Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang
Encyclopedia
The Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang is a territorial subdivision of the Roman Catholic Church in Cambodia
.
The prefecture covers an area of 80,430 km² of north-western Cambodia, covering the provinces Battambang
, Pursat, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Thom, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, Oddar Meancheay, Banteay Meanchey and Pailin
. As of 2006, the estimated total population in the prefecture is 4,639,184 and 7,000 are members of the Catholic Church. The prefecture is subdivided into 27 parish
es or pastoral areas, and has 10 priests altogether.
In the middle of the 19th century, when the Kingdom of Cambodia was all but destroyed by war with the Thai, the Catholic communities almost disappeared. In 1850 the Holy See established the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, covering all the Kingdom of Cambodia, entrusting it to the care of the fathers of the Missions Etrangeres de Paris (MEP).
During the French Protectorate, many Catholics came from Vietnam and settled down in Cambodia. In 1905, two Sisters of Providence of Portieux went to Battambang and opened an orphanage and a hospital. A church built at around that time on the same piece of land was totally leveled later in the Khmer Rouge regime .
On September 26, 1968 the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh was divided into three: Phnom Penh, Kompong Cham and Battambang.
During the dark, genocidal years of 1975-1979, all the Cambodian priests and all religious, except the handful of sisters who happened to be outside the country, and a great number of Khmer Catholics, lost their lives. Mgr. Paul Tep Im Sotha, who had been named first Apostolic Prefect of Battambang in 1968, was killed together with Fr. Jean Badre, a French Benedictine, in May 1975 in Bat Trang in the Mongolborei district of Banteay Meanchey Province.
At the end of the Khmer Rouge period, in 1979 and in the early eighties, only some Catholics were among the several hundred thousand who lived in the refugee settlements along the Thai border. The tiny communities grew, and during this time of exile, intense effort was made by the MEP fathers to translate the bible and liturgy to Khmer.
After the liberation of 1979, the Catholics slowly regathered, prayed together, and organized their lives around their faith. With the return of the refugees in the early nineties, Catholic communities in the northwest of the Prefecture gathered momentum. The refugees who came back from the camps and the new Catholics from the camps gave new life, since they had received intense formation during their exile in Thailand. In Battambang, although property rights were lost during the years of turbulence and exile, the Catholic Church was able to buy back the same property and building which was formerly the hospital of the Providence Sisters. Quickly this became an important pastoral centre for nurturing the small communities back to full life. In Chomnaom, the Church compound was given back to the community without any remunerations made.
In 1990, the Catholic communities were given the permission to worship freely in Cambodia, and Caritas Cambodia was re-established after an absence of 15 years. Bishop Yves Ramousse, who since 1983 had been responsible for the pastoral care of Cambodian communities dispersed around the world, officially returned in late 1992. On July 25, 1992, the Holy See reappointed him as Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh. On December 21 of the same year, he was also appointed Apostolic Administrator of Battambang until the year 2000.
Msgr. Kike Figaredo, SJ
On July 2, 2000, Msgr. Enrique Figaredo, a Jesuit Priest from Asturias in Spain who has been deeply involved in the life of the Cambodians beginning with his work in the Thai-Cambodia refugee camps, was installed as Prefect Apostolic.
With the appointment of Msgr. Kike Figaredo, SJ, a new era for the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang began. Since 1985, Kike have worked with the Cambodian people, first with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in the camps in Thai-Cambodia border and, later, in Banteay Prieb Technical School for the Handicapped and landmine victims in Ang Snuol, 22 kilometers from Phnom Penh. The school aims to help in the reintegration of war victims into the society again. Msgr. Kike is an apostle on the bumpy roads of Cambodia, extending outreach services especially to people in the northwest of the country. Because of his presence to people and the active commitment of the Society of Jesus to the Cambodians, the Holy See put the leadership of the Catholic Church to the Jesuits through Msgr. Kike Figaredo. Last July 2, 2010, the Catholic communities celebrated Msgr. Kike's 10 years of loving presence and leadership.
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
The prefecture covers an area of 80,430 km² of north-western Cambodia, covering the provinces Battambang
Battambang Province
Battambang is a province in northwestern Cambodia. It is bordered to the North with Banteay Meanchey, to the West with Thailand, and to the East and South with Pursat. The capital of the province is the city of Battambang. The name, meaning 'lost staff', refers to the legend of Preah Bat Dambang...
, Pursat, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Thom, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, Oddar Meancheay, Banteay Meanchey and Pailin
Pailin
Pailin is a province at the northern edge of the Cardamom Mountains, in the west of Cambodia near the border of Thailand. This province is surrounded by Battambang Province, and was officially carved out of Battambang to become a separate administrative division after the surrender of the Ieng...
