Hundreds pray without priest at Easter

April 10, 2012: Hndreds of Catholics of South East Asia’s Laos were forced to gather and celebrate Easter without a priest outside their chapel in a parish bordering Thailand on Sunday following its recent closure by the government.
“Around 200 Lao Catholics recited the rosary, sang hymns and read the Gospel to celebrate Easter in front of Kengweng chapel, while four armed soldiers watched from the chapel’s gate,” said Lovers of the Holy Cross Sister Josephine Seusy, who organized the ceremony.
“We prayed with the risen Christ for the government to return the chapel,” she said. The chapel, built in 1964, was closed off to parishioners by Savannakhet provincial authorities in February.
“The government decided to confiscate the chapel after saying we had no ownership papers. It plans to build a school on the plot” she said.
Sister Seusy said priests from elsewhere are still being prevented from providing pastoral services for local Catholics. She said she and her five novices have to hold prayers, teach catechism and provide communion, baptism and funeral services.
There are around 3,000 Catholics in Savannakhek province.