Mongolia: "Theology Week" Launched in Ulaanbaatar
The Apostolic Prefecture of Mongolia is perhaps the youngest Church in Asia.
In the 13th century, the Franciscans reached the court of the great Khan in Karakorum (today Kharkhorin), but due to the subsequent historical events the Catholic Church did not have any significant presence in this land for a long time.
More recently, the first missionaries of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary arrived in Ulaanbaatar in July 1992. Since then, eight parishes have been established, including a total of 1,300 people baptized, three primary schools, a technical school, four kindergartens, centres for street children and soup kitchens for the poor. In 2016, the first Mongolian priest, Fr. Enkh-Baatar Joseph, was ordained.
Today, the Apostolic Prefecture includes 74 missionaries (12 congregations and 23 nationalities) and a large number of lay pastoral workers.
To give uniformity to the missionary activity, the idea of the "Theology Week" was launched in Ulaanbaatar with the goal of creating a formative opportunity for all missionaries and pastoral workers present in the Apostolic Prefecture, overcoming the geographical and cultural isolation. The "Theology Week" aims to promote a joint reflection on themes related to the theology of mission, thus contributing to provide the entire missionary community with adequate tools of thinking to ensure a significant missionary presence for Mongolia.
The first two editions were attended by numerous Mongolian missionaries and lay pastoral workers. The theme of the first edition held in June 2017 was "Theology of Mission for Churches in Asia," while the second edition in June 2018 focused on the Sacred Scripture, by delving into "The Mission ad Gentes in the New Testament."