The city of Siem Reap, known to many tourists as the entry point to the famous Angkor Wat temples, houses one of Jesuit Service Cambodia's major works.
In Siem Reap Province, there are two Catholic churches catering to two small Catholic communities, one in Siem Reap town, the other is the floating village of Chong Khnies, about 10 km south of Siem Reap town.
In Siem Reap town, the Catholic Church is located on the east side of Siem Reap River (opposite the Grand Hotel d’Angkor), in Slorkram Village. It is a simple wooden church, built in 2004, offering catechism, liturgical celebration and charity service for the poor. In Siem Reap, there are about three hundred Catholics. The patron Saint of Siem Reap church is Saint John, the Apostle.
Besides the church in Siem Reap, there is another church in Chong Khnies, in the floating village. This floating church, which is also known as the Karaoke church because it was formerly a Karaoke parlor, serves the needs of seven Catholic families consisting of about seventy people. The Patron Saint of this church is Saint Peter, the fisherman.
One of the priorities of the Siem Reap Jesuit mission is to help the children and youth, who are very important to the future of the country. Special attention have been given to children and youths by setting up several learning centers in which educational activities are offered, including: Khmer dance practice, value education, basic hygienic education, English classes, Khmer literacy class, library and reading communities, and leadership training. At present there are seven learning centers reaching out to more than one thousand children and youths.
Between 9 ~ 11 December 2008, we visited 3 Learning Centers for Children set up by the Jesuit Service in Cambodia, to appreciate the condition and needs of the community so that we can develop programs to help them in future missions. We are thankful to Fr Erbin Fernandez, Asst Parish Priest of the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, in providing us spiritual guidance throughout our mission in Cambodia.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The Floating Church in Prek Toal
Day 3 (11 Dec 2008):
Prek Toal is a floating village in the northeastern tip of Battambang Province, where a Catholic community who call themselves a Christmas Group was found in February 2006. It was started by a simple woman, a housewife, who was baptized in 1972 in Phnom Penh. Her simple, joyful and faithful life attracted many people. They call themselves Christmas Group because they came together for a big celebration only on Christmas days.
A floating church built for this community was blessed on November 12th, 2006. Two catechists assigned to work and stay in this church for several days a week conduct several programs including catechism, prayers and masses, rice soup for children, value education for children, literacy class, and English class for adults and youths, community education on relevant topics.
Prek Toal is a floating village in the northeastern tip of Battambang Province, where a Catholic community who call themselves a Christmas Group was found in February 2006. It was started by a simple woman, a housewife, who was baptized in 1972 in Phnom Penh. Her simple, joyful and faithful life attracted many people. They call themselves Christmas Group because they came together for a big celebration only on Christmas days.
A floating church built for this community was blessed on November 12th, 2006. Two catechists assigned to work and stay in this church for several days a week conduct several programs including catechism, prayers and masses, rice soup for children, value education for children, literacy class, and English class for adults and youths, community education on relevant topics.
The Old Church in Taom
Day 2 (10 Dec 2008):
Taom is a small village about 60 km west of Siem Reap town. In this village is the ruins of an old church built in 1910. Locals said that there used to be a big Catholic community in this village. The church was deserted in 1970 because of war in Vietnam and problems in Cambodia.
In 2004 the leaders of the village gave back the old church to the Catholic Bishop of Battambang. In the same year a learning centre was built behind the old church as a centre for activities for poor children. Now there are two catechists working in this village and running some learning centers for poor children in Taom, An Longsar and Botrong. In these learning centers there are programs like pre-school, value education, rice soup for the poor children, English classes etc.
(Video clips)
Taom is a small village about 60 km west of Siem Reap town. In this village is the ruins of an old church built in 1910. Locals said that there used to be a big Catholic community in this village. The church was deserted in 1970 because of war in Vietnam and problems in Cambodia.
