The foundation stone for St. Columban’s Cathedral in Myitkyina Diocese in Kachin State in Myanmar was laid in 1955. For 75 years it has been the spiritual home of the Catholic community in Myitkyina Diocese. In 2020, due to covid restrictions, there were no public Masses in the cathedral for six months. During that time, the administrator of the Cathedral, Fr. John La Raw, was walking around the altar of the empty church one day and noticed how the wooden flooring around the altar, covered in red carpet, was unstable. It had lasted 70 years, however it was now becoming dangerous. Fr. La Raw began to dream of a renovated sanctuary of the Cathedral. He is a visual artist and a film maker. He studied film making in Korea and one of his productions “The Confession” won the best short film prize at the Mirabile Dictu International Catholic Film Festival held in the Vatican in 2016.
Fr. La Raw envisioned a sanctuary space that reflected the movement of life from birth to death to resurrection. The Kachin State where the cathedral is located is famous for its jade, so he wanted to incorporate jade into the sanctuary design and so the columns around the alter are covered in local jade.
He decided to expand the altar containing the tabernacle. He researched that in the original construction of the cathedral the Columbans had used milk to build the altar. Fr. La Raw decided that he should do the same. The engineers said it would be impossible to get that much milk, so a compromise was reached of 50% purified water and 50% milk. While the renovation was taking place Fr La Raw suffered a stroke that for a period left him incapacitated. However, he was determined to continue and finish the project. From his hospital bed he continued to give instructions about the vision he had for the painting of the sanctuary.
A Buddhist artist from Yangon came and lived in Myitkyina for six months to complete the painting. The paint had to be imported from Japan and Germany because local paint would deteriorate within five years. When I first saw the renovated sanctuary, I marveled at its beauty and thought how happy the early Columbans who worked here must feel as they look down from their perch in heaven.
Fr. La Raw made a good recovery from his stroke, and he continues as administrator of the Cathedral. He has plans to renovate the interior of the rest of the Cathedral. He believes that during the very difficult situation most people experience here, the beauty of the sanctuary of St. Columban’s Cathedral can offer solace and comfort to people. When I asked him how he had financed the renovation. He said it was difficult but his Facebook videos elicited a great response from Kachin people living in the United States and from local people in Myitkyina. He also received help from some individual Columbans. “People were happy to donate, they love the Cathedral and they love the Columbans” he said.
