Priest Returned as missionary in his native land

Posted: 30th June 2004

Fr. Un Son at UCANEWS in Bangkok

BANGKOK (UCAN)A Cambodian priest says he returned to his country from a "wonderful life" in Canada in response to his calling to share the Good News and serve less fortunate Cambodians.

Father Song Un, one of only a handful of priests in Cambodia from the predominant Khmer ethnic group. No Khmer priests survived the 1975-79 rule of the Khmer Rouge, a radical communist group held responsible for the deaths of up to 2 million Cambodians before Vietnamese troops forced it from power.

Father Song Un became a refugee as a teenager in the mid 1970s, first in Thailand, where he became a Buddhist (novice) monk, and then in Canada. It was in Canada that he became a Catholic and started rebuilding his life. At age 30, however, he returned to Cambodia and became a priest. He is now 42.

On a recent trip to Bangkok, Father Song Un spoke to UCA News about his life journey, Cambodian society and his ministry to marginalized people.

The UCA News interview with the Khmer priest follows:

UCA News: What do you do in Cambodia now?

FATHER SONG UN: In Phnom Penh, I go outside a lot, walking the streets and visiting people. There are people with AIDS. Young people are thrown out into the street by their families if found infected. We visit them, take care of them and take them to the hospital. We have a center staffed by three priests. I work with boys with HIV and teach them to understand and meditate on the Bible. I also run a group that visits the poor and works closely with a Maryknoll center and Missionaries of Charity sisters.

Many families are large and often have more girls than boys. With them dialogue may not be easy, but I need to help them understand life today and encourage them to study. In Khmer society, people are encouraged to marry young. I explain to parents and young girls that they can better prepare for life by getting an education. It is important that someone spends time with them. The young need nuns or priests to be with them.

Where are you based?

Our Mary Magdelene Church is right in the center of the biggest prostitution area. Many families here are Vietnamese. The Vietnamese children don't go to school, so we help them go to school. A lot of families send their children into prostitution. We try to stop that. With the influence of the Church, attitudes have changed a lot.

Are the people you work with Buddhists?

Some of the young people we see are from Catholic families, but most are not. They have a Buddhist background, but the way Buddhism is practiced in Cambodia can be very passive. The Church has activities. When we meet them, we spend time with them. We go to their homes. We take them to hospital. We also have a center for children.

You were a Buddhist. Why did you convert to Christianity?
I had a wonderful life thanks to my sponsor family in Canada. When I was a refugee, they took care of me, loved me and took me into the family as one of their children, and helped me understand life. Before I had not received such care ## I had no one to help me or educate me.

When did you leave Cambodia?

In 1975, after four months of Khmer Rouge rule, I managed to cross the border into Thailand from Battambang province.

I became a refugee in Thailand with my uncle, while my parents stayed on in Cambodia. In Thailand, my two brothers were Buddhist monks. After a year, I too became a Buddhist monk. It was a beautiful time. But I never heard any news about my parents in Cambodia. My teacher monk told me, "Don't forget to pray for your parents."
After three years I left the monastery and went to a refugee camp. My uncle was already there and he had applied for asylum abroad.

One day, I got an offer to settle in Canada. I went there in 1980. I was 18 years old and spent five months learning French and English. Afterwards, I worked in a factory. Then my sponsors asked me to live with them. In 1981 my parents arrived in Canada.

How did you decide to become a priest?
My sponsor family taught me about Jesus. I also went to catechism classes, but it was not easy for me to change my religion.

In 1984 I was baptized. I read about the saints and missioners such as (Blessed) Mother Teresa, who were dedicated to helping the poor and rejected. Their actions helped me to reflect on my life.

young buddhist monk

But there was some tension. My parents were intent on finding me a wife. In Khmer culture, parents expect you to marry when you arrive at a certain age. My parents tried to arrange a marriage for me not once but four or five times. Each time, I rejected marriage with the girl they had found for me.

After the last time, my father gave me the right to make my own decisions, and I decided to enter the priesthood.

What brought you back to Cambodia?

I was very happy to return to Cambodia for my priesthood formation, after one year in France. It was 1991, an important time because the peace accord (between the Vietnam-backed government and three resistance groups including the Khmer Rouge) was signed in Paris on Oct. 20, 1991. Preparations were made for refugees to go back. I came back for the revival of the Church in Cambodia. I spent five years in the seminary in Cambodia.

It was difficult for me to adapt because society had been traumatized. Furthermore, all my friends could not understand why I had returned. They said I had the chance for a rich and wonderful life outside Cambodia, and they were puzzled as to why I came back.

I said I had put my faith in Jesus and in my vocation. Life was wonderful in Canada, but because of my mission for Jesus I returned to Cambodia. On Dec. 9, 2001, I was ordained in Phnom Penh.

Did you gain other insights while abroad?

I find it is important to work with the young to help them discover how to be self-reliant. They may be facing a lot of difficulties because of poverty, but they are still hopeful. A lot of people say: "I am poor. I did not study. I did not do this or that." I didn't study a lot either. Yet why was I able to become a priest? I was very poor and not intellectual. I was the son of a farmer. Why did Jesus call me? It is more than I had ever expected.

How do you feel being a Catholic priest in a Buddhist country?

I am very happy. I have experienced life as a Buddhist monk ## a very poor but spiritual life with meditation and peace. As a Catholic priest I realize all people are the children of God. Christ asks me to love other people. You love God, you love your brother and sister. I do not think about myself but instead serve them. What matters is that I am a servant of Jesus.

Are you content with having chosen the priesthood?

We all choose our own life. Having a vocation or being married are similar. When you get married and have children, after a while you may think about finding another (woman). When you are a priest, sometimes you think you should have chosen something else. Life is difficult. But I am happy because my life has value.

Sometimes I get tired and discouraged. But this is the reality of life. I need to share with people. Because I received formation, my duty is to help those in difficulty.