Sister Mary Angela Sein Khin RNDM
Sister Mary Angela Sein Khin RNDM was born to Daw Sein Phyu and U Pho on 24th March 1927 in Shwe Thu Htay village, Aunglan Township, Magway State. She had a brother Zaw Zaw, and a sister, Jucie. Her mother, Daw Sein Phyu, was a strong Catholic Chin woman married to a Buddhist father, U Pho. From her childhood she enjoyed the freedom of open country life: the green and golden paddy fields, the cows, goats, chickens etc. She simply enjoyed goats’ milk because her maternal grandfather had a herd of 50-60 goats which her mother looked after while the men folk worked in the fields. Sister grew up strong and healthy as she was well loved, cared for in her village. The sale of goats to the Indian community was one of the sources of income for the family in those days.
Angela well remembered the experiences of struggles in her life. During the nationalist peasant uprising against British rule led by Saya San in December 1930, Uprising, she hid herself among the goats. Sister was overwhelmed when Japan invaded Burma in December 1941, her villageWhenever they fled, they had to take with them spears, their mats and dried rice. Japanese soldiers often took advantage of women, and assaulted and sexually abused them. There was no security for Burmese women. During the war, people suffered much. Her brother, Zaw Zaw, and her sister, Jucie, died of TB. Angela herself suffered from a persistent cough for 30 years but no TB was ever diagnosed.
After the Japanese left a village, many villagers suffered from cholera and TB. The war had disrupted everyone’s plans. Angela’s village was one of the many burnt down, and she remembers fleeing with her mat to safety in the hall in Aung Lan. Father Louis Perpete, La Salette missionary, took them to Thayet by boat. So, they were saved from robbers and thieves, thanks to the priests’ help. Even today RNDMs remember with gratitude all the La Salette Fathers did for them.
Angela’s desire to be a Sister was deeply influenced by the example of the La Salette missionaries and their bravery when the Japanese troops invaded Burma. She is convinced that it was the heroic example of the American La Salette priests during World War 2 that planted within her the seeds of her vocation to religious life. When Angela was in Grade 4 in the village school, two Sisters of St. Francis Xavier, a diocesan Burmese congregation, arrived and she attended to their needs and took care of them. This experience also convinced her that she wanted to be a missionary sister. As she was a Chin, her mother tongue was Chin, and she had not yet learnt Burmese.
The La Salette Fathers Perpete, Stephen Dressel, O Sullivan and O’Reilly arranged and took her and Sister Mary Stephen (Jessie Daw Sein Phyu) first to Thayet and later they were taken to Prome. Accompanied by Fathers O Sullivan and O’Reilly, Angela went to Akyab where the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions had been living since 1897.
At first, Angela had little idea of what religious life would involve apart from time spent in prayer. She just knew she wanted to be a missionary sister. Life in Akyab was not without its difficulties and challenges but they all felt they were making the right choice. Despite many difficulties they were not disappointed about their decisions, and, after one year and nine months in Akyab, they went to Chittagong, where a week later in 4th January 1951, they were received as postulants.
Her novice mistress was the Australian-born Sister Mary Lucille (Louise Benny) who was kind, firm and welcoming to the nine novices. Angela struggled with food, especially rice which was cooked in a way very different from how it was cooked in her village back home. She also spent much time sewing and making sisters’ religious habits. In spite of many difficulties, Angela only wanted one thing – to become a missionary sister. Her dream came true when Bishop Thomas Newman MS presided at her first profession on 5 January 1954. After her first profession, Angela then returned to Prome, Burma and began teaching the children in the school. When the nationalization took place on 1st April 1965, Angela was in Akyab with Sister Mary John Forest from England, Sisters Mary Amelia, Mary Agnes, and Marie Regina. The Sisters were greatly saddened and shocked, and they had three days in which to collect goods and materials that were not related to school activities. The RNDMs were lucky that the school buildings and Sisters’ convent buildings were entirely separate. From then on, the RNDMs along with catechists and priests involved themselves full time in pastoral ministries in the villages.
Angela stayed on in Akyab but was then transferred to Sandoway and later missioned to a number of different RNDM communities in Myanmar including Oat-Ship-Pin, the different RNDM communities in Pyay – the Novitiate house; La Salette Convent, the Euphrasie and Sophia communities. While living in Sophia Community, she kept herself mobile and active, enjoying herself in the garden, caring for the plants and animals.
She has great attraction for nature which shaped her deep connection and experience of God throughout her life. Her appreciation of the wildness and beauty of God’s creation is expressed through her early experience of rural life. She delights in planting, watering, weeding in the garden; plucking flowers and offering before the altar, images of Mary and to Euphrasie in an attitude of reverence and gratitude. Her love and care for animals: goats, dogs, cats, chickens are remarkable. While caring for the fowl yard, she gave the products of chickens and eggs to the community to enjoy, to the needy and friends besides selling in order to be able to buy food for the animals and the maintenance of the fowl yard. She understands well and puts into practice the words of Euphrasie “Take charge of feeding God’s little creatures as well as the rabbits and even cats. I ask you to see that all the creatures of the farmyard get enough to eat, so that by increasing and multiplying, they, in turn, may serve us.” 1876.
Angela was surprised that God called her from the jungle and lifted her up to this day. She recognizes that suffering, difficulties and challenges are something everyone faces. She is not the only one, and now she is happy living in the well-furnished and beautiful Sophia House. She feels humble about living in this gorgeous new building, when she recalls her original family home. She thanks God daily for his great mercy and love always poured out on her.
Her life of simplicity, honesty, straight forwardness, contentment and observance of the rules and the Constitutions were exemplary to all of us. She spoke little but when spoken she spoke out straight and sometimes with wits. When asked about the qualification of her education, she responded with pride that she has completed RNDM Profession under the close guidance and accompaniment of Sister Mary Lucille (Louise Benny, Australian).
On asking her dreams for the future of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions for the 21st century, she hopes we try to live and work in a way that demonstrates we are committed to the mission of God and the church in our everyday lives. Angela believes that we can always find opportunities for self-sacrifice and that we need to be faithful to following our daily timetable. “You cannot imagine the good you do in community by giving good example of regularity, fidelity and spirit of faith.” (5thNovember 1882 – M. Jude, Lyon.)
In the 2nd week of August, she had an infection – herpes along with fever. After the fever left, she continued to suffer pain particularly along her left shoulder down to her wrist and again on the 25thSeptember 2023 when she was hospitalized because of dysentery. On arriving at the hospital she was amazed to see the grandeur of the hospital building and the modern equipment for treatment and the attentive care of the physician, doctors and nurses. She was discharged on the 5th of October. Angela felt blessed and loved by the RNDMs and to experience the richness and variety of people, places, and cultures.
God had plans for Angels when he took her to himself, on the 17th October 2023 at 3.50 a.m.
May this valiant RNDM woman now rest in peace with the God of all creation.
We are grateful to Angela for the gift that she has been to us and to everyone to whom she has ministered in her long, loving and interesting life. Members of Angela’s family, nieces and nephews, Sisters from nearby communities as well as PLT from Yangon participated in the Mass of thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop Alexander Pyone Cho and ten priests from different parishes on 18th October 2023. Afterwards Angela was laid to rest in ‘Aye Nyein Yar’ cemetery.
Angela, you will be missed, especially your gentleness, quietness, your love of nature and animals with its beauty.
“Come then, my beloved, my lovely one, Come.
For Winter is past, the rains are over and gone.”
The Song of Songs 2:6