The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes marked the centenary celebrations at Kyaiklat in Myanmar on May 1.
Auxiliary Bishops Noel Saw Naw Aye and Raymond Wai Lin Htun of the Archdiocese led the celebrations in the presence of many priests, nuns, and Catholics.
In his homily, Bishop Naw Aye thanked the pioneering missionaries, priests, nuns, and people who worked hard over the years for the good of the people.
“We thank God for the gift of faith, church, missionaries, and people,” said the prelate.
He also urged all to witness the faith amid the country's many challenges, including ongoing civil war and other societal, political, economic, cultural, and pastoral challenges.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is in Kyaiklat, which is part of the Yangon Archdiocese. The church was established by French missionaries in 1906 and has been served by native priests since 1960.
The church is located about 48 miles south of Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar. The parish consists of 250 families with over 1600 faithful, and the majority are Tamil. Most of the population is Tamil. Most of them are farmers, some breed fowls, and some run small businesses.
Some priests, including those from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, also attended the celebrations.
One of the most effective evangelization efforts in the area was the opening of a boarding house for boys and girls' education from 1926 till now. From this boarding school, the church proudly produced 40 priests and 200 Catholic nuns who are now working in different parts of the country and abroad.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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