The below article is originally posted on JRS website here.
Cambodia: former JRS staff member passes away
On 4 August, former JRS Cambodia staff member, Fr Vincent Dierckx SJ, died at the age of 87. He had returned to his native Belgium in 2005 after being made bedridden from a fall.
Fr Vincent began working for JRS in the 1980s in camps set up for Cambodian refugees on the Thai border. He worked for JRS until 2001 where he was responsible for a variety of tasks relating to administration and hospitality.
The sad news of his demise was received in Cambodia on 5 August when two Jesuit communities, from Phnom Penh and Banteay Prieb, a JRS technical school for persons with disabilities 25km from the capital, came together for a weekly meeting. Appropriately, the mass was celebrated in the chapel which was Fr Vincent’s former room.
On 19 August, JRS Cambodia staff and friends gathered in Phnom Penh for a memorial service in his honour.
Monsignor Kike Figerado, a close JRS partner, presided at the mass, with the readings in both English and Khmer.
In his homily, Monsignor Kike, who had known Fr Vincent for some 20 years, spoke of how the highly qualified university professor treated everyone with gentleness and made all feel welcomed and loved.
Fr Vincent was a person of great ability and kindness, and he will be sorely missed by those who knew him.
The sad news of his demise was received in Cambodia on 5 August when two Jesuit communities, from Phnom Penh and Banteay Prieb, a JRS technical school for persons with disabilities 25km from the capital, came together for a weekly meeting. Appropriately, the mass was celebrated in the chapel which was Fr Vincent’s former room.
On 19 August, JRS Cambodia staff and friends gathered in Phnom Penh for a memorial service in his honour.
Monsignor Kike Figerado, a close JRS partner, presided at the mass, with the readings in both English and Khmer.
In his homily, Monsignor Kike, who had known Fr Vincent for some 20 years, spoke of how the highly qualified university professor treated everyone with gentleness and made all feel welcomed and loved.
Fr Vincent was a person of great ability and kindness, and he will be sorely missed by those who knew him.
Story dated: 16/09/08
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