ASIA/MONGOLIA - Easter 2006: little Catholic community in Mongolia steadily growing, ready to welcome 70 new Catholics at Easter

Wednesday, 12 April 2006

Ulan Bator (Fides Service) -The little Catholic community in Mongolia is growing slowly but surely and looks forward to welcome 70 new Catholics to be baptised at Easter.
“There is tangible joy as final preparations are made in four different churches where the 70 new Catholics will receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion during the Easter Vigil Mass”, says Bishop Wenceslao Padilla, Prefect Apostolic of Ulan Bator. Most of the new Catholics are young people between the age of 16 and 20 a few are adults over forty. The new members will bring the number of Catholics to 370 gathered in three parishes.
“Our missionary work proceeds and expands to meet new pastoral needs” says Bishop Padilla. “The Church is taking root in various parts of the country and we have opened new mission stations in Darhan and Erdenet and in another province south east of the capital. At present church personnel consists of 18 priests and 40 sisters of 9 different mission institutes from all over the world. They bear witness to the universality of the Church and their presence in Mongolia gives rise to curiosity. People want to know why they are here and come to ask about the faith. The message of Christ is readily accepted and comes to fill a deep spiritual void. All these new members have been spontaneous and joyful cases of conversion”.
Bishop Padilla says “the fact that the government is taking steps to promote democracy is a reason for hope for the Catholic community here. As Mongolia opens more and more to democratic values and the outside world, the Church finds her mission of evangelisation easier”. “The government allows Catholic education and has even asked for our collaboration in the fields of education and social care”. (Agenzia Fides 12/4/2006 righe 26 parole 260)


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