Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Phnom Penh (Agenzia Fides) - Chour Damo, 29, is the second cambodian Jesuit: professing the solemn religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the Society of Jesus, the young man made his entrance in the order founded by St. Ignatius Loyola. As reported to Fides, the Society of Jesus welcomed him with great joy. Damo is from the province of Kampong Cham, in the northeast of Phnom Penh. Since when he was a boy he was already attracted to the life of priests. Having met some Jesuits, after a period of discernment he decided to embrace the life and mission of the Society. After obtaining a degree in Business Administration at Phnom Penh University, he worked as a project coordinator at a school in the province of Prey Veng for five years. Damo entered the Jesuit novitiate in the Philippines in 2012 and now will go back to Manila to study philosophy, before returning again to his pastoral service in Cambodia
In the country there are about 30,000 Catholics representing 0.15% of the total population. The Jesuits have been engaged in Cambodia for over 20 years in the field of education and vocational formation. The Society of Jesus financially supports primary school students and teachers in remote areas and was also in charge of the training of teachers at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. The Jesuits also manage a center for disabled children in Phnom Penh and a center for disadvantaged children and a middle school in Battambang. Now they are working on a new educational project that will be based in Sisophon, in the province of Banteay Meanchey. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/06/2014)
