The first native priest of Mongolia will be ordained next week in the world’s youngest Church.
The Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia was established in 2002 after missionary priests arrived in the early nineteen-nineties. It has not yet reached the status of a diocese, as it is still too young to support itself.
Joseph Enkh (pictured with his mother) was ordained a deacon on 11 December 2014 in Daejeong, South Korea, where he received his initial formation. He will be ordained a priest by Mgr Wenceslao Padilla, Bishop of Ulaan Baatar, on Sunday 28 August.
Fr Anthony Chantry, National Director of Missio, the papal charity responsible for supporting the local Church overseas, said: “We at Missio rejoice with the community in Mongolia, as this is a wonderful example of what it means to be a missionary Church. The first native priest of Mongolia is a great sign of hope for the people of Mongolia and for us all.”
Missio has recently supported the Mongolian Church through the training of lay leaders and the formation of Deacon Enkh. In their World Mission Sunday collection last year, which focused on Mongolia, the charity raised £533,397 for its work training priests and building churches.
In correspondence between Missio and Bishop Padilla, His Excellency described the ordination as a “historic event in the life of the Catholic Church in Mongolia”.
There are currently just over 1,000 baptised Catholics in the country, with 20 missionaries and 50 nuns working in six parishes.
A novena is being prayed in the run-up to the ordination.
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