Holy Saturday ends the sad season of Lent and opens into the glorious season of Easter. While there is no Mass on Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil Mass takes place after sundown. At the Sacred Heart Shrine, Mass was at 9 p.m. Before the Mass, there was the blessing of new fire. This was held outside the Church within the grounds.. Fire is to represent life and light which is Jesus Christ. The Church was in total darkness and only candles were lit.

On 30th March 2013 there are many Catholic people together in Battambang Catholic Parish at 6:30 in front of the chapel waiting for the Holy Saturday celebration. In the dark place there is a new fire from the top of tower through to the grown. It is the light from God. Many people start getting the light and share to other people.

Fr. Totet Banaynal Said: Today It is a great day and we are together in the church waiting for God. To night there are many symbols as the new fire the blessing water, and especially our procession that we did from in front of the chapel to the church. In the procession First we have the cross leads us. And other symbol is A and Ω  it means Jesus Christ is the the beginning and end of our life. To night is the speacal night because Jesus Christ was died and resurrect in the Holy Saturday. Do not lost our hope. The word death is not the end of Christ.

On 28 March 2013 in the evening around 5:00pm. There are many catholic people came to celebrate the holy Thursday in Battambang Catholic parish. There are around 300 people include the children and the elderly people. They are together outside of the church around the well on the beautiful garden for waiting the celebration of the holy Thursday.

After the priest washed the feet for all the disciples of Jesus, they start to wash the feet to others people and other people wash to each other with their smile and wishes. It's also the symbols of the Catholic faith to Serve other people as Jesus do for us everyday.
After the washing outside the church the Mass is start, they enter to the church to having mass together for the Holy Thursday.

Fr. Totet banaynal said in the mass "Today we are very very happy together here to celebrated the Holy Thursday with Jesus Christ and serve the people who we never talk to, who are poor, and who are disable people by washing of their feet. As the pope Francis do today. He enter to in the jail and washing of the prisoners feet. It is the true activities that we all should do for them. I would like you to Everyday you live as the Holy Thursday as today you did it. to serve the other by washing their feet. So in your family and you society you should living as you did today.

In the end of the mass there also share the bread from one to other. They are very joyful with there activities. After that there is a procession of the body of Christ around the church and bring the body of Christ to the Garden of Gethsemane.
In the full night in the Garden of Gethsemane there are  many difference groups and fmaily came to pray in front of the body of Christ.

Not long after I came to Battambang I noticed one morning that colorful banners had appeared along the paths surrounding the Church. What’s this? Well they signaled the arrival of Pchum ben.

This is a 15 day period of annual remembrance and special prayers for the souls of the dead.  
A family or several families join together and adopt a day on which prayers are said at mass for their past family members and again in a special service later that same day. 
After their services the family provides food to those attending.

At the start of morning mass the family members distribute smoldering joss sticks to the congregation who in turn place them before the altar and incense fills the air. Meanwhile, the priest reads aloud the names of departed family members ensuring accuracy of pronunciation so as not to cause any offence to the family. Oh poor Father. Today’s family has provided a list of 170 names!

As pchum ben now draws to an end I’m impressed how the church community remembers its departed souls in a Christian way which is sympathetic to Cambodia’s Buddhist culture and traditions.

Mr. Tony Fenlon                                                                         Photo by Vong Rethy

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."

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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.  

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On 2 July 2012, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish celebrated Battambang Prefecture’s Anniversary, Msgr. Enrique “Kike” Figaredo’s 12th year of installation as Apostolic Prefect and Fr. Tunlop Sophal’s 17th year of priesthood.

A mass was concelebrated by Msgr. Kike, Fr. Sophal, Fr. Totet, Fr. Manoj and Fr. Pedro. In his homily, Msgr. Kike emphasized three things; gratitude, strength and happiness. “I thank God for giving me strength, happiness, and joy, in solidarity with the people of the prefecture.” He expressed his gratitude to God for giving him the opportunity to serve the Khmer people. He prayed to give him the strength to continue serving.  

Fr. Sophal also shared, “In 17 years of being a priest, I’ve encountered a lot of difficulties but the difficulties and the happiness are both gifts from God. I have strength because of God and also the people; it allows me to continue our works.”

The celebration was attended by about 250 people from different members of the religious organizations and the catholic community. After the mass, people came to give flowers to Msgr. Kike and Fr. Sophal to express their gratitude and appreciation for their presence. The celebration was celebrated with traditional Khmer music, classical Khmer dances. Snacks and dinner was also served.

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On June 10, 2012, Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Parish Church in Battambang celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi. To mark the importance and the solemnity of the day, a “lively tradition” of holding solemn procession with the Blessed Sacrament around Pet Yiey Chee Catholic compound was once again attended by hundreds of faithful coming from different parishes in the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang. 

The Catholic Church professes worship of the Eucharist not only during Mass, but also outside of its celebration, preserving the utmost conscientiousness of the consecrated hosts and presenting them for the solemn veneration of the Christian faithful. By carrying the Eucharist in the procession gives the faithful the joy of showing their faith publicly into the community. 

The Feast of Corpus Christi commemorates the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist, which has been celebrated universally since 1264. The church hopes that both the precession and the mass renew among the faithful present in the celebration the joy and the gratitude for the Eucharistic presence of Jesus in the midst of his people. The church reminds everybody that the Lord remains present beyond the time of the celebration of Mass and encourages everyone to adore the Eucharist in prayer, suggesting that an individual can do it by praying and meditating in front of the tabernacle. 

For more pictures of the event, please visit our facebook page. 

Battambang, 01 June 2012.  INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CHILDREN. 

We join the whole world in celebrating our Children.  Today, the kindegarten children from Battambang and Chrap Viel Parishes joined together to spend a day of fun in the Tang Heng Sae Fun Park.  Teachers and some volunteer parents came to assist the children.  The children had fun with rides, games, drawings, competitions, and food. 

BATTAMBANG, Cambodia. Last 27 May 2012, thirty five (35) brothers and sisters in the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang came to Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Parish to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation from Msgr. Kike on the Feast of the Pentecost. Assisting the Bishop in the mass were Fr. Totet, Fr. Sophal, and Fr. Manoj.

"Today is a day given to us to follow Jesus Christ, and learn more about God." Msgr. Kike said during his sermon. He exhorted everyone to pray, reconcile and be inclusive, join in the communal activities like masses, and do personal missions. "We are happy to receive the 35 people who have shown their faith. Our community grows more and more.” He added. Those who undertook the Sacrament came from 6 parishes under the Prefecture; Battambang - 13, Chrap Viel - 2, Khnach Romeas - 3, Ta Om - 5, Poipet - 7, Svay Sisophon - 5.  

During the mass, young children danced the Holy, Holy, and the Our Father as part of the liturgical celebration. This happy feast celebrated the commitment of our brothers in their faith, the gift of the a Holy Spirit in our lives, and the mission we do to announce God's loving presence in the world.  

Many thanks to Ms. Srey Mao of the Oscar Romero Pastoral Center and all catechists for the beautiful liturgy!