In 2004 the leaders of the village gave back the old church to the Catholic Bishop of Battambang. In the same year a learning centre was built behind the old church as a centre for activities for poor children. Now there are two catechists working in this village and running some learning centers for poor children in Taom, An Longsar and Botrong. In these learning centers there are programs like pre-school, value education, rice soup for the poor children, English classes etc.
(click to enlarge slideshow)
(Video clips)
Peik Snaing & Farm of Jesus
Day 1 (09 Dec 2008):
Local people call the 57.5-hectare farm in New Piek Snaing village as Chomka Preah Yesu (farm of Jesus). It is located about 25 kilometers northeast of the town of Siem Reap, and about 20 kilometers north of the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex, Cambodia's prime attraction for foreign visitors.
Despite the farm's close proximity to the world heritage site, the people living nearby are very poor. After working in Old Piek Snaing for some years, Fr Heri Bratasudarma S.J. dreamed of having a piece of land to help the poor in the area. The plan was to demonstrate effective land use, to supply a variety of seedlings and to provide training for the people to grow these vegetables and trees for additional income.
Following a mission exposure trip to Cambodia in July 2007 The New Evangelization Team (NET), a group of lay persons under the umbrella of the Singapore Archdiocesan Commission for Missionary Activity, helped raised US$49,700 from their families and friends in just two months. A single donor from the United States contributed the other US$1,000 needed to purchase a piece of jungle land in Siem Reap.
Since the land was purchased in September 2007, the Jesuit mission together with local people have worked to build a reservoir-cum-fish pond, a greenhouse and nursery, a fruit garden, a chapel and a cow shed.
Local people call the 57.5-hectare farm in New Piek Snaing village as Chomka Preah Yesu (farm of Jesus). It is located about 25 kilometers northeast of the town of Siem Reap, and about 20 kilometers north of the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex, Cambodia's prime attraction for foreign visitors.
Despite the farm's close proximity to the world heritage site, the people living nearby are very poor. After working in Old Piek Snaing for some years, Fr Heri Bratasudarma S.J. dreamed of having a piece of land to help the poor in the area. The plan was to demonstrate effective land use, to supply a variety of seedlings and to provide training for the people to grow these vegetables and trees for additional income.
Following a mission exposure trip to Cambodia in July 2007 The New Evangelization Team (NET), a group of lay persons under the umbrella of the Singapore Archdiocesan Commission for Missionary Activity, helped raised US$49,700 from their families and friends in just two months. A single donor from the United States contributed the other US$1,000 needed to purchase a piece of jungle land in Siem Reap.
Since the land was purchased in September 2007, the Jesuit mission together with local people have worked to build a reservoir-cum-fish pond, a greenhouse and nursery, a fruit garden, a chapel and a cow shed.
ACTs - Mission to Cambodia
ACTs is an acronym for Advent Cambodia Trips, a mission organized by the Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace (QoP) in Singapore as inspired by The ACTs of the Apostles. The objective is to spread the good news of our Lord and to give our youth and parishioners the experience of reaching out to the poor and children in the villages of Cambodia, and to share Christmas Joy with them in this Season of Advent to prepare ourselves for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
ACTs 2007 brought us to the Don Bosco Elementary School in Phum Chreh at the northwest outskirt of Phnom Penh. To give some idea on what we did in ACTs 2007, we invite you to view the following video clips:
ACTs 2008 extended the activities to 3 Don Bosco Schools in Phnom Penh over 100 participants including also the youth and parishioners from the St Vincent de Paul Church. A smaller group of 20 also visited 3 of the remote villages around Siem Reap.
ACTs 2007 brought us to the Don Bosco Elementary School in Phum Chreh at the northwest outskirt of Phnom Penh. To give some idea on what we did in ACTs 2007, we invite you to view the following video clips:
ACTs 2008 extended the activities to 3 Don Bosco Schools in Phnom Penh over 100 participants including also the youth and parishioners from the St Vincent de Paul Church. A smaller group of 20 also visited 3 of the remote villages around Siem Reap.
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