PAKXAN, Laos (UCAN) -- More than 3,000 people attended the ordination here of a Laotian Oblate priest who will serve in Vientiane vicariate.

Most came from neighboring Thailand or the Philippines for the ordination of Father Benedict Bennakhone Inthirath on Dec. 29. Besides laypeople, those present included 36 priests, 16 of them from Laos, as well as Religious sisters and brothers.

Also among the guests were officials of the Lao Front for National Construction, a Communist Party-affiliated organization that is responsible for supervising religious practice. The Laotian Church had obtained the front's approval to hold the ordination.

Oblate Bishop Jean Khamse Vithavong of Vientiane vicariate presided at the ceremony at Our Lady of Lourdes' Church in Pakxan, Bolikhamxai province, 120 kilometers northeast of the capital.

Father Bennakhone, 36, is the first Pakxan parishioner to become a priest, and the ordination ceremony was the first to be held in the parish, even though the few ordinations of other Oblates in recent years have usually taken place in Vientiane. Meanwhile, a few diocesan priests also have been ordained, usually in Thakhek, the base of Savannakhet vicariate, where the national major seminary opened in 1998.

Assisting Bishop Khamse were the heads of the other three vicariates in the country: Monsignor Tito Banchong Thopayong of Luang Prabang, Bishop Louis Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun of Pakse and Bishop Jean Sommeng Vorachak of Savannakhet.

Also present was Bangkok-based Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, who serves as apostolic nuncio to Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand, and as apostolic delegate to Brunei, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar.

Father Bennakhone, the fifth of 11 children in his family, was born on Aug. 31, 1972, in Pakxan Neua (north) village. He finished primary and high school in Vientiane and then studied in Australia, where he earned his Master's of Business Administration from Melbourne University.

He was ordained a deacon in Sydney, Australia, on June 14, 2007.

Bishop Khamse told the new priest: "Please learn from Jesus, our Good Shepherd, and always keep in mind that Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many people."

The advice fitted well with Father Bennakhone's priestly motto, I am among you as a servant, taken from Saint Luke's Gospel.

Souksamone Pommachan, a 49-year-old Catholic from Vientiane, told UCA News he felt "comforted" at hearing the new priest's motto. "I also feel that I have no fear to live my life in the present world, because the priest and God will be with us," he said. He added that he was happy to be part of this ordination and see more of the Laotian Church.

"I feel so glad and excited, because I have never thought that I would see so many people at this event," Souksamone continued. "I will pray for the new priest, other priests in Laos and especially for those who are going to be priests in the future."

Chantha Syvongvone, 46, was especially happy to see a fellow parishioner ordained. "I feel this is a great blessing and gift for the New Year that Jesus gave to all of us, especially Catholics in Pakxan, because this parish lacks a priest. I am glad that the new priest is from this parish," she told UCA News.

Before the final blessing, Bishop Khamse told everyone present: "Thanks be to God and thank you for coming to this ordination. May God bless you with a happy New Year. I beg all of you to pray for the new priest, because he still needs our prayers."

When Father Bennakhone celebrated his first Mass on Dec. 30 at Our Lady of Lourdes, he acknowledged the support he had received on his journey to the priesthood. "Thank you for your prayers and help. I believe my ordination would not have happened without these. May God bless all of you for ever," he told everyone present.

Vientiane vicariate has 12,348 Catholics, about 7,200 of them women, served by a bishop, four priests and 38 nuns. Most of the lay Catholics are farmers, but some are vendors and state enterprise employees.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)