June 12 2009
BATTAMBANG, Cambodia : The Church in Cambodia has ordained the first Jesuit priest since the Church revived in the country during the early 1990s.
Father Phongphand Phokthavi, a Thai national, was ordained by Bishop Emile Destombes, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, on May 24, in a special ceremony in Battambang attended by 2,000 people.
The ordination of Father Phongphand, 53, brings the number of Thai priests serving in Cambodia to four.
Ham Sok, one of the many people at the ordination, said the scale of the event was a sign that the Church in Cambodia is growing.
During the ceremony, Jesuit Monsignor Enrique Figaredo, apostolic prefect of Battambang, said Father Phongphand "always gives himself to others, loves the poor and encourages people who have lost hope."
The monsignor, who has known the priest for 20 years, cited one occasion when Father Phongphand saw some people without shoes and offered them his own, saying, "I have another pair."
Cambodia has a special place in the Thai priest's heart. During the 1980s he helped Cambodian refugees in Thailand while working with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). Later in the 1990s he went to Cambodia with returning refugees and helped build a vocational center for the disabled near Phnom Penh.
Talking to UCA News, the Thai priest said his inspiration for becoming a priest in Cambodia was when he saw the smiles of refugees despite the suffering they had endured during years of civil war.
He said the challenges he would encounter as a priest in Cambodia would not be cultural or linguistic, but would be in tackling poverty and suffering, and spreading the love of God.
He added that his work from now on will be that of a parish priest in Kompong Thom in Battambang apostolic prefecture. He also said he wants to serve in Cambodia for the rest of his life.
Besides the four Thai priests, there are also five Thai nuns serving in Cambodia. The last priestly ordination in the country took place in 2001, when four Khmer priests were ordained.
Of the 50 priests or so presently in Cambodia, only about five are local Khmer.
Courtesy : UCAN
BATTAMBANG, Cambodia : The Church in Cambodia has ordained the first Jesuit priest since the Church revived in the country during the early 1990s.
Father Phongphand Phokthavi, a Thai national, was ordained by Bishop Emile Destombes, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, on May 24, in a special ceremony in Battambang attended by 2,000 people.
The ordination of Father Phongphand, 53, brings the number of Thai priests serving in Cambodia to four.
Ham Sok, one of the many people at the ordination, said the scale of the event was a sign that the Church in Cambodia is growing.
During the ceremony, Jesuit Monsignor Enrique Figaredo, apostolic prefect of Battambang, said Father Phongphand "always gives himself to others, loves the poor and encourages people who have lost hope."
The monsignor, who has known the priest for 20 years, cited one occasion when Father Phongphand saw some people without shoes and offered them his own, saying, "I have another pair."
Cambodia has a special place in the Thai priest's heart. During the 1980s he helped Cambodian refugees in Thailand while working with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). Later in the 1990s he went to Cambodia with returning refugees and helped build a vocational center for the disabled near Phnom Penh.
Talking to UCA News, the Thai priest said his inspiration for becoming a priest in Cambodia was when he saw the smiles of refugees despite the suffering they had endured during years of civil war.
He said the challenges he would encounter as a priest in Cambodia would not be cultural or linguistic, but would be in tackling poverty and suffering, and spreading the love of God.
He added that his work from now on will be that of a parish priest in Kompong Thom in Battambang apostolic prefecture. He also said he wants to serve in Cambodia for the rest of his life.
Besides the four Thai priests, there are also five Thai nuns serving in Cambodia. The last priestly ordination in the country took place in 2001, when four Khmer priests were ordained.
Of the 50 priests or so presently in Cambodia, only about five are local Khmer.
Courtesy : UCAN
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