Dear PIME Friends,
We have entered the Lenten Season, and I am in Cambodia, Southeast Asia, visiting our missions. It is such a privilege to be here in Kdol Leu, where the pastor is Fr. Alessandro Motti, PIME. He is a good friend of mine; we worked together in Milan, and to see him here, speaking Khmer, and leading the community brings me so much joy. He loves his mission, he loves his people, and they love him.
Walking a few yards from the church, there is a chapel, a very special chapel, where Fr. Pierre Rapin is buried. He is the only martyr in Cambodia that we have the remains of. On Tuesday, February 24th, we will celebrate the 55th anniversary of his martyrdom. After spending 16 years in Cambodia, three of those in Kdol Leu, he loved his Christians so much that when he was given the opportunity to leave, he decided to stay, despite the imminent threat from the Khmer Rouge. After 56 years, the parishioners still remember him as the good shepherd who, like Jesus, gave his life for his sheep.
After Fr. Rapin was killed, the Ksach Proceh/Kdol Leu mission was without a pastor for more than 20 years. The majority of Christians were Vietnamese, and they went back to Vietnam. The minority, the Khmer Christians, remained secretly Catholic, praying in their homes or in the silence of the rice fields. In 1992, Bishop Lesouef returned to Cambodia and immediately sought out old catechists to locate the Christians of Kdol Leu. After that, several priests, religious, and lay faithful have been working to rebuild a community that seemed to have been destroyed.
Today, I look at the new rectory and the kindergarten that the PIME U.S. Mission Center helped to rebuild, and I feel like we are a part of this story. I look at the children and their smiles, and I am so happy, because they are safe. They can grow in their faith. I look around, and I see Fr. Alessandro, and I see a good shepherd. I am so proud of him. I look around, and I am grateful for you, because you make PIME!
This Lenten Appeal is going to be a very important one because in 2025, we were able to surpass our goal, and we sent over $1.3 Million dollars to the missions. We are growing, and the good work that many good shepherds are doing needs your support. Our next goal is going to be sending $1.4 Million in 2026, and if you consider donating $50 to our 2026 PIME Lenten Appeal, I am positive that next year we will celebrate another tremendous accomplishment! I am here, at Fr. Rapin’s tomb, and I am praying for each of you. On behalf of all our PIME Missionaries and the people we serve, I want to wish you a very blessed Lenten Season full of Christ’s love.
Yours, In Christ,
Fr. Daniele Criscione
PIME U.S. Mission Center Director
