Catholic Church celebrates 20 years
of the
faith in Mongolia
ULAANBATAAR: 9 July
2012 -- On July 10 1992, a Church was born in
the Steppes
of Central Asia. Three Immaculate Heart of Mary missionaries
stepped
onto Mongolian soil for the first time. One of them, Fr
Wenceslaus
Padilla, is now the Apostolic Prefect/Bishop of Mongolia.
Archbishop Savio Hon joins the local Bishop and the Apostolic
Nuncio
for Korea and Mongolia, Archbishop Osvaldo Padilla, as well as
the
Bishop of Daejong, Korea, Bishop Lazzaro You, for celebrations
lasting
several days, but which culminated in a Solemn Mass at St.
Peter and
Paul's Cathedral, Ulaanbataar,on Sunday 8 July at which
Archbishop Savio Hon was the main celebrant.
On 9 July, Archbishop Savio travelled to Darkhan, in the
country's
north (about three and a half hour's drive from the capital),
where he
celebrated Mass at the Mary Help of Christians parish church,
blessed a
statue of Don Bosco, and attended a concert in his honour.
Following
such a busy day he then needed to return immediately to the
capital for
departure on 10 July to Seoul, where he has other official
engagements.
There are 81 Catholic missionaries now in Mongolia, from 22
different
countries, and 13 congregations of groups, which includes the
Salesians
and the Salesian Sisters. from a zero count in 1992, the
number of
Catholics has arrived at 800 plus. And while there is
currently no
active vocation ministry in a Church yet so young, two young
Mongolian
candidates are now studying for the priesthood in Daejong,
Korea.
