Bishop John Saw Yaw Han

Bishop John Saw Yaw Han, Bishop of Kengtung, was born on May 5, 1968, in the village of Homalim, in the Archdiocese of Yangon. After primary and secondary school he studied at Bago College in Yangon, obtaining a bachelor's degree in geography. He then completed his studies in philosophy and theology at St. Joseph National Major Seminary, first at Mandalay and then at Yangon. He was ordained a deacon on December 3, 1994, and a priest for Yangon on March 18, 1995. He then served as assistant at St. Andrew's church in Nyaungdon (1995-1996); a fidei donum missionary in the Diocese of Kengtung (1997-1998); lecturer in philosophy at the National Major Seminary of Mandalay (1998-2000); assistant at St. Lazarus church in Insein and at St. Mary's Cathedral in Yangon (2000-2001); a student undertaking specialised studies in the United States (2002-2004); lecturer in theology at the National Major Seminary, Yangon (2004-2007); and rector of the minor seminary at Bago (2008-2011). From 2011 he served as rector of the National Major Seminary of Yangon. On December 30, 2014, he was appointed Titular Bishop of Buffada and Auxiliary Bishop of Yangon. He received episcopal ordination on April 12, 2015, at Yangon, with Charles Maung Bo as principal consecrator and Paul Tschang In-Nam and Justin Saw Min Thide as co-consecrators. On November 4, 2022, he was appointed Bishop of Kengtung, and he was installed on December 14, 2022.