The Most Rev. Stephen Myint Oo Than, Archbishop of Myanmar and Bishop of Yangon
Born in February 1958 in the Delta region of Burma, Archbishop Stephen is of Po Karen heritage. His father’s family had been Christians for several generations while his mother’s family were Buddhist. The son of a school teacher, he was educated in Rangoon and at the age of 18 joined the air force and trained as an engineer. However in 1982 at the age of 24 he was arrested and held as a political prisoner for two years in reprisal for his brother’s John’s participation in the struggle for autonomy for the Karen people. John was jailed for 27 years by the military junta and released in January 2013. Upon Stephen’s release from prison he was unable to find work as an ex-political prisoner, but eventually was given a job at the Archbishop of Rangoon’s print shop. In 1986 he began studies at Holy Cross Seminary in Yangon, and trained for the ministry at Trinity Theological College in Singapore. Following ordination he served as a parish priest and in 1993 was appointed dean of Holy Cross Theological College. In 2005 he was elected Bishop of Hpa’an and at the 15 Jan 2008 meeting of General Synod was elected 6th Archbishop of Myanmar and Bishop of Yangon and enthroned on 17 Feb 2008. He is an advisor to the GAFCON primates council and member of the Global South primates group. Archbishop Stephen is married to Nan Myint Yi and they have three sons: Sa Sai Naw Aye, Sa Sai Luker and Michael Wyne Myat San.
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