Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar. The Major Superiors of ASCLA-E Conference (Philippine Province, East Asia, Indonesia-Timor-Leste and Korea Independent Delegations) gathered in Myanmar for their annual meeting. The move of the venue from Australia to Myanmar was done in consideration of the rich culture and missionary challenges of this country, now setting foot in a new path of entanglement and cooperation with neighboring nations as well as a possibility to have a firsthand exposure to the new Claretian presence in the country. The Major Superiors arrived at Mandalay airport on June 18 and went to Pyin Oo Lwin where the community is located. There they visited some local cultural venues as well as Catholic establishments; they also had the opportunity to meet with Mandalay archbishop, Nicholas Mang Thang DD, who had just returned from his “ad limina” visit in Rome. Foreign Catholic institutions are not recognized in Myanmar; the local Church also is under some constrains as they are not free to run educational, health or social assistance institutions. Relations with the military as well as Buddhism, the main religion, must be done in a sensible way.
During this encounter the Major Superiors shared on the present missionary challenges of East Asia and South East Asia regions, ways of cooperation and mutual assistance and plans for future common encounters, like ASCLA-E Youth Gathering (AEYG), encounters on formation and on vocation to brotherhood, economy…
Special consideration was given to the Solidarity and Mission Encounter in Manila (November 2018) and the intensive encounter of the General Government with the Governments of the Major Organisms of ASCLA-E (E+W) in December 2018.
After visiting Mandalay city, they traveled to Rangoon where they visited the Cathedral and some world renowned religious sites and proceeded back to their countries of origin on June 23.
