The Archdiocese of Yangon established a new parish dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Sauk Wain Gyi Village as Myanmar continues to endure war and widespread suffering.
According to Radio Veritas Asia Sgaw Karen Service, the church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion, which is “gaining increasing importance” in Myanmar during a time of war and suffering.
The decree erecting Sacred Heart Parish was issued by Cardinal Charles Maung Bo on Jan. 30 and took effect Feb. 14, bringing the total number of parishes in the archdiocese to 53.
The parish was entrusted to Rev. Fr. Leo Kyaw Win as its first priest.
More than 800 faithful attended the Eucharistic celebration in mid-February, during which the new church was formally handed over to the community.
The parish will serve Catholic communities in Taw Lati, Zwe Mu, Yae Twin Gone, Saga Su, and Bawla Kau. The territory has been assigned to the Maubin Deanery.
In his homily, Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Wai Lin Htun highlighted the centrality of love flowing from the Sacred Heart.
“Love is omnipresent. One can say that love is the origin of everything. God is love,” he said.
Drawing from the Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves, he added that “true compassion transcends feelings and is expressed through action.”
He reminded the faithful that “God’s love transcends boundaries and reaches even the most difficult moments of life,” including those experienced by the Burmese people “in a country ravaged by civil war for five years.”
Church leaders said the new parish responds to practical pastoral needs, including transportation difficulties and the urgency of ensuring access to the sacraments in outlying areas.
In a brief message, Cardinal Bo compared Sauk Wain Gyi to Nazareth.
“Although Nazareth was considered insignificant, it gave rise to the Redeemer of the world,” he said.
He noted that the small village has already produced two priests and expressed hope that the parish would become “a center for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a source of peace and charity.”
The establishment of Sacred Heart Parish forms part of the archdiocese’s effort to strengthen pastoral outreach in rural communities and to continue evangelization “even in times of hardship, deprivation, and uncertainty.”
