Priests concelebrating the 15th anniversary Mass of the Myanmar community at St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro are seen after Mass on Sept. 27, along with many parishioners. (Right to left) Fr. Larry Hostetter, pastor; Bishop William F. Medley; Fr. Martin Ma Na Ling, parochial vicar; Fr. Tom Buckman, a previous pastor; and Fr. John Paul Mang Sein Yaw, a previous pastor. COURTESY OF AWI & YOUNG

St. Pius X hosts Mass, celebration with bishop

BY FR. MARTIN MA NA LING, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026 was a great joy and blessings for the Myanmar Catholic Community at St. Pius X Parish in the Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky. That day, they celebrated the 15th anniversary of their presence at the parish.

Bishop William F. Medley celebrated the Thanksgiving Mass, and was joined by concelebrating priests Fr. Larry Hostetter, pastor of St. Pius X; myself, the associate pastor; and the two former St. Pius pastors: Fr. Tom Buckman and Fr. John Paul Mang Sein Yaw. Two diocesan seminarians, Juan Carlos Lazo Soriano and Griffin Honeycutt, assisted at Mass.

Because there were about 333 people attending the special event and Mass (without even counting the kids), the Church was full of the faithful at Mass.

The event of 15th anniversary was celebrated in four parts.

Part one: Welcoming the bishop

The welcoming of Bishop Medley ceremony took place outside of the church at 3:30 p.m. According to the tradition of Myanmar Catholics, the welcoming the bishop ceremony is one of the most important things to celebrate during such event. These are the special moments when they can extend and give their love, appreciation, the prayers for him and closeness with the local bishop as their shepherd. In such time, they can see their bishop in-person and receive the blessings from him as one of the successors of the apostles. The Myanmar kids of the parish gave sets of flowers in his honor, and Myanmar traditional musical instruments were played, showing their respect and love of their bishop. Bishop Medley was happy to see all the children and the faithful waiting for him and blessed the participants during the procession.

Part two: Mass of Thanksgiving

This part is the highest point of the event because the Myanmar Catholics who arrived 15 years ago were able to thank God for his goodness in their lives. During Mass, they thanked the diocese, bishop, parish, and priests and sisters who welcomed them. All the readings were read in Burmese, and all the liturgical hymns were sung in Burmese by the Myanmar Choir of St. Pius X Myanmar Catholic Community.

During the Mass, Bishop Medley gave the homily in English, which I translated in Burmese. During the homily, the bishop said, “I celebrate the presence of the Myanmar Catholic refugees in my state, in my Diocese of Owensboro, and in my city, especially at St. Pius X for these past 15 years.”

He also encouraged them to be strong in their faith as well even in times of difficulties and uncertainties.

Before the final blessing, the Myanmar Catholic refugees presented small gifts to the priests and seminarians. They presented to Bishop Medley and the current priests at St. Pius three special gifts, which were images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with gem art made of a special type of small stones and sand from Myanmar; an art style traditionally gifted to officials like bishops, governors and presidents.

Fr. Larry Hostetter, pastor of the parish, congratulated St. Pius X Myanmar Catholic Community for their celebration and thanked them for working hard for the event and for their presence at the parish and involvement in the parish as their home.

He also thanked all who came to the celebration, especially the Anglo-Americans who worked hard to welcome the new refugees from Myanmar at the parish 15 years ago. He thanked the Knights of Columbus who were participating in the procession before and after the Mass, and also thanked all the Anglo-Americans for their coming and supporting the Myanmar Catholics at the parish, as there were a good number of them present.

Members of the Myanmar community at St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro welcome Bishop William F. Medley on Sept. 27, during the 15th anniversary celebration of being at the parish. COURTESY OF AWI & YOUNG

Part three: Celebration with traditional food and dance

This part was filled with much fun. The St. Pius X Myanmar Catholics sang a group song, and the young women performed a traditional dance. Myanmar Catholics visiting from Bowling Green sang a group song as well. I showed a short video about the activities of the community at St. Pius X parish from 2011 to 2026. Fr. Larry presented certificates to leaders of St. Pius X Myanmar Catholic Community for their sacrifices and those who donated meat to cook and serve for the celebration.

A lot of participants at the 15th anniversary said they were impressed with the singing of the Myanmar choir and the beauty of the thanksgiving Mass by Bishop Medley.

Martha Ma Mo and Cecilia Kee Meh from Bowling Green said, “The Myanmar choir sings wonderfully, and the keyboard player also plays well. We are very happy for them.”

A lot of Myanmar Catholics at St. Pius X shared, “We were very happy to see Bishop Medley in person at the 15th anniversary. That means he never forgets about us and that he cares for us like he does for everyone in the Diocese of Owensboro.”

They added that “Fr. Larry Hostetter, our pastor is a wonderful priest who really cares for our spiritual needs. We feel home at the parish because of the welcoming of the parishioners as well.”

I would like to thank my pastor, Fr. Larry, for his love and care for the Myanmar Catholics at the parish. It is because of his support and his willingness that we could celebrate the 15th anniversary at the parish. He encouraged all the Anglo-American parishioners to show their support and love for the Myanmar Catholics, and because of his encouragement, all the parishioners welcomed them and came to the celebration as a parish event.

I would also like to thank Bishop Medley for his coming to celebrate the thanksgiving Mass for us. He has never forgotten about the Myanmar Catholics, just like he cares for all his sheep in his Diocese of Owensboro. May God be praised!

Editor’s note: The Myanmar Catholic parishioners of St. Pius X also expressed this additional comment of gratitude for Fr. Martin Ma Na Ling’s leadership in planning the event: “We thank Fr. Martin for organizing the 15th anniversary celebration. We did not even know how long we have been at St. Pius X Parish. When Fr. Martin was assigned as associate pastor, he revisited our history and invited all of us to celebrate our presence and thank God. We also thank all the priests and sisters who have helped us a lot, especially Fr. John Paul Mang Sein Yaw for his efforts.”

WKC staff contributed to this article.

Members of the Myanmar community at St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro sing a group song during post-Mass festivities on Sept. 27, as a part of the community’s celebration of being at St. Pius for 15 years. COURTESY OF AWI & YOUNG

Originally printed in the November 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.