YANGON, Myanmar - Seminaries in Myanmar face a funding crisis as assistance from outside the country continues to tumble, forcing the local Church to step up efforts at becoming self-reliant.
 
The 20 minor seminaries in the country have borne the brunt of the decline in foreign funding, although the three major seminaries have been relatively unaffected, according to Father Hyginus Myint Soe, rector of St. Joseph's Catholic Major Seminary in Yangon.

Father John Saw Yaw Han, rector of St. Joseph's Intermediate/Minor seminary in Yangon archdiocese notes that contributions from foreign sources to his seminary have fallen by around 50 percent over the past two years. The problem has become even more acute since the global financial crisis, he added.