ASIA/MONGOLIA - Mission on tiptoe. A Magnificat for the rebirth of the Church in Mongolia

by Paolo Affatato

Ulaanbaatar (Agenzia Fides) - "We took the first steps in the mission in Mongolia with a certain excitement and emotion. On July 10, 1992 we tiptoed into an unknown land, strengthened only by the company of Jesus Christ, whom we invoked at every step of our journey". The story of Father Gilbert Sales, a 60-year-old Filipino priest and missionary of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) - also called "Scheut Missionaries" after the name of the Belgian place where the Congregation was founded - goes back to the beginnings of the Catholic presence in Mongolia, which was revived in the early 1990s, and which the imminent apostolic visit of Pope Francis to this vast country of Central Asia (from September 1 to 4) sees, in thirty years, increase to 1 500 baptized, and consolidated by parishes, schools, educational and social works.

The missionary tells Fides about the "new beginning" of the Christian presence in Mongolia: "We felt like strangers in a country where we knew neither the language nor any people. But we never lacked faith. We were certain of the presence of Jesus among us and we always trusted that everything would turn out for the best: the Lord would open the doors we knocked on and lead us by the hand through this cold and endless steppe that we we saw all around us. The Lord had led me there, as he said to the prophet, with two confreres. Today, I can testify that God has indeed opened all the doors, that he has given us his grace and his love which bore fruit on Mongolian land and gave life to the Church".

Christianity, in its Nestorian form, reached Central Asia, Mongolia and China as early as the 7th century and initially had a major impact on the Mongols in the Middle Ages. However, after turmoil and various historical-political events, in the era of communism with Soviet characteristics, all experiences with the Christian faith had disappeared, and there were no churches or believers in the country. "Arriving there and sowing the Gospel again, with simplicity, patience and charity, was an extraordinary moment, an experience that will remain in my heart forever", says the Filipino missionary today. In addition to Father Gilbert Sales, the other two pioneers were the Belgian confrere Robert Goessens and the Filipino missionary Wenceslao Padilla, who died in 2018 and would later become the first Apostolic Prefect of Mongolia.

The presence of the three missionaries who arrived in Mongolia in 1992 was the first step in what they themselves called "a rebirth". The international political context had changed, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the new government in Ulaanbaatar showed a desire to re-establish relations with the Holy See, which agreed to establish diplomatic relations, with a contextual agreement to send missionaries to the country. "When the Holy See announced its willingness to found a mission in Mongolia, we were thrilled: it seemed like a new opportunity and a new call from God. In fact, as early as the beginning of the 19th century, the Scheut missionaries had the intention of establishing a community in Mongolia", project later abandoned because of the war. "At that time, in my thirties, I had just been ordained a priest and I made myself available, not without hesitation, but trusting in the Lord Jesus. He called me to a special mission," recalled Father Gilbert.

After selecting the three missionaries to start the community, and after a period of mutual understanding and formation in Taiwan, the three pioneers set off on their missionary adventure in Ulaanbaatar with the hopes and unknowns that mark any new ministry.
"To encourage ourselves, we read every day the passage from the Gospel where Jesus says: 'Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them'. This helped us to draw strength and to be sure of his providence at all times," he reports. "It must be said that we received the greatest support and courtesy from the Mongolian government. They even received us with all honors at the airport. Thanks to the help and mediation of an officer who spoke French (communication was a challenge), we managed to rent a small apartment to settle in".

The first step in arriving in the country, as in any missionary work, was the study of the local language, "a difficult language made up of sounds that are not easy to pronounce. We laughed when we initially tried to imitate these sounds, but we didn't give up, " he recalls. The missionaries immersed themselves in the study of the Mongolian language, attended the university in the capital, and little by little, word of mouth spread about their presence and the possibility of celebrating the sacraments proper to the Catholic faith in the country.
"We celebrated Mass in a room of the house that was used as a chapel. Some Catholic ambassadors and staff from Western embassies began attending Mass, bringing local people who were interested. That was the first form of evangelization, a Eucharistic mission: Jesus gave himself to the people and also offered himself to the Mongolians," explains Father Sales. The mission continued thanks to informal contacts and those who responded to the "Come and See" invitation. "We welcomed everyone with a smile and a lot of joy. People came to us and asked us why we believed and asked more questions about Jesus himself. We welcomed the first Mongolian churchgoers. We never lacked in trust in God, who showed us his love every day and acted, touching hearts," notes the missionary.

