Ten young people who have completed the preparation course as catechumens will be baptized during the Easter Vigil Mass in Cambodia on April 16, 2022.
Their story of adults’ baptisms is unique because they simply expressed their desire to be Catholic in a non-Catholic country after participating in a program called "trip to the Church."
Unlike in majority-Christian countries, where opportunities to become Catholics are readily available, these students must undergo lengthy baptismal preparations.
Xavier Jesuit School, which is located at Phnom Bak, Banteay Meanchey, prepared these young people for baptism. The preliminary session went longer than anticipated due to a variety of circumstances, says Jonathan Yim, a lay missionary and teacher at Xavier Jesuit School Cambodia.
According to school authorities, only 10 out of 30 will be baptized this year as they have finished the baptismal preparation stage. All of them are presently enrolled in the Jesuit-run school.
Two of the 10 students have expressed their thoughts about this important event in their faith journey, becoming followers of Christ.
Chorvy, a tenth-grade student, could not restrain her boldness in the face of this miraculous incident. For her, the baptism would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I am not frightened,” Choryby said. “I attended Sunday school in seventh grade, but the teacher discontinued teaching.”
She said that the baptismal preparation process had been delayed by two years due to the absence of the course provider and the proliferation of COVID-19 cases.
This situation, however, did not excite her interest in becoming a Christian.
“I am overjoyed that I will be able to get baptized this year," she said.
Chorvy views baptism to increase her knowledge of God's truth.
Besides, after being baptized, she wanted to become more involved in the church's life in the future.
For Sophea, a twelfth-grade student, baptism provides a means of future assistance to others, particularly the impoverished.
As someone who has benefitted from several church initiatives, including assisting the needy and providing free education for her and her friends, baptism is the first step toward helping those in need.
"I am pleased to have been assisted by the church via the school and look forward to aiding others in the future," Sophea remarked.
Moreover, Sophea shared a miraculous encounter she experienced while praying at a church.
“When I pray, I often get a feeling of serenity and pleasure,” Sophea explained.
These conversion tales occur in a non-Christian nation (Cambodia) where just 1% of Cambodians follow Christianity, roughly 80% practice Theravada Buddhism, and the rest practice Islam, atheism, or animism.
Baptizing new members is one of the oldest practices of the Catholic Church. It occurs when someone decides to become Catholic on Easter night.
These new members are often baptized during the processional to renew baptismal vows on Easter Vigil. - With inputs from the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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