Five Myanmar FMM Sisters Make Lifelong Vows, Embark on Global Missions in Yangon
Five Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) Sisters professed lifelong vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, dedicating their lives to service in a world that often values the opposite.
The perpetual profession Mass for the five sisters was held on November 29, 2025, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Tamwe, Yangon, presided over by Bishop Augustine Thang Zawm Hung of Mindat Diocese.
The sisters who made their final commitment are Sr. Teresa Seng Mai, Sr. Cecilia Yamdoi, Sr. Genevieve Don Don, Sr. Maria Lulun, and Sr. Marie Clare.
In his homily, Bishop Augustine acknowledged the radical nature of their choice. He described the vows as a countercultural response to a world seeking “wealth, pleasure, and power.” True poverty, he explained, is a voluntary rejection of greed and worldly attachment. Chastity, he said, is a commitment to purity of heart and truthfulness, while meaningful obedience is tested when it is difficult.
“It is easy to obey when things are agreeable to our own will, but very hard when they are not,” he told the congregation.
He emphasized that the celebration was not a canonization, but a courageous human response to a divine call, quoting Jesus’s invitation: “If anyone wants to be my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.”
The sisters’ commitment immediately translates into a global mission. Before the final blessing, their regional community announced their new postings, sending them across three continents: Sr. Teresa Seng Mai to Singapore, Sr. Cecilia Yamdoi to Kenya, Sr. Genevieve Don Don to Myanmar, Sr. Maria Lulun to Myanmar, and Sr. Marie Clare to Brazil.
In a heartfelt word of thanks delivered on behalf of all five sisters, Sr. Genevieve Don Don expressed profound gratitude to God, their parents and formators, the celebrating clergy, and the entire community of family, friends, and benefactors who supported their journey.
The celebration concluded with joyful thanksgiving, marking the beginning of the sisters’ new lives as perpetually professed missionaries sent to serve around the world.
By RVA Sgaw Karen Service
