![father in myanmar language father in myanmar language](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbaZuN3S0Ww/VgsHPtBkNLI/AAAAAAAAdxU/L3E7F46h6pg/s1600-r/2015%2Bsept.%2BVL.jpg)
“In the community, as we come from different places in Myanmar, we have different ethnicities, so speak different languages,” Agnese explained.
![father in myanmar language father in myanmar language](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/02/21/opinion/18myanmar1-print/18myanmar1-mediumSquareAt3X.jpg)
“And it’s important for them to have Mass in their own language.”
![father in myanmar language father in myanmar language](https://www.thesundaily.my/binrepository/512x343/0c27/512d288/none/11808/NKLR/MYANMAR-BAN_c2449460_17925_667_ARCH486244_MG518695.jpg)
“A lot of the newer people don’t really speak English,” said DeeDe, who has been making the monthly trip for about a year and a half. Michael Parish in Wheaton to celebrate one Mass in Burmese, and then on to St. Once a month, Father Peter DeeDe makes the trek from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne to St. Many Burmese also have settled in the Fort Wayne/South Bend area of Indiana. In February 2011, Burmese Catholics from Chicago, Wheaton and Rockford met with Bishop Francis Kane, then-vicar for Vicariate II. The Burmese ministry was formally organized three years ago at St. Catholics there generally are not mistreated because of their faith, and Catholic clergy and religious women are usually treated with respect. While Christians, and Catholics in particular, are a minority in Myanmar, the Catholic faith has a history there, with the first Catholic missionaries arriving 500 years ago. “It is still heartwarming to know that there are some Burmese Catholics who try their best to help other Burmese refugees to get in touch with the parish or pastor of the place to be able to attend the Mass and be educated in Catholic faith.” “There are some Catholic immigrants/ refugees who joined other denominations due to language barriers, affiliation of tribal background and receiving some sort of assistance from the other denomination,” Agnese wrote in an email interview. The group, in cooperation with the archdiocese’s Office for Asian Catholics, helps unite Catholics from Myanmar with monthly Masses and other events, she said. That’s where the Myanmar Catholic Community comes in. “The best way to face all those challenges is to hold on to our faith.” “As immigrants or refugees to the United States of America, we, members of the Myanmar community in Illinois, have a lot of difficulties, which come in the form of language, cultural shock, just to name some,” said Agnese, a Burmese woman who uses only one name. Others came decades ago and have worked to keep their families together. Many of the immigrants over the past several years have come as refugees, stopping for some period of time in refugee camps, mostly in Thailand. For Catholics who have come to Illinois from Myanmar - the country formerly known as Burma - there are a world of difficulties to navigate.