TELLING THE STORY OF JESUS IN CAMBODIA

Posted: 20th June 2007

in the first Pastoral Meeting on June 18, 2007 at Don Bosco School for girld.

PHNOM PENH (C.S.C) At the headquarters of the Don Bosco School for girls of the Salesian Sisters, 170 leaders of the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh gathered on June 18th, 2007, to reflect on the subject proposed by the first Asian Mission Congress held in Chiang Mai, Thailand on October 2006.: “Telling the story of Jesus”, applied to the Cambodian reality. For the 30 Cambodian Catholics who participated in the Missionary Congress in Thailand last year this event was an opportunity to discover the reality of the Church in Asia. Being the Catholic Church in Cambodia tiny minorities, many Catholics were not really aware of the movement of the Church in neighboring countries. Among other impacts produced by the Chiang Mai Congress in the Church in Cambodia we can speak of the enthusiasm and dynamism they discovered in the Church of neighboring country such as Myanmar, Lao and Vietnam. Som Rany, a Catholic leader of the Vicariate of Phnom Penh who participated in the Congress of Chiang told CSC of the awakening experience of the Cambodian participants. “We were really amazed to meet delegates from every single country of Asia. Even we met people from countries that we didn’t know before”, said Rany.

Father Olivier Schmitthaeusler, MEP, Vicar delegate of the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, and one of the organizers of today’s meeting, told CSC reporters of the great importance of this gathering. “The Asian Mission Congress was a real challenge for our local Church in Cambodia. Since then on, the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh is trying to make up a plan in order to implement the conclusions of the Congress”. Today, June 18th, is the first time that all the leaders of the local Catholic communities of the Vicariate, priests, religious communities, lay missionaries and volunteers, Catholic NGO leaders, the different commissions and Institutions of the Vicariate come together to share their personal experiences about the “Story of Jesus in their lives”.

“This is great day for our Church”, said Msgr. Emile Destombes, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh. “It is our responsibility to come together as one body to witness Jesus to the Cambodian society”, said Msgr. Destombes. Msgr. Emile added that “The Church in Cambodia still has a foreigner face, if we compare it with other Asia Churches. During the last few years has greatly increased the number of Cambodians who have being touched by the experience of Jesus in their lives and have become Catholics. This is a good hope for us”. During the introductory prayer of today’s meeting, one of the participants prayed for the Cambodian Catholic youth so that the Lord call many of them to serve the Church whether as priests, religious or consecrated lay. “The Church in Cambodia needs a change from a foreigner face to a Cambodian face”, said Msgr. Destombes.

During the past decade Cambodian country has experience very rapid changes such as the urban development of the city of Phnom Penh, without measure. We can experience quick emergency of a rich class, the marginalization of people living in the countryside, the growing of they youth population, the strong influence from the outside media, the explosion of the working class, the problem of HIV/ Aids with the correspondent consequence of the numerous orphans every day.

All these challenges of the Cambodian society of today were part of this day of reflection and sharing on “The story of Jesus” in the personal lives of the Church leaders of the Vicariate.

TESTIMONIES:

Sister Désiré, from the Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity told CSC reporters of her personal faith experience: “I have discovered the richness of our Lord Jesus Christ in the lives of many poor Cambodians, poorest among the poor, whose lives have touched me very deeply”. “My personal commitment to work among the poor comes from Jesus Himself who touched my life”, said Sr. Désiré.

SET SOMATH, -26- a young Cambodian from the Student Youth Center of the Church in Phnom Penh, expressed his personal feeling about what has meant for him to convert to Christianity, following the Catholic Church: “I´ve been discovering Jesus in my personal life since several years ago. It has been not so easy for me when I need to confront my own family and my country fellows who criticize me because I do not follow Buddhists practices anymore. However, I feel an inner joy and strength that comes from my faith in Jesus. It always helps me to understand my Cambodian brothers and sisters and to love them more and more”.

Among the programmed activities in order to reinforce the influence of the Mission Congress are:

1. Meeting of small groups and local communities every month to pray and reflect following a given gospel passage.
2. 4 retreats of Church leaders during the year.
3. Formation sessions on Lectio Divina and the Word of God.
4. Meeting of all the Church leaders of the Vicariate once a year

The day finished with the Eucharistic celebration at 4 pm.

Article Source: Catholi Social Communication