The Church in Myanmar has welcomed 10 new priests and a deacon as a blessing and healing from heaven for the Catholic minority amidst the warn-torn country. Hundreds of Faithful attended the ordination ceremony held at Christ the King Cathedral in Loikaw, capital of Kayah state, on 20 November.
Bishop Peter Hla from Pekhon diocese presided over the priestly and diaconate ordination joined by hundreds of priests.
Among the 11, nine newly ordained priests are from the Diocese of Loikaw and the other priest and the deacon are from the congregation of the Missionary of Faith.
“At present, thousands of people have been displaced due to the conflict and they are taking shelter in Loikaw diocese and other dioceses. They are thirsty for the Bible, for justice and peace and for truth,” said the prelate in his homily.
“You are chosen by God to become a pastor so try to fulfill the spiritual and physical needs of the displaced people,” he added.
“It is a special day and blessing for the diocese as well as the Church in Myanmar as we get a chance to celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and priests’ ordination,” Father Celso Ba Shwe, apostolic administrator of Loikaw diocese, said.
At least seven Catholic churches and a convent in the diocese have been hit by artillery shelling and air strikes by Myanmar’s military. And tens and thousands of people were forced to abandon their homes.
The Catholic community in Myanmar has more than 1,000 priests, around 2,000 religious nuns and hundreds of catechists serving in 16 dioceses.