Jesuit mission in cambodia

The beginning of the Jesuit Mission in Cambodia dates back to 1981 when Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) first started working for the Cambodian refugees and the displaced in refugee camps on the Thai border while the civil war was raging in Cambodia. Recognizing the greater needs required for the poor, in 1990, JRS signed an agreement with the Cambodian Ministry of Social Action to establish Jesuit Mission in Phnom Penh.

Jesuit Presence in Cambodia

As of June 2023, the mission comprises about 30 Jesuit priests, brothers, and scholastics – who work with more than 500 collaborators – religious sisters, diocesan and religious clergy, international lay volunteers, and Cambodian partners. Together, we administer an apostolic prefecture, parishes, schools, and student centers; manage programs for poverty alleviation, ecology, rural development, and special support for people with disabilities; advocate for peace and human rights, and against the use of landmines and cluster munitions; assist and accompany refugees; provide pastoral and spiritual care to various individuals and communities; teach in the university and seminary; engage in inter-religious initiatives and local church development.

Jesuit Mission in Cambodia serves the poor and the marginalized to uphold their rights and empower them and their communities to work towards a better future. The projects of the Jesuit Mission in Cambodia endeavors to not only achieve its objectives but to accompany the people it serves along the way, to walk together in optimism to embrace to overcome their sufferings.