It was very timely for the six regents in the Cambodia Mission, Cahyo Christanto (IDO), John Kim Du-huyn (KOR), Bayu Marsetyawan (IDO), Matthew Tan (MAS), John-Lester Tajon (PHI) and Kwon Oh-chang (KOR), to have their regents’ meeting at CROAP at Pursat from 17 – 18 October, where they shared the challenges faced and graces received since their last meeting in June.
Jesuit Service Cambodia bid farewell to Ms Wendy Lui Wan Sze of the Hong Kong Catholic Lay Missionary Association, who worked with the Catholic Church Student Centre (Phnom Penh) from 2004-2006, and then with Banteay Prieb, the school for the handicapped run by Jesuit Service Cambodia, from 2006-2008. Wendy will be missed by the many students of the Student Center and Banteay Prieb whom she had touched with her caring and nursing. We wish her well as she moves on to her studies at the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila in 2009.
Fr Kim Taejin (KOR) moved to the parish in Kampong Thom on August 4 for a three-month pastoral experience from August to October 2008. He is working with Fr Franco Legnani, PIME at the parish church.
Three MAGiS08 Experiments were held in Cambodia, at Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang from July 5 – 11.
Sr Denise Coghlan (RSM), Director of Jesuit Service Cambodia, was made a Member of the Order of Australia on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2008, for her service to international humanitarian aid. Click here to read more.
The Jesuit Community in Phnom Penh and Banteay Prieb gathered at the Jesuit House in Phnom Penh on May 3 to share about their community life. These quarterly meetings will become a part of building up Jesuit community life in the Cambodia Mission.
Fr Dennis Gabriel Leon (Gabby) Lamug-nañawa (PHI) and Fr Oh In-don (KOR) traveled to the Philippines on April 3, to attend the Young Priests meeting of the Philippines Province. Fr In-don is visiting other communities there to prepare for his future work in the Cambodia mission. Fr Gabby was hospitalized in Manila. His abdominal infection, previously treated in Cambodia, recurred. Having recovered, he came back on May 03.
On May 1, Fr Dan Ross (CHN) wrote: “For several years I have been working with my present and former students on various cross cultural projects in Southeast and East Asia. Some of these have been in the Philippines and China, but more have been in Cambodia. The efforts have been under the overall idea of finding ways to improve undergraduate university education.
Catholic communities are scattered around this Buddhist country. To give a greater sense of unity of priests with their bishops, the three dioceses of Cambodia held the Chrism Mass together in Phnom Penh at the Phsar Tauch Church on Wednesday, March 12. Bishop Emile Destombes (Phnom Penh Vicariate), Msgr Anthonysamy Susairaj (Kampong Cham Prefecture) and Msgr Kike Figaredo, SJ (Battambang Prefecture) led their priests in the celebration of the mass.
Jesuit Service Cambodia had a Team meeting at the JSC Reflection Center, Siem Reap from February 7 – 9, to reflect on the work done by this mission and to look at planning for the future. The meeting was a chance to “celebrate the past” and “look to the future with hope.”