From the words of Fr. Roel Soto, SDB, emeritus superior of the Cambodia mission and director of Don Bosco Technical College of Poipet and the Salabalat Agro-Industrial School of Battambang, during the ordination of Fr. John Bosco Kong Somony, 31st May 2025, by Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, first Mass the date after. In the photo, Fr. Eugene Xalxo, delegate superior of the Salesian Mission in Cambodia, with Fr. Somony. Behind Fr. Eugene is Fr Roel Soto, emeritus delegate superior and Fr. Theparat, Emeritus Provincial of THA Province.

(Phnom Penh, Cambodia Pastoral Center) — Rev. John Bosco Somony Kong, the second of four siblings, was born on June 5, 1985, in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border. His parents, Thyrith Chou and Bunna Yim, later moved to Pursat Province, his mother’s hometown. Raised in a Buddhist family, Rev. Somony discovered his Catholic faith later in life.

After completing high school in 2002, he pursued automotive studies at Don Bosco Technical School in Phnom Penh, where he also lived as a boarder. His calling to become a Salesian priest emerged while working as a teacher at Don Bosco Poipet, a center dedicated to supporting poor and vulnerable children. As his vocation deepened, he joined the Emmanuel group and, with his parents’ blessing, entered the Salesian Congregation as an aspirant in 2009. He made his first profession as a Salesian on May 1, 2013, at Samphran, Thailand, and later studied philosophy at Saengtham College from 2013 to 2017.

Tragedy struck in 2017 when his mother passed away while undergoing Catholic faith formation with Korean sisters at St. James Parish in Pursat. Returning to Cambodia, Rev. Somony undertook Practical Training at Don Bosco Technical Schools in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, he began studying theology online while preparing for his Perpetual Profession, which he completed on April 9, 2022, in Phnom Penh. From 2022 to 2025, he continued theological studies at Don Bosco School of Theology in Paranaque City, Philippines. In 2023, he suffered another personal loss with the passing of his father. On July 27, 2024, he was ordained as a deacon in Paranaque City.

Rev. Somony finds great joy in the mission of Don Bosco, serving young people and shaping them into responsible citizens and faithful believers. He remains deeply grateful to his parents for their love and guidance throughout his journey. His vocation, though marked by challenges and loss, has strengthened his resolve to live faithfully as a Salesian priest in Cambodia, committed to the salvation of souls and striving for holiness in his ministry.