Marist District of Asia

Our Pailin Marist Community in Cambodia uses to celebrate Saint Marcellin, on 6th June, every year. It is the Feast in our Marist Educational Center, for now 7 years.

To have a religious celebration with people who are Buddhist at almost 100% is a real challenge. Easter, Christmas or Pentecost don’t have any meaning for our young people, except the joy and the solemnity that is apparent on these days in our parish community. Only the Christians are initiated to these mysteries of our faith.

This year 2017 is the commemoration of the bicentenary of our Marist Foundation in La Valla in 1817. We wanted to be in communion with other Marist District of Asia communities and in all the Marist World. As usually it was a family celebration where everybody involved himself for the best of the celebration: young students, (singers, dancers, cooks…) teachers, parents, brothers.

This year to make it a bit more solemn, we put a small drama in the program: Father Champagnat in Pailin. Ly, a student was Marcellin and Makara the representative of the students.

Here are some parts of their dialogue:

Marcellin how do you know us?

When there are Marist Brothers, I am here.
They do what I would like to do with you myself.
I am working through the brothers, the lay teachers.

Marcelin what do you want to tell us today?

I love you, your teachers love you
God loves you especially if you are poor, or not in good health, if you have difficulties for studying.
Mary loves you as you could see it in this statue of Mary of Pailin where she protects all the young people
I would like that the Marist Educational Center could be a family, a Marist family

Marcellin could you stay with us here in Pailin?

I am always with you: I walk and work with you
I am so happy when you bring peace and love to one another.
I am very happy to be with you today.