Francis Ah Mya

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Francis Ah Mya was an Anglican Archbishop [1] in India and Burma (now Myanmar) in the mid-20th century. [2]

He was educated at the Bishop's College in Calcutta and ordained in 1933. He was a tutor at the Divinity School, Rangoon from 1933 to 1940 and then the incumbent at St Matthew Moulmein until 1949. He became archdeacon of Toungoo in 1946 [3] and was placed in charge of St Peter's Bible School when it was moved to Kappli. [4]

He was appointed to the episcopate as assistant bishop of Rangoon in 1949; he and John Aung Hla were the first native bishops in Calcutta. [4] [5] He was consecrated a bishop on Pentecost day (5 June), by George Hubback, Bishop of Calcutta, at St Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta. [6] [7] In 1966 he became its diocesan [8] and in 1970 established a new Anglican Province with himself as Archbishop, [9] resigning in 1972. [10]

Ah Mya transformed Rangoon into an autonomous province independent of the Province of India, Pakistan, and Burma; [11] he also worked on lay associations within the church as well as self-supporting projects and an evening Bible school.

In 1981, he reopened the Mindon mission. [4]

WWII

During the Second World War he was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese. It was said that he became the leader of other POWs. He managed to persuade the Commandant to release other prisoners and himself under a plan given to him by God.[ dubious – discuss ] — This story is told in the book "Going My Way" by Godfrey Winn.

References

  1. ↑ Project Canterbury
  2. ↑ Crockford's Clerical Directory 1975-76 London: Oxford University Press, 1976 ISBN   0-19-200008-X
  3. ↑ Anglican History website, Time Line of The Anglican in Myanmar Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma), 1825-2001, by Bishop Stephen Myint Oo Than (December 2004)
  4. 1 2 3 Church of the Province of Myanmar (Anglican) website, History
  5. ↑ Google Books website, Christianity in East and Southeast Asia, edited by Ross Kenneth R. Ross
  6. ↑ "Church News: General" . Church Times . No. 4504. 3 June 1949. p. 359. ISSN   0009-658X . Retrieved 25 October 2019– via UK Press Online archives.
  7. ↑ "Consecration of three national bishops" . Church Times . No. 4507. 24 June 1949. p. 409. ISSN   0009-658X . Retrieved 25 October 2019– via UK Press Online archives.
  8. ↑ New Bishop Of Rangoon The Times Tuesday, Jun 07, 1966; pg. 12; Issue 56651; col D
  9. ↑ United Society Partners in the Gospel website, The Church of the Province of Myanmar (CPM)
  10. ↑ ttc Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Google Books website, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion, edited by Ian S. Markham, J. Barney Hawkins, IV, Justyn Terry and Leslie Nuñez Steffensen
Religious titles
Preceded by Bishop of Rangoon
1966 – 1972		Succeeded by
New title Archbishop of Burma
1970 – 1972
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