TAUNGGYI ARCHDIOCESE SOCIAL COMMUNICATION CENTRE

Archdiocese of Taunggyi

HIS GRACE ARCHBISHOP MATTHIAS U SHWE (ARCHBISHOP OF TAUNGGYI)

Date of Birth	:	10.12.1943
Ordained Priest	:	12.04.1969
Ordained Auxiliary Bishop	:	13.12.1980
Installed Res. Bishop	:	12.08.1990
Installed as Archbishop	:	30.08.1998
Tel:	:	09-5213972
E-mail:	:	ushwe1@gmail.com
Address:	:	Archbishop's House, L-198, Bayint Naung Road
		Lanmadaw Qtr. , TAUNGGYI 06011 MYANMAR
Tel:	:	081-21689
Fax:	:	081-22164

HIS EXCELLENCY BISHOP BASILIO ATHAI (AUXILIARY BISHOP OF TAUNGGYI)

Date of Birth	:	22.07.1956
Ordained Priest	:	01.04.1984
Ordained Auxiliary Bishop	:	18.11.2008
Address	:	Archbishop's House, L-198, Bayint Naung Rd
		Lammadaw Qr, Taunggyi, 06011 Myanmar
Tel:	:	081-21689
Fax:	:	081-22164
E-mail:	:	balthaiklkw@gmail.com
Mobile Ph:	:	09-5283357

INSPIRATION

Launch out into the deep. (Lk. 5:4)

VISION:

We, as one family of God,

- centred in Christ

- inspired by the word of life, and

- nourished by the Eucharist,

as a community of believers, we are interdependent pilgrim Church, united in love and working for integral evangelization with a faith that does justice.

MISSION

-to form discerning Christian communities,

-to celebrate life and faith in meaningful liturgy and worship,

-to respond creatively to the needs of the poor and the marginalized,

-from KOINONIA (united in mind and heart) to DUC IN ALTUM (missio ad gentes),

-to build and promote communal bonds with people of other faiths and cultures.

OBJECTIVES:

Overall social targets are:

-To provide basic needs to the displaced, marginalized and the poor,

-To support the education of the poor and disadvantaged,

-To upgrade the level of healthcare,

-To improve infrastructure in the rural areas,

-To assist private-sector initiatives,

-To provide relevant skill-training.

Overall spiritual targets are:

-Strengthening the Christian familis (numerically, economically and spirirually)

-Strengthening of the religious life.

-Encouraging community participation,

-Building Reconciliation and peace, and

-Gearing towards self-reliance.

GENERAL STATISTICS:

Area	:	14980 sqm
Civil population	:	1,580,000
Catholic population	:	8536
Parishes	:	12
Sub-Parishes	:	3
Priests	:	40
Religious sisters	:	64
Man religious	:	5
Catechists	:	28
Zetamans (Little Evangelizers)	:	18
Major seminarians	:	19
Minor seminarians	:	28
Little Way Missionary	:	38
Catholic Action members	:	60
St. Anne's association	:	135
Catholic Youth members	:	434
Holy Childhood members	:	240
Legion of Mary	:	35

BRIEF HISTORY

The Archdiocese of Taunggyi where the evangelization works started by PIME Missionaries in the early 19th century, primarily belonged to the Diocese of Taungngu. As the mission territory was far distant and the number of believers was considerably increasing, it was established as a Diocese by Pope John XXIII in 1961, as a Suffragan to the Archdiocese of Yangon. Msgr. J. B. Gobbato, PIME, was elected and ordained as its first Bishop on May 21, 1961 in Rome. Msgr. Matthias U Shwe was consecrated as his Auxiliary Bishop on December 13, 1980. In 1989, the diocese of Loikaw was established by Pope John Paul II carving the southern portion of the territory of Taunggyi and Msgr. Sotero Phamo was made its first bishop. In 1990, Bishop J.B Gobbato retired and Msgr. Matthias U Shwe succeeded him as Ordinary of Taunggyi. In 1998, the diocese was raised to the archdiocese and Msgr. Matthias U Shwe was made archbishop by Pope John Paul II and installed archbishop by Msgr. L. Bressan, Apostolic Delegate for Myanmar. In 2001, Msgr. Peter Hla was made auxiliary bishop of Taunggyi archdiocese. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI established the new diocese of Pekhon carving the southern portion of the archdiocese. The new diocese of Pekhon was inaugurated and Msgr. Peter Hla was installed as its first bishop on 1st April 2006 by Msgr. S Pennacchio, Apostolic Delegate for Myanmar. The Holy See nominated Msgr. Basilio Athai to be Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Taunggyi on June 29 2008. Msgr S Pennacchio, Apostolic Delegate for Myanmar consecrated Msgr. Basilio Athai as Auxliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Taunggyi on 18 Nov. 2008.

