UCAN Diocesan Profiles Series

Apostolic Officials
A. Ordinary of the Apostolic Prefecture
		Monsignor Antonysamy Susairaj was born on Nov. 4, 1952. He completed seminary studies at Bangalore before he was ordained a priest on May 27, 1978, in Salem, India. After two years of pastoral service, he went to study at Latran University in Rome. He later was put in charge of the Pastoral Center in Salem. He joined the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP) in 1994 and went to Cambodia in May 1995, and was installed Apostolic Prefect of Kompong Cham on May 27, 2000. Address: # 111 Phum 1, Khum Veal Vong Srok Kompong Cham, Kompong Cham Province, Cambodia P.O. Box 123 - Phnom Penh Phone / Fax: 855) 42-941-330, (855) 12-47-61-89 Email: cat-cham@camintel.com
		Previous Ordinary
		Monsignor Andre Lesouef (1968-1997) Monsignor Andre Lesouef was born on March 26, 1918, in Redon, France. After joining MEP, he studied at the Gregorian University in Rome and the Catholic University in Paris before he was ordained a priest on March 20, 1943. He served as rector of the major seminary and became vicar delegate of the Apostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh in 1963. On Sept. 26, 1968, he was appointed apostolic prefect of Kompong Cham and continued to take for the prefecture until he retired in 1997. In 2000, he returned to France, and died in Montbeton, France, on June 6, 2004.
B. Other Officials
		Vicar General: Father Francois Ponchaud was born on Feb. 8, 1939. He studied at Gregorian University in Rome, and was ordained a priest on July 12, 1964. He went to Cambodia in 1965.

Statistics

A. Catholic Population

In 2005, there were 4,000 Catholics, representing 0.086 percent of all 4,604,000 people in this prefecture. The apostolic prefecture recorded 43 baptisms in April 2005.

People in the Apostolic Prefecture

Catholics: 4,000 or 0.08%

Buddhists: 4,410,000 or 95.74%

Muslims: 100,000 or 2.17%

Others: 90,000 or 1.95%

B. Diocesan and Religious priests

Diocesan priests: 1 Khmer
Religious priests: 8 foreigners

C. Deacons

One Colombian, to be ordained in December 2005

D. Religious Brothers, Sisters

Religious Brothers: 0
Religious Sisters: 5 Khmers

E. Lay Missionaries, Catechists

Lay missionaries: 2
Catechists: 18 (salaried: 7, volunteers: 11)

F. The apostolic prefecture has 18 parishes in seven provinces:

	Kopong Cham	7
	Prey Veng	5
	Mondolkiri	2
	Kratie	1
	Ratanakiri	1
	Stung Treng	1
	Svay Rieng	1

Apostolic Activities and Organizations

A. Major Commissions and Organizations

Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue

Diocesan Commission for Vocations

Diocesan Committee for Care of the Sick

Diocesan Committee for Catholic Catechism

Diocesan Committee for Catholic Education

Religious Communities

Caritas network: Three places of resident staff

B. Catholic Educational Institutions

	Student Centers for Boys (14 to 20 years old):	3
	Student Centers for Girls (14 to 20 years old):	4

C. Catholic Social Welfare

Committee for the Caring for the Sick

Religious Congregations, Societies and Institutes

A. Religious Institutes of Men

Lovers of the Holy Cross Sisters

Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions ~ PIME

Paris Foreign Mission Society ~ MEP

Korea Missions Society ~ KMS

Yarumal Foreign Mission Society ~ IMEY

B. Religious Institutes of Women

Soeurs de la Providence de Portieux

Lovers of the Holy Cross

General Characteristics of the Apostolic Prefecture

The Holy See established Kompong Cham as an Ecclesiastical Circumscription on Sept. 26, 1968.

The prefecture covers seven provinces: Kompong Cham, Kratie, Stung Treng, Rattanakiri, Mondolkiri, Svay Rieng and Prey Veng. Its first Apostolic Prefect was Monsignor Andre Lesouef.

All Church work was destroyed during the civil war. Many priests and Christians were killed in 1970-1979.

In 1993, Monsignor Lesouef came to Kompong Cham. He stood in front of the Kompong market for a whole day, hoping to find a single Christian there, but he failed. After returning to Phnom Penh, he received a letter from a young Catholic woman from Kompong Cham. He came to meet her and from then he started his missionary work in the prefecture.

< Last updated on: September 14, 2005 >