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Helping others in time of difficulties

There are many "saintly" people around us if we look very carefully. Some really sacrifice their lives for the good of others. 

If we are really aware, we can find saintly people even in our own family or in our own village. Most of the time, we are not just aware and we fail to appreciate their sacrifices.

Here is a story of a convert woman who help and share her knowledge about how to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus disease, especially in poor communities.

Her name is Khin Wai Oo. She is a nurse. She is a convert from Buddhism to the Catholic faith. 

She learned her catechism and was baptised before she got married in Church to her Catholic boyfriend. 

She chose Cecilia as her Christian name. 

For a long time, the couple was not blessed with a child. But Cecilia was not discouraged. She just continued to pray, especially to Mother Mary, until she had a daughter she named Eugene. 

Eugene is the answer to Cecilia's prayers.

The family lives in a small village in Pyay Diocese, in Rakhine state, where soldiers and rebels are engaged in a shooting war. 

Whenever she got a chance to share about her faith, Cecilia would encourage the people to pray to Mother Mary. 

She does not only share about her prayer life to people, she also shares what she learned about first aid and personal hygiene to the poor.

During the pandemic, Cecilia spent her own money to face masks and sanitizers that she shares with the people in the village.

She tried her best, but most of the time people would not listen. But she persisted and prayed.

She would tell villagers that she had seen people suffering from various diseases, and she does not want to see them suffer.

"I feel that it is my duty to take care of their health as a former nurse and also as a Christian," said Cecilia. 

"This is my way of showing my being a Christian. I also pray for protection from our Mother Mary. I believe that she will listen to our prayer," she added.

When another wave of Covid-19 infections hit Rakhine State, the villagers came running to her.
 
Cecilia told the people to be strong. She also appealed for help from health organizations. Because of her efforts, her village remains Covid-free. - RVA News

 

Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.”  Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.