DIOCESAN PROFILE

Taunggyi Diocese is situated in the Southern Shan State, on the Eastern part of Myanmar. It was established as a Diocese by Pope John XXIII in 1961. There are 18 townships in the Diocese. Buddhism is the predominant religion whereas Christianity, animism and a few other religions form the minority. Civilly, the Diocese is comprised of 2 zones, namely Loilem Zone and Taunggyi Zone, and canonically 2 Vicariates: Taunggyi Vicariate and Loilem Vicariate. There are 12 parishes in the Archdiocese: 8 parishes in the Loilem vicariate, 4 parishes in Taunggyi Vicariate.

The Diocese was raised to Archdiocese by Pope John Paul II in January, 1998 officiated by Msgr. L. Bressan, the Apostolic Delegate. The Bishop Emeritus J. B. Gobbato, PIME, was called to the Lord on August 6, 1999, and entombed in Taunggyi Cathedral. Msgr. Peter Hla was appointed Auxiliary of Taunggyi Archdiocese on May 10, 2001 and was ordained Bishop on December 15, 2001 by His Excellency Msgr. Adriano Bernardini, the Apostolic Delegate to the Union of Myanmar. Msgr Basilio Athai was appointed Auxiliary of Taunggyi Archdioces on June 29, 2008 and was ordined Bishop on Nov 18, 2008 by His Excellecy Msgr S. Pennacchio, Apostolic Delegate for Myanmar.

http://www.catholicmyanmar.org/dioceses-of-myanmar/archiocese-of-taunggyi

The Map and Flag of Taunggyi Archdiocese

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-blacksmith-of-God:-70-years-in-Burma-3441.html

"The blacksmith of God": 70 years in Burma

by Piero Gheddo

Milan (AsiaNews) – The missionary world is full of eccentric and extraordinary kinds of people. Felice Tantardini was one of these. He suffered from inguinal hernia which he would keep in place with a leather belt and wooden clip he himself made; he washed his teeth with ashes and an old toothbrush (at 85 years, he still had all his teeth); he slept on the floor near the bed on a straw mat and blanket, without sheets or pillow; when he felt a cold or intestinal problems (the only ailments he suffered from) coming on, he would eat nothing save chunks of dry bread soaked in salted water for two days, and he would get better. He lived in malarial zones but he never got malaria; he would always say laughingly: "Mosquitoes which bite me die."

Felice was a lay missionary born in Introbio in Valsassina (Lecco) in 1898. He was educated in school until the third elementary grade and then he went on to become a blacksmith. He was in the army in World War One, and he later joined PIME as a "brother co-operator", that is, a lay missionary consecrated for life. He left for Burma in 1922 and died there on 23 March 1991 aged 93, after 70 years of mission with only one return visit home in 1956. In his autobiography, written on the order of the bishop, he described himself "the blacksmith of God" and he trained many Burmese youths in the skill of working iron.

He was at the service of the Burma missions, where the bishop sent him: he would go and do everything: from metal work to carpentry, to being a greengrocer, a farmer, a nurse, sacristan, head mason. Smiling, witty, available, he travelled always on foot, capable of covering 50km of mountain and forest paths every day for days at a stretch, carrying a load of around 30 or 40 kilos on his shoulders. He had extraordinary strength: he could fold iron bars with his hands. He would wake up at 4.30am every morning and he would go to bed at 10pm at night, without resting in the afternoon, when he would spend an hour in church reciting his daily three rosaries. At night, he would spend an hour in adoration.

He dearly loved the poor, the most marginalised in society and animals too; he gave away all he had and received. In decades of hard work, he built churches, schools, parish houses, hospitals, seminaries, orphanages, convents… his fame spread far and wide throughout Burma; at his funeral, a large crowd gathered, including Buddhists and Muslims. Many started to invoke him as the "saint with the hammer". On 28 January 2005, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints published the "decree of validity" for the diocesan enquiry into his heroic virtues, concluded last year by the archdiocese of Taunggyi of Burma. Felice Tantardi, the blacksmith of God, is on the path to recognised sainthood.

The mission of the Church in non-Christian countries is no longer that lived by Br Felice, but his story has the essence of the "little flowers of San Francesco", the same fragrance of the Gospel, the same "beatitudes" which according to human logic seem like folly, but which in the light of faith, bring serenity, peace and joy to the heart.