In this photo taken Dec. 16, 2009, Fr. Martin Ma Na Ling’s siblings and parents gather for a farewell party before his older brother, Stephen, would leave their home village in Myanmar to start a new life. A young future Fr. Ma Na Ling is seen on the far right. This is the family’s only picture together. COURTESY OF FR. MARTIN MA NA LING

Myanmar refugee family, approved but in limbo, prays for good news while waiting to enter U.S.

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

Fr. Martin Ma Na Ling’s older brother, Stephen, loves God and the Church.

“Wherever he goes, whatever he does, God is always first,” said Fr. Martin, the parochial vicar of Holy Spirit Parish in Bowling Green.

And when Stephen developed health issues, he told Fr. Martin that “once I get well again, I want to do more and more for God.”

“I don’t just say that because he is my brother – he really is a very good person,” Fr. Martin said in a recent interview with The Western Kentucky Catholic.

The problem is that Stephen, his wife, and their four small children are living as refugees in Malaysia and currently have no way out of their situation.

Fr. Martin has not seen his brother in person since 2009, when Stephen left their family’s village in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) to seek a better life in a new land. This was prior to the 2021 coup that has resulted in an ongoing civil war of violence and bloodshed – but even in 2009, the Southeast Asian country existed in sociopolitical unrest and offered few opportunities to rise out of poverty.

Fr. Martin’s father was a convert to Catholicism who worked as a catechist for their village. Unfortunately, his job did not pay enough – about $2-3 a day – to support his family of eight children.

And yet, “God is so good, even though my family was so poor,” said Fr. Martin of his family’s devout upbringing.

When Stephen, the eldest, reached adulthood, he decided to migrate to Malaysia, where he could find a job and send money back home, as many Myanmar immigrants do.

On Dec. 16, 2009, Fr. Martin’s father held a farewell party to see Stephen off. They took a photo together, which is “the only family picture we took ever,” said Fr. Martin, the second eldest, who was 19 when his brother left.

The Malaysian government does not recognize rights for asylum seekers, refugees, or stateless persons, and contrary to popular misconception, there are no refugee camps in the country. Instead, people enter the country and often live in crowded urban areas that offer employment for undocumented persons. The work can be unsafe and inconsistent, but for these individuals it is the only option to support themselves and their families.

Stephen was able to find a job and, as promised, sent money home for his parents and siblings.

“He paid for my university education, and all our educations,” said Fr. Martin of himself and his younger siblings. “He saved our lives – our whole family’s lives.”

In this 2024 photo, Stephen, the brother of Fr. Martin Ma Na Ling, is seen with his wife and four children. Stephen and his wife married in Malaysia, and their four children were also born there. To date, the family has not been able to enter the United States. COURTESY OF FR. MARTIN MA NA LING

Fr. Martin stayed in touch with his brother, who helped form Fr. Martin’s faith, especially his love of sacred music and devotion to the Blessed Mother. In 2017, when young seminarian Martin learned that he had been chosen to go to the United States to study and be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky., “the first person I called was my brother,” he said.

Stephen’s girlfriend later joined him in Malaysia, they got married, and they now have four children whom they are raising in the Catholic faith.

But the conditions in Malaysia remained difficult for those who have no path to citizenship in that country. According to Forced Migration Review, immigration raids are a regular occurrence and those who are detained may be beaten, crammed into too-small holding cells rife with disease, and if deported, are often left at border zones hundreds of miles from their native regions.

Stephen had been a hardworking mechanic for years, but more recently, the harsh living and working conditions resulted in kidney problems.

“He was fired because he couldn’t work, and they lost their home,” said Fr. Martin.

Stephen and his wife decided to apply for refugee status through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in hopes that the United States would welcome them and their children.

“Everything seemed (to indicate) it was time for them to come,” said Fr. Martin, whose Bowling Green parish is thriving with 200 Myanmar families that came as refugees to the United States.

Stephen’s family of six was approved, and they were schedu to fly into the United States on Feb. 4, 2025.

“He already had airplane tickets,” said Fr. Martin.

But one week before their flight, they learned that due to an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program had been suspended as of Jan. 27, with the order stating that admitting refugees through this program “would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.”

Today, Stephen’s family is stuck in limbo, knowing they have been approved in the system, though unable to enter the U.S.

Returning to Myanmar is not an option; the civil war has only worsened and targeted attacks on Catholics are increasing, which recently included the bombing of a Catholic pastoral center and the murder of a young priest.

Despite everything, Stephen “keeps praying, (saying) ‘Everything according to God’s plan,’” said Fr. Martin.

The family takes one day at a time, praying for a change in the U.S. policy. They now live by a Catholic chapel and Stephen plays music and serves as a catechist, like his father. The four kids are learning English at a school that was set up for migrant children, and his wife supports the family by working as a wedding makeup artist.

An organization through the local Catholic Church, similar to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, assists the family with their needs.

“He keeps asking me if there is any good news, but it is not, right now,” said Fr. Martin, who also continues to pray that his brother’s family will be able to come soon.

Stephen told Fr. Martin, “God never abandons me; if we need anything, he provides.”

“I hope I will see him again,” said Fr. Martin. “It’s been 15 years.”

Originally printed in the April 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.