A Cambodian nun, Sr. Therese Sany Eng of the congregation of Providence of Portieux Sisters (pp) made her vow of Chastity in front of Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler of the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh and Sr. Marie And, the superior of the Providence of Portieux Sisters (pp) on 12 January 2020 at the Child Jesus Parish (BoeungTumpon).

In his homily, the bishop reminded the nun to consistently keep her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He said that God had supported and chosen her.  She has to obey her superior and also the Church, which is a large family because the Holy Spirit is with the whole Church.

The bishop further said that living a life of humility in poverty is important.  “To journey with the unfortunate, we do the Will of God, who is the heart of Grace. The heart is the providence of God for other people.”

The Bishop instructed the nun to have good relationships with local people to serve as the light when it is dark and go to various places to meet with other people.

At the ceremony, she made her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and then handed a promissory letter to her superior. The letter was signed by the bishop and her superior.

The new nun said that religious life for her is to live and respond to the love of God by announcing that she would live a life of a religious, especially living in the congregation of Providence of Portieux Sisters.  Her response does not end on that day because she still continues to answer the call of God every day.

She further said: “In the future, I don’t know for sure where the superior will assign me to serve. But I like to live in the countryside to serve brothers and sisters in parishes, especially sharing the faith with other people.”

The nun also called on youths to be courageous and not to be afraid of answering the call of God because He will be with us and join the journey with us.

Members of the congregation of Providence of Portieux Sisters in Cambodia comprise 19.  They are divided into three groups to serve the local Church (BoeungTumpon) in Phnom Penh, Battambang and Kampong Chhnang.

The congregation has joined in pastoral activities such as catechism, charity activities and liturgical service preparations. The congregation is also involved in social activities such as providing orphans and poor people with dormitories so that they can stay and study. The congregation has a center for disabled persons and has established schools in communities and supported health programs.