1374 Cambodia 1960
austraLasia 1374

A footnote to history - Cambodia 1960

PHNOM PENH: 2nd January 2006 -- .....yes, and the 500th anniversary of St Francis Xavier, the 100th of the Salesians in China, the 100th in India; it goes on, really.  2006 will be a year of celebration, obviously! (If that line is mysterious, read aLa #1373).  But in the meantime, while we are talking history, another little note has come in, which may be of more than passing interest, firstly because its true origin is Fr Bernard Tohill, once regional in this area, at least for the Asia-Oceania part of the famed English-speaking region of the time (before some readers were thought of!), and still residing in the region, as it happens.  Fr Tohill recently wrote to Fr Leo Ochoa in Phnom Penh, who has passed on this interesting footnote to the Salesian presence in Cambodia:  
    The Rector and community of Don Bosco Technical School at Phnom Penh has recently received a short letter with a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and “Buon Apostolato” Greetings from Fr. Bernard Tohill. But what’s special in the letter was a special “footnote” personally written down by Fr. Tohill which carried very important historical information. In this letter Fr. Bernard Tohill wrote: “On December 15, 1960 I was on my way back to Vietnam after preaching a Retreat at Huahin, and stayed with the Bishop of Phnom Penh for the night. At that time I was Provincial of China-Vietnam”. “The Bishop of Phnom Penh invited orally that I send some Salesians from China-Vietnam (so it is written in my diary of 1960). But alas, I was not able to make any promises. I am so happy that now Don Bosco is in Cambodia. God bless Cambodia and the Church and Congregation there. This information may be useful for our history in Cambodia".
Fr. Bernad Tohill, SDB.
(The Bishop mentioned by Fr Tohill was Msgr Gustave Raballand MEP, Vicar Apsotolic from 1956-62: austraLasia's correspondent note)
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