Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Mongolia recognises the contributions of missionaries who worked for the rebirth of the Catholic Church three decades ago, says a missionary priest.
The first papal visit to the central Asian nation from scheduled from August 31 to September 4 comes 31 years after three members of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary [CICM] arrived in Mongolia to resume the mission in 1992.
The mission started after the country returned to democracy and restored diplomatic relations with the Vatican on 4 April 1992.
The three priests—Father Wenceslao Padilla, Father Robert Goessens, and Father Gilbert Sales—arrived two years after the fall of the communists, who ruled the country from 1924 and banned all religions.
Speaking to Fides, Father Sales recalled their missionary experience, and paid tribute to Father Padilla, who became the first bishop of Ulaanbaatar.
The bishop gave everything, gave himself unreservedly to the evangelizing mission in Mongolia, always entrusting himself to God and doing his utmost to initiate new pastoral and social works
Father Sales
Bishop Padilla, a Filipino, served in Mongolia until his death in 2018 and is hailed for being instrumental in helping the Church grow. Today, the Church has about 1,500 Catholics in eight parishes served by some 77 missionaries.
“The bishop gave everything, gave himself unreservedly to the evangelizing mission in Mongolia, always entrusting himself to God and doing his utmost to initiate new pastoral and social works,” Fides reported Father Sales, also a Filipino, as saying on July 15.
While Father Goessens and Father Sales left after some years, Bishop Padilla continued. Father Goessens went back to Japan and Father Sales became the president of St. Louis University in Baguio City in the Philippines.
When the three missionaries first arrived in 1992, there were no native Catholics in the country except for a few staff in foreign embassies in the capital Ulaanbaatar.
They began prayer meetings in private homes and celebrating Sunday Mass in their homes. As the number of participants grew, they rented a room for Sunday Mass. The brick churches were built years later.
When the three missionaries first arrived in 1992, there were no native Catholics in the country except for a few staff in foreign embassies in the capital Ulaanbaatar
By 1996, there were 150 Catholics in Mongolia who attended the dedication of the first Catholic church in the country.
Despite a host of challenges including poverty and harsh continental weather, the missionaries made their best efforts to solidify the Church presence and evangelised among Mongolia’s nomadic community.
They ensured the “little flock” is strong in faith, close to the poor, committed to education and in dialogue with other cultures and religions, Father Sales said.
From the beginning, the Catholic community has maintained a respectful attitude towards local cultures, developing good relations with other religions while providing services and social support to many disadvantaged, poor and marginalised people.
Bishop Padilla also invited foreign religious orders from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America to serve in Mongolia, which has a population of more than three million.
Despite a host of challenges including poverty and harsh continental weather, the missionaries made their best efforts to solidify the Church presence and evangelised among Mongolia’s nomadic community
The missionary groups have launched technical schools, orphanages, retirement homes, clinics, domestic violence shelters and kindergartens.
The services are mostly concentrated in suburban areas where basic services are lacking, and these centers offer vital support to people and children from poor families.
With the presence of diverse missionary groups, he sought to “give the local Church a plural face with the richness of its various charisms,” Father Sales said.
In 2002, Bishop Padilla was made the first apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar covering the entire country. His episcopal ordination was held on 3 August 2003. He prioritised interfaith dialogue, and it made him a popular religious leader.
“The priority is to maintain good relations with all people without discrimination and to testify to the love of Christ to Buddhists, other Christians, Muslims and all people in Mongolia,” he said during his ordination.
Bishop Padilla won the hearts of the Mongolian people and was very popular with Russian Orthodox Christians, Buddhists, shamans and members of non-Christian denominations, Father Sales said.
We need more Mongolian priests because they will know how to better apply the teachings of Christ and the Church to our country
Father Joseph Enkh Baatar
He also emphasised education from kindergarten to university.
“We supported pupils and students so that they could go abroad and graduate from a foreign university, but I wish that our young people can get a good education here in their own country,” he said.
He also encouraged young Mongolian Catholics to enter priestly formation.
The push yielded its first fruit on 28 August 2016, when Bishop Padilla ordained Father Joseph Enkh Baatar, the first native priest at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Ulaanbaatar.
“We need more Mongolian priests because they will know how to better apply the teachings of Christ and the Church to our country,” the new priest said after the ordination.
“Only then will the Mongols understand that Catholicism is not a foreign religion, but something that is close to their tradition, culture and way of life,” he added.
Bishop Padilla pushed for establishing various Church-run pastoral, social, educational, charitable and humanitarian organisations over the years, including two houses for street children, a home for the elderly, two Montessori kindergartens, two primary schools, a centre for disabled children, a technical school, Fides reported.
We supported pupils and students so that they could go abroad and graduate from a foreign university, but I wish that our young people can get a good education here in their own country
Father Sales
Three libraries with study rooms and computers were set up, a dormitory for university students with modern facilities and various centers for youth activities.
The late bishop led in establishing two rural farms to support rural communities, a health station, and a clinic.
During his time, Caritas Mongolia was founded and it runs water supply programmes, builds houses for the needy, works on sustainable agriculture, food security, social empowerment and combating human trafficking.
The early missionaries also found ways to incorporate Mongolian culture and tradition into Church life. For example, Bishop Padilla integrated the Tsagaan Sar [White Moon] festival, the Mongolian Lunar New Year in February. A special Eucharist is celebrated at the beginning of the New Year to entrust the lives of all people to God and pray for the nation.
Bishop Padilla often spoke of a “rebirth” every time he narrated the history of the Church in Mongolia.
“When the three of us arrived here in 1992, we never thought of ‘planting the Church’ from scratch, but we believed in bringing back the proclamation of Christ to this land, convinced that the Lord has always been close to the Mongolian people, who welcomed the Gospel again with faith and hope,” he once told Fides.
In 2018, the Catholic Church in Mongolia marked the 25th anniversary of its rebirth.
During the jubilee ceremony, Bishop Padilla expressed gratitude to the missionaries for their services and said the Church has now found a strong footing in the country.
He said that “the Church in Mongolia is stable, with its presence in different districts, with different parishes, with socio-educational services in society.”
Less than a year later, Padilla died of a heart attack on 25 September 2018, in Ulaanbaatar at the age of 68. He was buried in the city.
The tiny Church entered the global spotlight last year when Pope Francis named Italian missionary Bishop Giorgio Marengo, who succeeded Bishop Padilla, a cardinal. UCAN
