Francis Ah Mya

In this article, the surname is Ah Mya, not Mya.

Francis Ah Mya was an Anglican Archbishop[1] in India and Burma (now Myanmar) in the mid-20th century.[2]

He was educated at the Bishop's College in Calcutta and ordained in 1933. He was a tutor at the Divinity School, Rangoon from 1933 to 1940 and then the incumbent at St Matthew Moulmein until 1949. He became archdeacon of Toungoo in 1946[3] and was placed in charge of St Peter's Bible School when it was moved to Kappli.[4]

He was appointed to the episcopate as assistant bishop of Rangoon in 1949; he and John Aung Hla were the first native bishops in Calcutta.[4][5] He was consecrated a bishop on Pentecost day (5 June), by George Hubback, Bishop of Calcutta, at St Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta.[6][7] In 1966 he became its diocesan[8] and in 1970 established a new Anglican Province with himself as Archbishop,[9] resigning in 1972.[10]

Ah Mya transformed Rangoon into an autonomous province independent of the Province of India, Pakistan, Burma and Cylone;[11] he also worked on lay associations within the church as well as self-supporting projects and an evening Bible school.

In 1981, he reopened the Mindon mission.[4]

WWII

During the Second World War he was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese. It was said that he became the leader of other POWs. He managed to persuade the Commandant to release other prisoners and himself under a plan given to him by God.^[dubious – discuss] — This story is told in the book "Going My Way" by Godfrey Winn.

References

1. Project Canterbury
2. Crockford's Clerical Directory 1975-76 London: Oxford University Press, 1976 ISBN 0-19-200008-X
3. Anglican History website, Time Line of The Anglican in Myanmar Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma), 1825-2001, by Bishop Stephen Myint Oo Than (December 2004)
4. Church of the Province of Myanmar (Anglican) website, History
5. Google Books website, Christianity in East and Southeast Asia, edited by Ross Kenneth R. Ross
6. "Church News: General". Church Times. No. 4504. 3 June 1949. p. 359. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 25 October 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
7. "Consecration of three national bishops". Church Times. No. 4507. 24 June 1949. p. 409. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 25 October 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
8. New Bishop Of Rangoon The Times Tuesday, Jun 07, 1966; pg. 12; Issue 56651; col D
9. United Society Partners in the Gospel website, The Church of the Province of Myanmar (CPM)
10. ttc Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
11. Google Books website, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion, edited by Ian S. Markham, J. Barney Hawkins, IV, Justyn Terry and Leslie Nuñez Steffensen

Religious titles
Preceded by Victor Shearburn	Bishop of Rangoon 1966 – 1972	Succeeded by John Aung Hla
New title	Archbishop of Burma 1970 – 1972