Bishop Noel Saw Naw Aye urged the eight new deacons to be bearers of peace at the diaconate ordination at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon, Myanmar, on December 1.
“The first word to say to the people is PEACE BE WITH YOU. The disciples are to bring Peace, Healing, and Happiness to the people,” said the Auxiliary Bishop Naw Aye of Yangon.
Citing the words of Pope Francis, “get the smell of the sheep,” the prelate encouraged them to go to the peripheries to meet with the people instead of waiting for them to come to us.
“One is ordained not to be confined to one’s parish or place but to go to the people, both to those who accept and do not accept our faith or the Lord Himself,” the bishop added.
Bishop Naw Aye encouraged them, “We are to accept the hospitality of the people since the Lord asks them not to bring anything along with them. We are to have faith in the Sender, Our Lord.”
The bishop exhorted them to be serious in whatever they do, not to be double tongues but to have self-control in speech, not to be addicted to wine, not to be greedy for gain but to hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Over a thousand faithful took part in the diaconate ordination ceremony, and many faithful followed the event online through CBCM-OSC Social-Media.
The population of Myanmar is about 55 million as of 2022. The Catholic population in Myanmar is about 700,000 as of January 1, 2021. The majority are Theravada Buddhism, with 89.2 percent of the whole population.
The list of eight newly ordained deacons is as follows
- Deacon James Myo Min Htwe
- Deacon Francis Xavier Kyaw Lin Aung
- Deacon Nicholas Kyaw Lin Tun (Order of Servants of Mary and completed his theological study in India)
- Deacon Peter Saw Ye Myo Win (completed his theological study in USA)
- Deacon Gabriel Soe Min Naung
- Deacon Ambrose Saw Aung Kyaw San (from Pathein diocese)
- Deacon Stephen Naw Tawng (Missionary of St. Paul- MSP and completed his theological study in the USA).
- Deacon Lurthur Gabriel Than Aye (Order of Servants of Mary and completed his theological study in India)
Among these eight candidates, Deacon Francis Xavier Kyaw Lin Aung and Deacon Nicholas Kyaw Lin Tun (Order of Servants of Mary) are the blood brothers from one family. - By Hubert Saw
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