Honoring Columbans with hymn books

Myitkyina diocese is publishing 10,000 hymn books as part of celebrations marking the 75^th anniversary of the arrival of the Missionary Society of St Columban in northern Kachin State. “We have reprinted the hymn books with liturgy prayers in Kachin to honor Columban missionaries,” said Bishop Francis Daw Tang of Myitkyina this week. A celebration Mass for the Ireland-based missionary group will be held at St. Columban’s Cathedral in Myitkyina on November 27. It is believed that almost every Kachin Catholic in Myanmar owns a hymn book which they take to Mass and prayer meetings. Bishop Francis said the 10,000 new hymn books were printed by the Church-run Jinghpaw Kasa Press (the Kachin Messenger Press). Its director, Hka Htung, said the books will be sold “to all Catholics who speak Kachin.” According to this year’s Catholic Directory of Myanmar, the number of Kachin Catholics in the country stands at around 10,000 people. The Columban missionaries arrived in Kachin State, known to them as “Green Hell”, in 1936, where they worked with Kachins and Shan for many years until they left Burma, as it was still known, in 1979.