Cambodia: Fr. Paul Lay Appointed Apostolic Administrator of Kampong Cham Prefecture

The Dicastery for Evangelization, with the approval of Pope Leo XIV, has appointed Fr. Paul Lay as Apostolic Administrator of the Apostolic Prefecture of Kampong Cham in eastern Cambodia.

The appointment was announced in an official letter from the Apostolic Nunciature to Cambodia on November 4, which also conveyed prayers for the new administrator and the faithful under his pastoral care.

Born on January 25, 1960, into a Catholic family in Cambodia, Lay experienced the country's Khmer Rouge genocide, during which he and his family fled to a refugee camp along the Thai-Cambodian border. During that period, he discerned his vocation to the priesthood.

After the war, he returned to Cambodia and continued his formation at the Cambodian Major Seminary, then located in Battambang Province in northwestern Cambodia. He was ordained a priest on December 9, 2001, alongside three other seminarians.

Following his ordination, he was assigned to Kdol Loeu Parish, in what is now Tboung Khmum Province, within the Apostolic Prefecture of Kampong Cham.

In 2006, he went to Paris, France, for four years of specialized studies in catechetical instruction, preparing to contribute to the rebuilding of religious education in Cambodia after years of conflict.

Upon returning to Cambodia, he was assigned in 2010 to Neak Loeung Parish. His ministry there included building a new church, providing catechetical formation, accompanying young people, and establishing a parish kindergarten and student dormitories. He also supported neighboring communities and parishes, including Ka-Til, Koh Andoeuk, Svay Rieng, and Koh Sampov.

From 2011 to 2019, he served as Vicar General of the Apostolic Prefecture of Kampong Cham under Apostolic Prefect Antonysamy Susairaj.

On October 20, 2022, Bishop Pierre Suon Hangly, appointed to lead the prefecture on July 15 that year, reappointed him as Vicar General. He has continued in the position while overseeing pastoral responsibilities in several parishes, including Svay Rieng, Koh Sampov, Ka-Til, and Bavet City.

Lay also serves as vice president of the Prefecture Council, assisting in administrative matters and coordinating pastoral activities across the prefecture alongside the bishop.

The Apostolic Prefecture of Kampong Cham serves Catholics in eastern Cambodia, where the local Church continues its pastoral and educational mission in communities shaped by the country's history of war and displacement