Fr. John La Raw is a Catholic priest working in Kachin State where St Columban’s Cathedral is located. Fr La Raw envisioned a sanctuary space that reflected the movement of life from birth to death to resurrection. Kachin State is famous for its jade and Fr La Raw wanted to incorporate it into the Sanctuary design and incorporated local jade into the columns around the alter. He decided to also expand the altar containing the tabernacle. He researched that in the original construction of the cathedral the Columbans had used milk to build the altar. Fr La Raw decided that he should do the same. The engineers said it would be impossible to get that much milk, so a compromise was reached of 50% purified water and 50% milk. While the renovation was taking place Fr La Raw suffered a stroke that left him incapacitated. However, he was determined to continue and finish the project. From his hospital bed he continued to give instructions about the vision he had for the painting of the sanctuary.
The foundation stone for St Columban’s Cathedral in Myitkyina Diocese in Kachin State in Myanmar was laid in 1955. For 75 years it has been the spiritual home of the Catholic community in Myitkyina Diocese. In 2020, due to covid restrictions, there were no public masses in the cathedral for six months. During that time Fr La Raw noticed how the wooden flooring around the altar, covered in red carpet, was unstable. It had lasted 70 years, however it was now becoming dangerous. Fr. La Raw began to dream of a renovated sanctuary of the Cathedral. He is a visual artist and a film maker. He studied film making in Korea and one of his productions “The Confession” won the best short film prize at the Mirabile Dictu International Catholic Film Festival held in the Vatican in 2016.
A Buddhist artist from Yangon came and lived in Myitkyina for 6 months to complete the painting. The paint had to be imported from Japan and Germany because local paint would deteriorate within 5 years. When I first saw the renovated sanctuary, I marvelled at its beauty and thought how happy the early Columbans who worked here must feel as they look down from heaven. Fr La Raw made a good recovery from his stroke and he continued as administrator of the Cathedral and had plans to renovate the interior of the rest of the Cathedral.
Fr La Raw believed that during the very difficult situation most people experience here, the beauty of the sanctuary of St Columban’s Cathedral can offer solace and comfort to people. The local jade is said to hold profound cultural, spiritual and economic significance. It is revered as a "stone of heaven" and a sacred carrier of energy, primarily associated with good fortune, protection, and prosperity.
Columban Fr Eamon Sheridan lives and works in Myanmar.
