1950 VIE-Mongolia ordination
austraLasia #1950

Mongolia's first Salesian ordination

ULAANBAATAR: 1st October 2007 -- Fr Paul Trung SDB, a Vietnamese missionary in Mongolia, was ordained to the priesthood on 15th September 2007, by Bishop Padilla Wenceslao CICM in Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral Church in Ulaanbaatar.  It was a significant moment for the very young Catholic Church and even younger Salesian presence in Mongolia - a first ordination experience.  It was also a moment that brought all Catholics in the country together in a special way.  Fr Paul celebrated his first Mass on 16th September in the same Cathedral, and on 17th went north to Darkhan where he has been stationed, to celebrate a first Mass there amongst the fledgling Catholic community that owes its existence to the Salesian presence.
    A number of Fr Paul's family were able to come from Vietnam for the ordination and subsequent celebrations.  His immediate family was represented by his elder sister and an aunt.  His mother died in January and his father is elderly, so Fr Paul left on 20th September for Vietnam to visit his father and celebrate Mass for him there.  The provincial economer of Vietnam Province represented the province at the ordination.
    20 children and 20 adult parishioners from Darkhan Parish came to Ulaanbaatar for the ordination.  The children made up the choir for the ordination Mass, which was conducted by a Salesian Sister, Sr Teresa Choi FMA.  During communion a Vietnamese Brother sang a special Vietnamese hymn while after communion the Darkhan children's choir sang a hymn they had prepared especially for the occasion.
    Fr Paul returns to Mongolia this week after his visit home to Vietnam.  He returns to his role as Bursar of the Darkhan community and his work at the Don Bosco Education Centre and Mary Help of Christians Parish.

   ________________
 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org