Catholic Mission Immersion: Cambodia

Learning Cambodia’s history

Our first official day on Immersion saw the group learn first-hand the devastating impact made by the Khmer Rouge on the people of Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge demanded unquestioning loyalty and this loyalty replaced all other forms – to parents, to family, to village, to religion. The Khmer Rouge executed millions of men, women and children between 1975 and 1979. More than 388 sites containing 19,733 mass graves have been identified from the period of their reign.

We visited the site of a notorious extermination camp, Choeung Ek. It is a peaceful place today, where visitors can learn of the history that unfolded here. Seeing hundreds of bracelets on a tree that marked where women and children were buried was particularly confronting and made us reflect on the importance of educating future generations about the genocide in order to avoid history repeating itself.

Battambang – Seeing the work of Catholic Mission

A reflection by Annabelle Sara, Year 11

While at centres which are the work of the Catholic Prefecture of Battambang, in partnership with the Catholic Mission, we saw the realities of how many young children live in Cambodia. St Joseph’s Parish, the Arrupe Centre and La Palomas exist because of circumstances where parents cannot afford to support their children (because of poverty or disability), leading to the parents ‘leaving’ their children at these centres so that they can go work (often in Thailand).

The Arrupe Centre is a specialised centre for children and young people with disabilities, providing schooling, work and housing.

St Joseph’s Parish is a centre for school-aged children which has supported high school education in an effort to break the cycle of poverty.

How I met Syer Mout, her story and the impact she had on me

A reflection by Christine El-Tahche, Year 11

I met Syer Mout whilst I was planting a tree, symbolising life, growth, wisdom and prosperity. Together, we planted 30 trees and she helped me when I was struggling and never failed to put a smile on my face. She made me happy, she was another little sister to me. Every time I looked into her eyes I felt at home, I felt loved and I felt safe. She will always have a special place in my heart; her story transformed my perspective on life.

When I found out her story, I discovered that she is an orphan and one of four girls. She lived in the worst poverty possible, with very little income, a difficult way of living, and very little food or fresh water. She and her sisters had to survive day by day, hoping that they would overcome this poverty cycle. This is when St Joseph’s Catholic Centre took her and her sister in, raised them, gave them a bed to sleep in, fresh food and water and an education.

Syer Mout has the kindest heart and smile and will never fail to make you laugh; this little girl found hope in the darkest, hardest challenges she faced in her life and I am beyond grateful to have met a girl like her. She changed and transformed my life for the better, showed me how to be optimistic and see life beyond the challenges, and she taught me the simple way of life and that even in the darkest moments, the light of hope can guide anyone towards a brighter future.

**Chrab Viel – Serviam in action at Mother of Peace Primary School**

A reflection by Bethany Lui, Year 11

Finally visiting the Mother of Peace Primary School that our Ursuline community has worked and raised so much for, was truly inspiring. I can’t really put it into words how it felt. I feel that the Cambodian trip was an indescribably eye-opening immersion experience, teaching us all a lesson in gratitude, empathy and humility. I am extremely proud of what our community has done, and how many families’ lives we have positively impacted and given a better chance at having a good education. This chance can allow everyone to have a better and fairer start at changing the living conditions and standards of Cambodia, allowing for more opportunities for families in the hope of ending the poverty cycle. I believe being part of the Ursuline community is one of the best and most unique things about our school, as it is the most impactful and significantly dynamic way we live and act out Angela Merici’s work today.

Even though we couldn’t have fluent conversations with everyone, emotionally bonding with the children and getting to know them was a really heart-warming experience. I felt extremely welcomed and loved by the friendly and hospitable community of the school, and the time we spent there made me realise many things about the world and how privileged we are in Australia and the ridiculous amount of unnecessary luxuries we have, yet we still manage to complain and want more. While at Mother of Peace Primary School, we also met our Ursuline sisters who run and teach at the school.

From the leaders of the Immersion

The work of the Ursuline Sisters is truly inspiring, and demonstrates their commitment to, and passion for, not only educating but also helping to care for children. Witnessing the Sisters supporting a whole community by providing education, financial support and jobs for people was a modern and practical example of how we can live out Serviam within our daily lives.

The Ursuline Sisters are living Serviam throughout their daily routines of school life, life at home, life in the local community, furthering their example of living a life of service. This was also a moment of realisation for me and it showed how St Angela Merici’s and St Ursula’s visions are universal ideals which continue to carry out the goal of educating people in order to see them rise. I acknowledge the dedication of the Ursulines, and feel inspired to work towards assisting people in creating better living environments.

On behalf of Mrs Monk and myself, we would like to thank you all for your continued prayers and support as we undertook this Immersion. I am unsure that a review here will never do justice to the experience but I know, personally, I have come back with a renewed sense of love and respect for the work of the Catholic Church in our developing countries. To see the Ursuline Sisters working and living in the Cambodian community is a blessing I will carry with me for life. These are remarkable women doing God’s work with no expectation of anything in return – what an amazing reminder of what our faith is meant to be.

We appreciate the support of Catholic Mission, our Immersion partner, for its professional care and organisation of our group. We thank the parents for entrusting their daughters to our care and thank Sydney Catholic Schools and Mrs Leask, in particular, who gave us the space to dream this Immersion to life. We pray our connection to Chrab Viel continues to grow as there is still so much work to be done, God willing.