This article appeared in the 1995 Salette Info Edition

written by Louis Perpete and Frederick Flaherty

John Blumm, John Good, Stephen Dressell, Bishop Newman, Louis Perpete,

Charles Gendron, James O'Reilly and Francis Lucey

There was a long stretch of time in which any seminarian or vocation prospect in the Province of Our Lady of Seven Dolors¹ thinking of volunteering for the "foreign missions" would automatically and naturally think of Burma.  For thirty-nine years the Province had responsibility for initiating and supporting the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette who sought to spread the Good News in what was to become the Diocese of Prome.  There was a long stretch of time in which Fr. John Toner's toil as Mission Procurator were connected solely with raising money for the support of the missionaries and their work in Burma, and in letting people know what La Salette was doing there.  Long after our missionaries left Burma, our supporters in mission endeavors continued to refer to themselves as "Burma Mission Clubs".  All our seminaries had mission clubs which raised funds for the missions in Burma, spread news of what was happening there, and hosted mission days to raise their own consciousness about the conditions encountered by the missionaries.

It all began in 1937, shortly after we were named a Province, when the Vatican Office for the Propagation of the Faith asked La Salette to take over the evangelizing of this mission field.  Father Thomas M. Newman, MS and four companions left home they knew here in the United States for the unknown land of Burma.  Three of that original group were to end their lives there.  One missionary returned home due to illness.  It was Thomas Newman whose stay in Burma coincides with the length of time that this territory was entrusted to the care of La Salette.  The story of La Salette in Burma necessarily revolves around this man, universally respected for his competence and holiness;  a man who could be described as both strong and gentle.  He was among the first La Salettes to go to Burma and among the last to leave.  he dies within two years after returning to the US, thereby insuring that his life in ministry would be forever marked by the years spent in Burma.  No doubt this was fine with him, for Burma was a place and people he had come to know and love deeply.

Stephen Dressell visits native clergy, religious

and parishioners on the occasion of the

50th anniversary of La Salettes coming to Myanmar.

The La Salettes who served in Burma found that their main source of converts in this Buddhist land were from the Chin Tribes who were animists rather than Buddhists.  There were many dialects in this remote area of the country with people spread throughout the mountains and transportation being close to non-existent.   The missionaries at the time of the Japanese invasion during World War II were held in prison camps for three and one-half years.  This time of suffering and hardship did not spell and end to the mission only because of the indomitable spirits of the La Salettes serving there.  When they recovered, they rebuilt all that had been destroyed - churches, schools, the relationships that had developed with the people.  The mission eventually took in the four population centers of Akyab, Sandoway, Thietmyo and Prome, as well as the surrounding countryside.  Over and over, those who speak or write of the times in Burma say that God obviously blessed the efforts that were made.  Thomas Newman was eventually consecrated Bishop by Pope John XXIII in 1961.  In turn Bishop Newman eventually ordained nine native clergy, including his own successor as Bishop, Bishop Thaing Shwe.

By the late 1960's, it was clear that Burma was becoming much more nationalistic and resultantly isolationist.  This meant heavy restrictions on travel, especially for foreigners.  With no new foreigners being allowed in the country and restrictions placed on those already there, the days of Burma as the mission territory of the Seven Dolors Province were obviously coming to an end.  This is one reason we began taking charge of the mission in Argentina at this time - but that's another story.  By 1976, the last of the missionaries in Burma returned to the United States.

After a period of time, some travel restrictions were relaxed and some of our men have been able to return for visits.  They report that the Church in the Diocese of Prome continues to thrive, and the La Salette Missionaries continue to be held in high esteem.  there is a love and devotion for Our Lady of La Salette.  God's hand has done great things indeed, and we are glad to have been a part of it.

Some of our esteemed senior members have served in Burma:  FR. JOHN "Mike" BLUMM, FR. CHARLES GENDRON, FR. LOU PERPETE, FR. JOHN GOOD, FR. JOE KETTNER, and FR. STEVE DRESSELL.

 ¹  Seven Dolors Province has unified with the other 4 American Provinces to form the Province of Mary, Mother of the Americas