On 21 August 2012 there are some guest from Korea came and visit to our Lady of Assumption parish. And they also showed their ability to the parish with the music performance. This group name Music for One. There are 10 people in the group some are student from university of Korea. They came to Cambodia is not only visit but they want to make a communication with the Cambodian through the Music and they also want Cambodian interest with the music as the world like it. In the beginning of the performance the parish also welcomes them with tradition blessing dance. There are around 200 people came to visit them in the church including Fr. Pedro, Br. Soo young, Br. Pilo and Mrgs. Kike.

Mrgs. Kike shear: We are happy that you came to visit us and thank that you showing us about your ability with your great us in our parish. We believe that art and music will be make us feel communicate to each other. 

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page.  

The 2nd Battambang Taekwondo Competition held at Dewey International University concluded today, August 19, 2012. The competition was participated by more than ten teams coming from different places including Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Our very own Catholic Team harvested 8 medals – 3 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze. Our little dancers also performed at the awarding ceremony. The traditional ensemble performed the music with our youth group singing which made the Catholic community presence unique and awesome. 

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page.   

For many years Bro. Mong Ros tried hard to find God in his life. He chose to become a servant of God and though the way is long and hard, he has recently taken another step closer to becoming a priest. 

On 12 August 2012, his installation as an acolyte for the Battambang Prefecture was celebrated in Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. The mass was celebrated by Msgr. Enrique Figaredo, SJ who nominated him to become an acolyte. Bro. Ros' family was invited to mass as the community witnessed as he received his function as an acolyte. An acolyte has a special role during the celebration of the Eucharist, he is the one who gives the Bread and Blood of God to other people, and also helps out during special events of the church. 

During the mass, Msgr. Kike shared to Bro. Ros: "Bro. Ros you have to serve and thank God who has chosen you to become his servant. When you become an acolyte, you have to be with care and full of mercy. You have to follow Jesus and encourage everyone; the sick, the elderly, and others. Give them hope from God. The people are the living Body and Blood of Jesus Christ." 

Br. Mong Ros shared: "I am ready to serve our church and its people. I am here in the heart of the Catholic Church. I have a new role as an acolyte. This function may be simple as a servant in the Mass but the real service takes place in the soul. That means, I am not the one who gives the Bread  and the Wine. It is God  who has given us his real Body and Blood, through his Son... "

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page.  

BATTAMBANG: On 12 August 2012 a large celebration was held in Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in honor of the Feast of the Assumption. Every year our parish celebrates this feast in praise of Our Lady. 

A week before the celebration the feast day, the Catholic community hosted prayer  for Our Lady in their respective households. Several families welcomed the small replica of the Our Lady of the Inclusive Love and prayed the rosary in her honor. On the day before the feast, Taizé evening prayers were also conducted in the house of the faithful. 

On Sunday morning the procession started from one of the Catholic households near the compound. Msgr. Enrique Figaredo, SJ,  Fr. Totet Banaynal, SJ,  Fr. Manoj Kumar Ekka, SJ, and Fr. Bruno COSME from Phnom Penh led the procession and the mass. 

In the Mass Fr. Kike shared: "Today we are happy to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. God chose Our Mary to be a Great Lady. Mary is a simple Lady but she  held firm in her faith and belief in God. She is also humble to the other people. So I would like you to follow Our Lady; learn how to be humble, and pray to God through Our Lady Mother of Jesus Christ. Let's pray together with her to God. Thanks be to God who gave us the Great Lady to lead us."

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page. 

BATTAMBANG: On 8-30 August 2012, a group of 20 volunteer dentists from Spain has come to volunteer their time and services to those in need. The group was divided into 3 to serve different communities for village and prison outreach. 

They performed general dental services such as checking, cleaning, filling in and pulling out teeth in Pet Yiey Chee from 8:00AM to 12:00PM and 2:00PM to 4:00PM.  An average of 20 people come every day for the free services. 

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page. 

BATTAMBANG: On 5 August 2012, football matches were held in the football field inside the Pet Yiey Chee Compound organized by Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Cambodia. The  football match was organized between teams comprised of JRS staff, the Cambodian Army (Kong Yotea Kemarak Pumen, Pumpeak 5), CMAC and the Paristhan football team of the Msgr. Oscar Romero Pastoral Center of the Parish. 