The three missionaries slowly begin to settle into a completely new environment, making their first human connections and making friends with locals, but also establishing contacts with civil, social and cultural institutions. They put all their skills and resources at their disposal and Father Gilbert Sales soon became a Mongolian language student in exchange for running an English course at the university to teach young Mongolians.

This was also the place where the small Catholic community started their first social activities. Father Gilbert continues: "I saw many young people living alone on the streets. My colleagues at the university explained to me that these were the street children of Ulaanbaatar, who lived on their own and during the cold season (with temperatures of up to 40 degrees below zero), took refuge in the sewage system, where the heating pipes pass". Gilbert visited them in their grey, stinking concrete dwellings and found that there were many youngsters between the ages of 8 and 15 huddled there, "alcoholic, violent, ill and vulnerable, in a situation of sexual promiscuity". "I took courage," he says, "because my heart broke with compassion for these small, marginalized people. I kept coming back to visit them and I took food with me and each time it was always a better moment. I even glimpsed the slightest hint of a smile". The missionary won affection with gratuitous gestures of tenderness and kindness "completely unknown to these children, who are mistreated and despised by society", trust slowly built up trying to bring the children and to snatch young people from this life on the fringes of society.

This is how the first social and charitable initiative of the new missionaries was born: a center for street children set up under the direction of Father Sales on the ground floor of a building in the capital. It is the "Verbist Care Centre" which officially opened in 1995 as a care facility. "These children and young people began to accept our offer to change their lives. We gave them care, attention and love. They came from families that were characterized by alcoholism and violence. With us they began to recover the dimension of defenseless little ones in need of affection". The Center provided food, shelter, medical care and an educational path that enabled the youth to reintegrate into society. "Many have now completed their studies, are working full-time and are fathers. I am still in touch with some of them. They are infinitely grateful for the help, which was life-changing for them. I always tell them to praise God with us." , says Father Sales.

The testimony of the missionaries eventually also attracted the Mongolian citizens: "We began to celebrate the first baptisms. I still remember the emotion of the first baptized child, a Mongolian boy who was adopted by a British couple and was named Peter. We sang the Magnificat together: it was the work of God that was being done. In the first few years a community of about thirty Mongolian Catholics was formed. It was really a small community of disciples, with one characteristic that distinguished us: joy. The joy of being loved and saved by Christ and of sharing his love with others," said the missionary.
Gradually, thanks to the support of the Holy See and benefactors
from all over the world, the small Church in Mongolia is enriched with pastoral and social works and experiences, with the presence of new communities of religious and nuns.
"Wenceslao Padilla, who was in charge of the mission, immediately had a universal perspective and wanted to call congregations from all over the world, each with their own charism, to contribute to the mission in the borderless country of Central Asia. Many religious orders responded positively and new missionaries, religious and nuns began to arrive from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America and helped found parishes, vocational schools, orphanages, homes for the elderly, clinics, homes for victims of domestic violence and kindergartens, often set up in suburbs where there were no basic services, and which primarily benefited poor people and destitute families".

"After about ten years, a Catholic pastoral center was set up and then the first church was built, today's Ulaanbaatar Cathedral, which was consecrated in 2002. Our Bishop Padilla (Prefect Apostolic since 2002) said it was necessary to have a structure and a church to give the country, the authorities and the people the idea of a stable presence and to say: we are here in Mongolia and we want to stay, we are not uncertain or ephemeral, we want to be with you forever, like the love of God, which never perishes," continues the Scheut missionary.

There was finally the first vocation of a young Mongolian to the priesthood, and in the meantime the work of local catechists and volunteers was initiated and consolidated, and parishes were opened. Father Gilbert Sales left Mongolia in 2005 - called by his congregation to another ministry in the Philippines - when the Mongolian Catholic community numbered over 300 believers and the mission expanded beyond the capital, Ulaanbaatar.

On the occasion of the visit of Pope Francis, he now returns to the country with great gratitude. He will be able to meet and see again many of the Mongolian believers who remember him fondly. To the community in which he left a piece of his heart, he will say: "Go ahead with patience. The Spirit blows when and where it wants and it bears fruit. Allow the grace of God to guide your steps. The Lord has done great things and will do great things: let us sing the Magnificat together". (Agenzia Fides, 26/8/2023)

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