dust and the poor hygiene and the smell of exhaust fumes.
One of the Catholic services connected with Holy Week and Easter is the Chrism Mass, a special mass in which the bishop blesses the oils used throughout the coming year for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, anointing of the sick, and ordination. It is also an occasion for the priests to renew their promise of obedience to their bishop.
The chrism mass today was preceded by a meeting for all of the 55 or so priests of the country. Here Fr. Chatsirey, the chancellor of the vicariate, explains some of the forms and procedures for people who want to marry in the church.
Shortly before the mass was to start at 5:00 PM the rains really started pouring and the wind blew it right against the glass doors–and under them. There was a half inch of water in the main entrance and the tiles were unbelievably slippery. Apparently that has happened before because the mops were readily available and a PVC pipe cut in half length-wise was use to push and scoop the water toward and out the door.
Today Cecilia and Sam Stanton visited the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme. Sam is the executive director of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Here they are receiving DDP khramas. Srey Nuch, the sign language interpreter, stands behind them.
Cambodia is a country of subsistence farmers, each family eking out a simple living on a small plot of land–and utilizing every opportunity to add a little more to the family income. Sometimes that is by selling homegrown vegetables in the market, or selling fruit from the trees around the home from a table on the side of the road. For this family, it means drying some sort of bean or nut or spice on the expanse of pavement in front of their shop selling pumps, compressors, and ice crushing machines. This is in Phnom Penh city, not a rural province.
Maryknoll Lay Missioners work on 3 1/2 year contracts and the end of her contract is approaching for Karen Bortvedt who was assigned to Cambodia and has been working (with great success!) at the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme. This evening the Maryknoll community along with a few friends of Maryknoll had a little social to officially say goodbye to Karen. She will be missed!
Sam Stanton (L) is the executive director of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. He and his wife Cecilia are long-term members of Maryknoll Lay Missioners and are taking an extended spiritual renewal that took them to India, Sri Lanka, and now Cambodia. They arrived in Phnom Penh today and this evening attended our weekend mass at World Vision. Here they talk with parishioner Tommy Boukhris (blue shirt), Sami Scott, and Russ Brine after mass.