More than 5,000 mourners gathered in the village of Pyin Oo Lwin, defying the dangers and prevailing violence, to honour the late father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, the Catholic priest who brutally murdered on February 14 in his parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Archdiocese of Mandalay.
Priests, religious figures, and the faithful assembled at the Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, where Archbishop Marco Tin Win presided over the funeral Mass, offering condolences and prayers for the slain priest’s family. The moving ceremony included the reading of messages from the Apostolic Nunciature in Yangon and the Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar, which expressed their deep solidarity with the grieving community.
According to sources from Fides News Agency, the overwhelming turnout at the funeral reflected the high regard in which Father Donald was held among the local people.
During his homily, Archbishop Tin Win condemned the cycle of violence gripping the nation, saying, “Violence only brings death and destruction; it is always a defeat.”
He called upon “all armed groups and actors involved in the conflict to lay down their weapons and take a path of peace and reconciliation.”
Father Donald, who was the first parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, was known for his dedication to the community, particularly in organizing educational initiatives for children and young people. Due to the ongoing civil war, many schools in the region remain closed, leaving religious leaders and catechists to provide informal education.