In a celebration of perseverance and faith, His Eminence Cardinal Charles Bo marked 50 years of priesthood alongside Fr. John Galang La Raw’s 25th anniversary in a joint Jubilee Mass at St. Columban Cathedral in Myitkyina on January 15.

The Mass brought together several bishops, around 45 priests, religious sisters, and lay faithful.

Bishop Noel Saw Naw Aye delivered the homily, reflecting on Cardinal Bo’s episcopal motto: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He emphasized that the phrase expresses not self-confidence but “complete dependence on God,” noting that St. Paul wrote those words from prison, not from a place of triumph.

“Jubilees of 25 and 50 years are not merely measurements of time, but a measure of life itself—how faithfully God has journeyed with His servants,” Bishop Noel said. He reminded the faithful that the sacrifices of priests are “engraved in the hearts of the people they serve and treasured in the Kingdom of God.”

In a heartfelt speech, Fr. John La Raw thanked Cardinal Bo for personal encouragement during a difficult period of illness from stroke, saying the Cardinal’s supportive words gave him courage to continue as parish priest when he considered resigning from his parish priest’s responsibilities. Fr. John La Raw was born on March 10, 1974, in Namti, Kachin State, Myanmar, and ordained as a priest on January 1, 2001.

In his own address, Cardinal Bo shared a personal reflection on how the number seven has marked key milestones in his life—baptized after seven days, receiving First Communion and Confirmation at seven years old, entering religious life at seventeen, ordained a priest at twenty-seven, becoming a bishop at thirty-seven, serving as a Bishop of Pathein at forty-seven, transferred as a Archbishop of Yangon at fifty-seven, being created a cardinal at sixty-seven, and now celebrating his Golden Jubilee at seventy-seven.

Myanmar Cardinal expressed his strong desire to be part of the bridge between disparate groups, fostering peace and ending conflict in Myanmar during his remaining years.

Cardinal Bo, who has served as a bishop in seven dioceses, was born on October 29, 1948, in Monhla Village, Sagaing Division, Myanmar.

The Jubilee celebration stood as a powerful witness of faith, perseverance, and God’s unfailing grace, inspiring clergy and faithful alike to renew their trust in Christ.

The celebration served as both a tribute to decades of service and a spiritual reminder to all present that, as the homily reiterated, true strength comes not from oneself but through faith and reliance on divine grace.

By RVA Lisu Service