Venerable Ros Mey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1925-06-30)June 30, 1925 |
| Died | December 12, 2010(2010-12-12) (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Cambodian-bornAmerican |
| Spouse | Saythun Mey (deceased) |
| Children | 7 |
| Occupation | monk; president, Chov AtikaWat Thormikaram temple |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Senior posting | |
| Predecessor | Samdech Maha Ghosananda |
Ros Mey (June 30, 1925 – December 12, 2010) was aCambodian-bornAmericanBuddhistmonk and survivor of theKhmer Rougeregime. Mey was theChov Atika, or head monk, ofWat Thormikaram, the first ethnicKhmerBuddhist temple in theUnited States, which is located inProvidence, Rhode Island.[1]
Mey was born in Svay Rolom, Kandal in Cambodia on June 30, 1925. He was the fifth child born to Ouch Mey (his father) and Soeum Mon (his mother), having four older sisters and a younger brother.
In 1945, he married Saythun Mey and sired seven children, three boys and four girls.
Mey originally worked as a landsurveyor for the Cambodian government until theKhmer Rougetook power in 1975, establishingDemocratic Kampuchea.[1]
An estimated three million people would be killed by the Khmer Rouge, including four of Mey's children – three daughters and one son.[2] Mey and his surviving family managed to escape the country in 1979 and fled to theKhao-I-Dang refugee camp across the border inThailand.[1]
Mey and his family would ultimately become one of the thousands of Cambodian refugees who would be resettled in theU.S. state ofRhode Island.[1] After a few years living as refugees, he and his family arrived in Rhode Island on February 12, 1982.
In 1993, Ros Mey was ordained aBuddhist monk at the Wat Thormikaram temple in Providence, Rhode Island, when he was 62 years old.[1][2] In 1998, he became Chov Atika & President of the temple.
He died at the temple in Providence on December 12, 2010, at the age of 85.[1]