. As of 2006, the estimated total population in the prefecture is 4,639,184 and 7,000 are members of the Catholic Church. The prefecture is subdivided into 27 parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es or pastoral areas, and has 10 priests altogether.
A brief history of the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang
The Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang traces its roots in the history of the Catholic Community in Battambang City. On January 5, 1790, about 300 Cambodian Catholics left Pursat and Kompong Svay and settled in the outskirts of Battambang town, in the area that has been the cradle of Catholic presence and is now called Pet Yiet Chee. Some settled in the provinces of Siem Reap and Kompong Thom.In the middle of the 19th century, when the Kingdom of Cambodia was all but destroyed by war with the Thai, the Catholic communities almost disappeared. In 1850 the Holy See established the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh, covering all the Kingdom of Cambodia, entrusting it to the care of the fathers of the Missions Etrangeres de Paris (MEP).
During the French Protectorate, many Catholics came from Vietnam and settled down in Cambodia. In 1905, two Sisters of Providence of Portieux went to Battambang and opened an orphanage and a hospital. A church built at around that time on the same piece of land was totally leveled later in the Khmer Rouge regime .
On September 26, 1968 the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh was divided into three: Phnom Penh, Kompong Cham and Battambang.
During the dark, genocidal years of 1975-1979, all the Cambodian priests and all religious, except the handful of sisters who happened to be outside the country, and a great number of Khmer Catholics, lost their lives. Mgr. Paul Tep Im Sotha, who had been named first Apostolic Prefect of Battambang in 1968, was killed together with Fr. Jean Badre, a French Benedictine, in May 1975 in Bat Trang in the Mongolborei district of Banteay Meanchey Province.
At the end of the Khmer Rouge period, in 1979 and in the early eighties, only some Catholics were among the several hundred thousand who lived in the refugee settlements along the Thai border. The tiny communities grew, and during this time of exile, intense effort was made by the MEP fathers to translate the bible and liturgy to Khmer.
After the liberation of 1979, the Catholics slowly regathered, prayed together, and organized their lives around their faith. With the return of the refugees in the early nineties, Catholic communities in the northwest of the Prefecture gathered momentum. The refugees who came back from the camps and the new Catholics from the camps gave new life, since they had received intense formation during their exile in Thailand. In Battambang, although property rights were lost during the years of turbulence and exile, the Catholic Church was able to buy back the same property and building which was formerly the hospital of the Providence Sisters. Quickly this became an important pastoral centre for nurturing the small communities back to full life. In Chomnaom, the Church compound was given back to the community without any remunerations made.
In 1990, the Catholic communities were given the permission to worship freely in Cambodia, and Caritas Cambodia was re-established after an absence of 15 years. Bishop Yves Ramousse, who since 1983 had been responsible for the pastoral care of Cambodian communities dispersed around the world, officially returned in late 1992. On July 25, 1992, the Holy See reappointed him as Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh. On December 21 of the same year, he was also appointed Apostolic Administrator of Battambang until the year 2000.
Msgr. Kike Figaredo, SJ
On July 2, 2000, Msgr. Enrique Figaredo, a Jesuit Priest from Asturias in Spain who has been deeply involved in the life of the Cambodians beginning with his work in the Thai-Cambodia refugee camps, was installed as Prefect Apostolic.
With the appointment of Msgr. Kike Figaredo, SJ, a new era for the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang began. Since 1985, Kike have worked with the Cambodian people, first with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in the camps in Thai-Cambodia border and, later, in Banteay Prieb Technical School for the Handicapped and landmine victims in Ang Snuol, 22 kilometers from Phnom Penh. The school aims to help in the reintegration of war victims into the society again. Msgr. Kike is an apostle on the bumpy roads of Cambodia, extending outreach services especially to people in the northwest of the country. Because of his presence to people and the active commitment of the Society of Jesus to the Cambodians, the Holy See put the leadership of the Catholic Church to the Jesuits through Msgr. Kike Figaredo. Last July 2, 2010, the Catholic communities celebrated Msgr. Kike's 10 years of loving presence and leadership.
Ordinaries
- Enrique Figaredo AlvargonzalezEnrique Figaredo AlvargonzalezEnrique Figaredo is a Jesuit priest and the Apostolic Prefect of Battambang, known as the Bishop of the Wheelchairs for his humanitarian assistance in Cambodia.-Family:...
, S.J.Society of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
: appointed April 1, 2000 - Paul Tep Im Sotha: September 26, 1968 - May 1975 (was killed, together with the Priest of Chomnaom Parish, Fr. Jean Badre, on the road to Sisophon Town by the Khmer Rouge in April 1975.)