The football match dubbed "Oslo Cup" was done to raise awareness about the ongoing advocacy to ban clusters mines and munitions, as well as to foster relations between groups who were working together on the issue, and finally encourage people with disability. It was also part of the advocacy for the 2012 Oslo Conference on Cluster Munitions. 

Msgr. Enrique Figaredo, SJ  shared some opening remarks and prayers. Song Kosal, widely known landmine activist, also shared some words about the importance of their advocacy. Other activists also spoke during the event. 

The Metakaruna team (JRS team) won the event while the Cambodian Army placed in second. Souvenirs such as shirts, kromas, soccer balls, mugs, umbrellas, and other items were distributed to all teams after the event. 

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page. 

A tourist coach full of guests from Japan came to visit Our Lady of the Assumption Parish last August 4-5, 2012. The guests were coming from Siem Reap and proceeded to Phnom Penh after their visit in Battambang. Our Japanese friends divided themselves into five smaller groups and visited the homes of our parishioners to get a glimpse of what a Catholic Khmer life look like. They were accompanied by the Oscar Romero Pastoral Center staff and parish supporters. 

In the evening of August 4th, the children in the parish offered our visitors a foretaste of the Khmer traditional dance. The guests also rendered a song number where they used bells as accompaniment. A decent dinner followed after the program shared by more than a hundred people consisting of both the guests and parishioners.

The following day, our guests joined the Sunday mass where they were introduced to the general public. They left right after the mass for Phnom Penh.

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page.   

BATTAMBANG: Every year for three weeks from July – August, a group of youths from Spain come to Cambodia to work with the ANATHA program of the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang.

Football is one of the things that they share in interest with the youth of Cambodia. On 28 July 2012, friendly competitions were held with the footballs teams of the community which participated in the last Bishop’s Cup in earlier in July. There were 6 teams in total; the Spanish Youth, Phum Barang, Tahen, Pet Yiey Chee, Pakrithan, and Tep Im Student center. 

Pet Yiey Chee won the competition and were given gifts by the Spanish Youths. The Spanish Youth group came in second. The friendly football matches are held every year during the visit of the summer camp from Spain.

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page. 

The Jesuits in Cambodia gathered in Battambang on July 31, 2012, to commemorate the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola – the founder of the Society of Jesus (SJ), a.k.a. the Jesuits. More than twenty (20) Jesuits – priests and regents, together with their volunteers and associates came to celebrate the big feast.

In the afternoon of the feast day, two separate groups met. The Jesuits, as one group convened at the chapel of Pet Yiey Chee Catholic compound to share about their respective ministries. The second group was the volunteers of the Jesuits coming from different countries such as Korea, France, Philippines, Spain, and Belgium. Blas Descallar, who is a member of the Jesuit Volunteers Philippines (JVP) facilitated the sharing of the volunteers. A copy of St. Ignatius’ prayer for generosity was handed to all volunteers to recite as opening prayer. He explained that the prayer will also be a catalyst for the sharing.

After the prayer, Blas asked everyone to briefly introduce themselves, where they are from, and to tell in what way each one established linkage to the Jesuits. A second reading of the prayer for generosity followed and everyone was asked to be silent and reflect how the prayer affected them or what words in the prayer struck them. The volunteers then were encouraged to share their experience and try to relate it to the prayer - if they are inspired to do it. A good discussion came out as some really correlated their sharing to the prayer. Many in the group heard about the prayer for the first time despite of them coming from Jesuit schools.

At 5:30pm, procession started from the house of Bishop Kike, who is also a Jesuit, to the Our Lady of the Assumption Church. Before the mass begun, a reading of the life of St. Ignatius took place with some important photos shown to get a better glimpse of the saint’s life story. The mass was concelebrated by more than ten Jesuit (10) priests with two diocesan priests from the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang. Fr. Jub Phongphand, SJ – pastor of all Catholic communities in Kompong Thom was the gospel reader and Fr. Totet Banaynal, SJ – parish priest of the church in Battambang was the homilist. 

Festivity on food and drinks, stories, singing and dancing completed the feast day. Fr. Manoj Ekka, SJ – parish priest of St. Andrew Parish in Nikum was in-charge of the preparation for the liturgy. The person behind the planning of the sharing was Fr. Rajat Purti, SJ – pastor of St. Mary Magdala Parish in Poipet and St. Francis Xavier parish in Svay Sisophon. Fr. Totet Banaynal, SJ was the over-all event organizer.  

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook Page.