ASIA/MYANMAR – A new church opens amid conflict: a sign of faith and hope

Myitkyina – The blessing of a new Catholic church and a grotto with the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, the “Regina Pacis,” is a significant event in the Diocese of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State in northern Myanmar. Amid the ongoing civil war, the surrounding area is the scene of violent clashes between the regular army and Kachin ethnic militias, causing immense suffering for the civilian population and a steady increase in the number of displaced persons.
In this context, the construction and opening of a church for Catholic faithful on January 13 holds special significance: It underscores that “in times of crisis and need, the faithful are called to be a community of living stones, as the Apostle Peter says in his first letter,” said Bishop of Myitkyina, John Mung Ngawn La Sam as he blessed the new Church of St. John in the Takkone Htoi San district of the capital, Myitkyina. The new church had become necessary due to the considerable growth of the local Catholic community in the diocese, which now numbers over 95,000. Cardinal Charles Bo, Bishop Noel Saw Naw Aye, Bishop Francis Than Htun, and Bishop Raymond Wai Lin Htun, the three auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Yangon, as well as numerous members of the faithful, attended the event. In his address to the faithful, Cardinal Bo recalled the spiritual significance of the new church, dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, and reminded them that “the true Church is made up of the People of God, who walk in the light of the Lord.” He described the new church as “a future house of prayer, consolation, and forgiveness, and a place from which the community is sent out to proclaim the Gospel.” “The walls of the church,” the Cardinal stated, “are not meant to restrict the community, but to protect and nourish it so that it may be a witness to love, peace, and justice in the world.”
The Htoi San community comprises 154 Catholic families with a total of 902 faithful, who are assisted by two catechists. The Church of St. John and the Grotto of the Queen of Peace, where the faithful gather to pray the Rosary and ask for the protection of the Virgin, “are tangible symbols of a faith that remains alive amidst conflict, as the Kachin people fight for justice and peace,” concluded Bishop La Sam. According to Fides sources in the area, Kachin families, facing an acute social crisis, regularly organize prayer meetings in their homes to support one another and keep their faith alive in daily life. “These meetings involve prayers of thanksgiving and requests for prosperity, health, and peace. They devote themselves to prayers, hymns, reading the Gospel, and sharing their thoughts on the readings. Sometimes the Rosary is prayed. These are spiritually intense and fruitful moments that keep hope alive,” reports Michael Javier, a lay missionary from St. Columban in Myanmar.

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