Korean Scholastic Benedict Kim Kundong SJ shares his encounters with people and places in a trip he made around Myanmar, after his regency in Yangon.
I went to Myanmar in February 2011 for my regency and taught English in Campion Institute in Yangon for about two years. Campion was started to teach English to our candidates but later grew into an English learning centre serving students from all over Myanmar. Among my students were boys and girls from the Chin, Kachin and Kayin states and Indian and Chinese descendants as well as from Yangon itself. There were Christians, Buddhists and Muslims, and there were students from poorer families as well as those that were fairly well to do.
Shortly before I returned to Korea, I had a precious opportunity to travel in Myanmar. I visited places in the Central, Eastern and Northern Myanmar where I saw the local Catholic Church as well as local people and culture. If the students in Campion are like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, this trip was like putting the puzzle together. Now that I have visited their hometowns, I feel I can understand them better.
Even with my limited observation and understanding, I could see that each place has its unique stories to tell and issues to struggle with. For example, Mandalay has a deeply Buddhist culture. Inter-religious dialogue would be more urgent and necessary there. Northern Shan State has social problems with the opium plantations. In Kachin State, restoring peace and trust between the government and the local people is still a huge challenge. Facing various challenges, the local dioceses and missionaries are sincerely seeking the will of God in their own ways.
However, they have common issues wherever you go. I could see the zeal for better education in many places. Almost all parishes and religious orders are running boarding schools to provide children with basic education. Young people are busy learning English, computer skills or accounting in order to have better chances for employment.
Reconciliation among different groups of people seems to be another common issue. Myanmar is a diverse and multi-faceted society. Sometimes this diversity becomes a source of tension and conflict. There exists the need for social justice and understanding.
I hope that the Jesuits contribute to the areas of education and reconciliation in Myanmar. Myanmar is experiencing rapid change these days. International investors and businesspeople are rushing in with big money and foreign culture. Traditional values are being gradually driven out by the power of money. If we engage more in the issues of the Catholic Church and the civil society in Myanmar, we will be able to invite them to a deeper reflection and offer values of life and love in this critical moment of Myanmar’s history.
I am grateful to the people I met in Myanmar. Both Jesuit and non-Jesuit friends and neighbours helped me to grow more. Now I am back in Korea and sometimes I think of the people I met in Myanmar. I earnestly wish that I could link my studies in theology with the people and experiences I encountered in Myanmar. I hope the memories of these encounters will help me in my journey in the Society not to forget about the people of God.