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Savannakhet (Agenzia Fides) – A community in mourning, united in their sorrow but with a steadfast faith in the eternal embrace of the Father, has remembered the figure of Bishop Jean Sommeng Vorachak, Apostolic Vicar of Savannakhet, who recently passed away after suffering from an incurable disease. The funeral was held this past July 18, at the parish Church of Saint Luis of Thakhek, and was presided by Bishop Louis-Marie Ling, Apostolic Vicar of Vientiane; Bishop Jean Khamse, Apostolic Administrator of Luang Prabang; Msgr. Tito Banchong; Archbishop Louis Chamniern of Tharae-Nongseng (Thailand); Bishop Emile Destombes, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh and President of the Bishops' Conference of Cambodia and Laos (CELAC). Also present were the Vice-Provincial of the Redemptorists, along with many priests from Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The church was crowded with faithful that, as a result of the limited seating, were distributed among several tents set up in the area adjacent to the parish. There were a total of over 2,000 faithful.
At the beginning of the Mass, Archbishop Pennacchio expressed his condolences and solidarity to the family of Bishop Sommeng, the Vicariate, and the Catholic community in Laos, reading a message of condolences from the Holy Father and from the Cardinal Prefect of “Propaganda Fide” Cardinal Ivan Dias. At the close of the Mass, after the blessing, the coffin was taken to be buried in the cemetery of the village where Bishop Sommeng was born, at nearly 30 kilometers from Thakhek. A long line of cars and buses preceded the hearse, passing through various villages, where the faithful were able to come out and give a final farewell to their beloved Pastor.
In the parish church of the hometown of Bishop Sommeng, in Xienwang, there was another pause for prayer and recalling the zeal and pastoral dedication of the Bishop. The Rector of the Major Seminary of Thakhek, Fr. Prida Inthirath, read a farewell address to the beloved Pastor, mentioning the stages of his life and his pastoral ministry. In the cemetery adjacent to the parish, there was a burial ceremony attended by bishops, priests, religious, and many faithful.
All remember the friendliness and wisdom of Bishop Sommeng, who was an important reference point in the small Catholic community of Laos, who knew how to live difficult times, keeping the flame of faith and hope alive. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 21/7/2009)
