Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Venerable Ros Mey, a Buddhist monk and religious leader for Rhode Island’s Cambodian community, died Sunday at 85. He is shown in 2006. A former land surveyor for the Cambodian government, he and his family escaped the Khmer Rouge and were among the first wave of refugees resettled in Rhode Island.
The Providence Journal / Andrew Dickerman
PROVIDENCE –– Venerable Ros Mey, a Buddhist religious leader who conducted countless services and blessings at Cambodian weddings, birthdays and funerals in Rhode Island, died Sunday at Wat Thormikaram, the first Khmer temple in the country and whose legacy he helped preserve. He was 85.
A survivor of the Cambodian genocide that claimed the lives of a son and three daughters, Venerable Mey — the “Chov Atika” or head monk, died surrounded by his children, grandchildren and temple members, according to temple spokesman John C. Chea. His death is believed to be from natural causes.
“Venerable Ros Mey was a great man,” said Chea, the temple’s vice president for public affairs. “A true teacher of peace. He taught it. He lived by it.” Chea said the temple “is not only a place for worship, it is a central focal point for all that seek shelter and refuge from all the sufferings.”
Chea also credited Mey with keeping alive the teachings and legacy of Preah Maha Ghosanada, considered the supreme patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism until his death two years ago. Ghosanada and his supporters founded the temple (the Khmer Buddhist Society of Rhode Island). The temple served as a spiritual anchor for Cambodian Buddhists in Rhode Island and across the country.
Venerable Mey “was always there to help us, and to comfort us in our times of need. I am very sad that he is no longer with us,” said temple member Mak Hing of Providence.
A former land surveyor for the Cambodian government, Mey labored under the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 until he and his family escaped to Khao I Dang refugee camp in Thailand four years later. They were among the first wave of thousands of Cambodian refugees who were resettled in Rhode Island through international auspices.
During the Khmer Rouge genocide that left up to 3 million people dead, Buddhism became the first target. Only a few thousand of the estimated 80,000 ordained monks in the country survived as the Khmer Rouge set the clock back to the “Year Zero.”
Mey was 62 when he was ordained as a Buddhist monk in Providence.
“I feel that I was a chosen one,” Mey said during a 1997 interview with The Providence Journal. “I wanted to pray for peace in Cambodia ... I want to keep the Buddhist religion alive.”
The original temple burned in 1997, and the communal hall was moved to an adjacent converted garage.
In 1998, Mey became the head monk and temple president. He is credited as a driving force behind the new worship hall on the site.
Memorial services are being conducted Wednesday at the new hall at 178 Hanover St. at 5 p.m. On Thursday, a wake and funeral services will begin at 4 p.m. and conclude on Sunday at noon, followed by a prayer service.
Cremation will follow in the White Dove Crematory of the Carpenter-Jenks Funeral Home, 659 East Greenwich Ave., West Warwick.
Mey is survived by a daughter, Chanravy Mey of Long Beach, Calif.; two sons, Tha Mey of California; Peau Mey of Providence; and many grandchildren.
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