Myanmar

On June 21, Fr Irsan Rimawal (IDO) made his final vows at the Maria Della Strada Novitiate Chapel. He then took over Fr Wardi Saputra (IDO) as Novice Director for the Myanmar Mision.  Fr Wardi is now on sabbatical - two semesters of the New Directions program at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, USA.

Fr. John Hayes was 36 years old when he died. He is buried in grave 7A. F. 24, Taukkyan War Cemetery, outside Yangon (formerly Rangoon) in Myanmar (Burma). He was the only Irish Jesuit chaplain to have died during the Second World War.

March 19th, 2010. Sounding resolute and appearing in good spirits, Kyaw Zaw Lwin walked through Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday a free man, after spending 6 months in detention in Burma.

Fresh faces are filling up the novitiates across Asia Pacific.  Last February, Korea accepted five novices. In March, Indonesia welcomed 12 and Australia has three. Philippines has added five. And by the end of April, three more will be in the Myamar Novitiate.  Thank you God for these abundant gifts!

Effective mid-June 2010, Fr Maurus Irsan Rimawal (IDO) becomes the Novice Director of Santa Maria della Strada Novitiate in Taunggyi. It is expected that four new novices will be coming in by April 30. Fr Irsan has been called to final vows in the Society, with the date to be announced soon. Fr Wardi Saputra (IDO), the current director, will take a deserved break. Thanks so much, Fr Wardi, for the 11 years you have dedicated to our Jesuit Myanmar and Thai novices.

"Another Long Retreat is over. Thank for your prayers and support," wrote Fr Wardi Saputra (IDO) last Nov 30. Out of the eight primi making retreat, two have already gone home and decided not to continue.

Fr Boboy Silerio (PHI) accompanies the novices at night and works with the St Aloysius English Language Institute (SAGELI) during the day. On December 3, Fr Paul Dass (MAS), who will be the next SAG director, made a brief visit.

Fr Paul Dass (MAS) will be coming to Taunggyi, to be the Director of Gonzaga Language Institute. Paul will begin his work around the beginning of January 2010. While waiting for his arrival, Ms Irene Ho continues to do both jobs as Director and Principal. When Paul arrives, and has his introduction to the ministry, he will take over the position of Director, and Irene will continue as Principal.

This Summer of 2009, St. Aloysius Gonzaga English Language Institute (SAGELI, also known as SAG in Taunggyi) carried out an Outreach Program in the Diocese of PheKhon in collaboration with some different organizations such as Pyoe Khinn Education Center in PheKhon, and an Italian based NGO known as AVSI.

During the JCEAO meeting in Yogyakarta, and the 150th Anniversary of the Indonesian Province,Fr Paul Pollock, Superior of Thailand and Myanmar had several great visits with the scholastics. They are doing very very well, and Fr Paul was impressed how much of their Bahasa he could understand. In August they will all go to Jakarta, and then the new academic year there will begin.(Contributor: Fr Paul Pollock)

Indonesian Province happily welcomed six Myanmarese and four Thai scholastics at Robert Bellarmine College Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta. They arrived in Jakarta on May 16 and spent their morning visiting some Jesuit formation houses there. They left for Yogyakarta in the afternoon of the same day. On May 18, they began their Indonesian language courses at Sanata Dharma Language Center.