The nuns of St. Joseph of the Apparition accompany the young demonstrators in Myanmar nicknamed “heroes of democracy” in their peaceful protest, which has been going on for more than a month.

As Agenzia Fides learned, the nuns of the convent in Yangon provided material, moral and spiritual support. They offer daily cold drinks, water, snacks, juices, and fruit to the demonstrators who camped near their convent, at the intersection of the Sanchuang district. The nuns encourage young people in their campaign, recalling and promoting the choice of non-violence and exhorting them to follow the values of mercy, compassion, and charity, remaining by their side.

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They take care of the wounded and gather in prayer, entrusting the young lives on the streets to God “so as not to see their dreams and their future vanished”, they told Fides.

The nuns of the Mandalay convent also distributed donations such as money, clothes, and food requested by the people of Myanmar, in particular to families whose members have been injured and killed. The nuns also collected donations from former students, asking them to help them contact the families of the protesters killed in Mandalay. The nuns served as mediators, giving what they had received. In addition, they went on several occasions to families who had victims among their children in order to bring them a message of comfort and consolation and to pray together, even if they are Buddhist families. Many people praised their act of charity.

The nuns refer to Fides that their source of inspiration in the words of Pope Francis in his Apostolic “Evangelii Gaudium”: “We prefer a battered, injured and dirty Church because she has gone to the streets rather than an unhealthy Church which remains confined and clings to one’s own safety”, they say.

In recent days, the nuns visited the Kyimyindine Orthopedic Hospital and the railway workers’ quarters in Theinphyu to help support 145 poor families, thanking the benefactors who “generously contribute, with their donations so that it is possible to help our brothers and sisters in difficulty”.

The nuns of Saint Joseph of the Apparition are a female religious institute of pontifical right, founded in France by Emilia de Vialar (1797-1856). They are dedicated to educational, health, and pastoral works and are present in Asia: Myanmar, Burma, the Philippines, India, and Thailand.