The church has Khmer Style

KOMPONG CHAM (CSC) – New  Catholic Church in the Apostolic Prefecture of Kompong Cham. The church was indicated to the Jesus Christ who has the glory, and is the symbol of developing the Catholic Church in Kompong Cham Diocese. The church was inaugurated on May 04, 2010 under the presidency of Mgr. Antonysamy Susairaj, apostolic prefect of Kompong Cham and 600 villagers who live in Chork commune, O Reang Euv district, Kompong Cham province about 155 kilometers east of Pnom Penh .

Fr. François Ponchaud, MEP, a Parish priest said that the style of the church was built as the Khmer style that has many pictures on the wall that is described about the Genesis to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

A committee leader of Cham Lak parish reported that most of villagers in this village are constructors, workers in garment factories and farmers. However, in order to help villagers, the church has set up many programs to help villagers to have a good standard of living, such as health services, construct roads, agriculture supplies and building kindergarten schools for local children.

In 1993 Mr. Ly Bun Chhieng native Trapeang Kandaol, a former Buddhist monk at the pagoda in the village, returned from camps in Thailand where he had been in contact with Christians.

He began to speak of the Christian religion to his family. Msgr. Andre Lsouëf, MEP, ex-Apostolic prefect of Kompong Cham, followed then a small group of people who wanted to know the faith of Christians, and was baptized  few years after. Father Gerald Vogin, MEP was responsible for this Christian group in 1996-1997, and then the responsibility was entrusted to Father Francois Ponchaud until 2010. The house of Mr Ly Bun Chhieng served as a Church, and in 2004, the community decided to purchase land along the road that connects Suong O Reang Euv to be less isolated. Gradually, the community has expanded. In 2010, 46 people are on the register of baptisms, 3 were added from the outside. Of these 49, there is already 5 deaths, many are left to work in Suong, Phnom Penh or in Thailand. So the community is about 25 practicing Christian and about thirty Buddhist observants  participate also in the celebrations on Sunday.