Four in One: Roberto de Nobili Student Center

Roberto de Nobili Center started on May 19th, 1999. With a small wooden house that served as the church, the center housed 3 boys from a remote village giving them an opportunity to continue their studies at a government high school. As more youths needed educational opportunities, the number of students admitted to our center increased.

At the beginning of 2021, we had 30 students (22 girls and 8 boys) from grade 10 to 12. The number of girls is higher than boys because girls get priority. Cambodian society is biased towards boys who enjoy greater privileges than girls, much like gold is to silver. If a family can only afford to educate one child, it would certainly be the boy. As such, our center prioritizes education for girls which opens better career paths and life opportunities, reducing their total dependence on anyone and the risk of abuse and domestic violence.

Our Vision and Mission
We envision our students to grow as persons for and with others, embodying servant leadership. Our mission is 1) to support poor students in developing their potentials and capacities to achieve an integral human development; 2) to form the youth of Battambang Prefecture in servant leadership for rebuilding the Church. We hope to actualize our vision and mission by providing our students with 1) intellectual & capacity building, 2) character building, 3) community & social empowerment, and 4) faith formation.

Four in one: Integrating the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs)
The UAPs embody the Gospel Spirit, guiding our Jesuit apostolates in actualizing God’s Kingdom. At Nobili Center, we try to implement the UAPs in the daily life of the students. We call it Four in One.

1. Pathway to God
Most of our students are Buddhists. Christianity, church, priests, etc., are strange phenomena. To share a pathway to God, students receive religious formation by learning about Christian living, prayers, liturgies, and sacraments. We do not proselytize them. We simply share our faith. They are free to believe or not. Some students find consolation when they pray or feel happy singing during liturgies. Some even ask for baptism. In the last two years, all Grade 12 students were baptized.

Story of Maria – From Dislike to Love
At first, Maria (not her real name) did not want to stay in our center. Her father insisted she should study here. Respecting her father’s wish, she reluctantly enrolled and was accepted. Initially, it was hard for her to adjust to the life here as her heart was unsettled. Maria also developed a dislike toward Jesus. As time passed, Maria had a change of mind and heart. She got used to living at our center, made friends, and became happier. After two years, she asked for baptism. She discovered that prayer was a personal encounter with Jesus that gave her strength and consolation. From a dislike to Jesus, Maria came to love Him.

2. Walk with the Poor
We select students who come from very poor families. We accept the neediest e.g., those living far from schools and have no transportation. Priority is also given to children left behind by parents who are migrant workers in Thailand, a phenomenon common in Banteay Meanchey Province where our center is situated.

3. Accompany the Young
Our students are teenagers, experiencing a critical phase in their personal growth. We accompany them in their struggle to discover their identity by providing values formation and helping them to prepare for a hope-filled future. Parents feel more secure and happy knowing that their children are at our center, safe from the risk of negative influences in their villages e.g., gangs.

Story of Detta – From Forbidding to Thanksgiving
Detta (not her real name) knew our Nobili Center from her friends. She was interested to enter but her mother did not allow her. Tacitly she enrolled, took the entrance exam, and was accepted. With a heavy heart, her mother let her go. After three years, during our farewell party, Detta’s mother expressed her deep gratitude saying, “Father, I have no other word than thank you very much for caring and giving a chance to my daughter to study at the center.”

4. Caring for Our Common Home
From the very start of their life at Nobili Center, our students are initiated into a way of life that cares for our environment. Some of the practices include garbage segregation (bio & non-biodegradable), no plastic and Styrofoam policy, observing 4Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Repair), Green Thursdays (vegetarian food & wearing green clothes), Collect-Thrash-As-You-Go, praying with nature, no food wastage, etc. Through all these, we remember the words of Pope Francis:

“Any small action we do for mother nature is a noble one.”
“To throw food away is to throw people away.”
“Wasting food is like stealing from the poor.”

In sum, the Nobili center is strategic for the Church’s mission. People come to know us and we, them. By having students from various places, we establish a network of contacts. We help poor students to continue their studies, hence opportunities for a better life. We train the young to be leaders who know and hopefully practice Christian values for the common good. Priests get access to the villages. Through our care, we might even sow the seeds of vocation.