On the morning of 9th December, a young Cambodian woman took the veil
as she joined the congregation of Carmelite Sisters. The ceremony began with the Eucharistic celebration by Fr. Joseph In-gun Kang  who celebrated along with Fr. François Xavier Demont and some 20 people at the Carmelite monastery in Ang Snuol district, Kandal province.

In his homily, Fr. Joseph In-gun Kang of the Jesuit order who is also the spiritual director of Khem Siya thanked Siya’s parents for allowing her to join the Carmelite order. He also thanked the nuns for taking care of the new nun and welcoming a new member to their community. The priest further said that answering “yes” to God, was very important for Siya as did the Blessed Virgin Mary. Siya who goes by the name Mary has to be chaste to receive Jesus. “Siya or Mary had to learn about the vocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary during her novitiate.”

The novitiate is the period of training and preparation that a Christian novice or member of a religious order has to go through for two years.  The process of study takes four years to become a nun or religious.  They have to undergo three main stages  – a one-year being an aspirant,  one-year of postulancy and a two-year novitiate. The priest added: “In our course of life, we sometimes fail to choose God and so God chooses us. The nun has to follow God rather than her heart. We collaborate to help other people and love them. Now, the nun joined in this journey to serve the Church. Let us pray for our Church modeling after the Blessed Virgin Mary.”