“Valiant Women: The Story of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions
In Myanmar, 1897-2023”
“Let your sole aim be to make God known and loved”. (Euphrasie 1st June 1883)
The Myanmar PLT, Elizabeth Kan Hwai and the team, took the initiative to introduce the book to the province. The celebration took place on the 20th August 2023, to express our gratitude to the God of Journey who walked with the Sisters of Our Lady of the Mission in Myanmar and in the whole Congregation. At the same time, it was an opportunity for us to honor our pioneer sisters who were courageous, determined and faithful in giving their services for the reign of God’s love and for all humankind wherever they were sent whether in good times or in difficult times. Hopefully, the book will inspire us to be faithful RNDMs who grow in faith, hope and courage to continue the journey which the pioneer sisters had begun.
My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Congregation Leader, Josephine Kane, who has awakened my dream of writing the story of RNDMs in Myanmar. During her visit to Myanmar, for the occasion of AMOR XVII Meeting held in Myanmar, Feb. 27-March 3, 2017 with the theme of “Call for Ecological Conversion”, she encouraged me to write. I have written one in 2011, for the occasion of 150 Years of the Foundation of the Congregation. I realized that in that book, there was lack of the story of the pioneer sisters. Since then, I have been reading slowly, reflecting and collecting the stories of the sisters, visiting and meeting with the experienced sisters, listening to their voices and life stories which enriched my knowledge and strengthened my faith and hope in God on the journey.
Susan Smith and I started the writing on 15th November 2022 and completed before May 28th, 2023, the Pentecost Sunday. With joy, gratitude and satisfaction, we presented to the Provincial and the Team. May the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with a great love for the mission of Christ, of the poor and neglect wherever we are sent.
The opportunity of writing and accomplishing the history of RNDMs in Myanmar is, an enormous blessing from God, for me. I am very grateful. In writing, I became aware of my growing sense of embracing all of our past both the good and the bad events, the joyful and the sorrowful moments. Through all the events that happened, I feel my faith in God deepened. This sense of gratitude, enables me to move on and to be ready to be sent to the poor and neglect, with a great love, compassion and joy.
It was a great joy and blessing to be working and communicating with Susan Smith, an experienced teacher and professor as well as a competent writer of many books, Phuongh Linh, the General Secretary, Carmel Eberius, the archivists from Rome and the RNDMs from the different provinces who have generously supported us in the process of writing. The event of book launching, has given us a good opportunity to share the whole story briefly, with all who were present. The words of St. Paul touched me: “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”2 Corinthians 4:15 (Niv)
