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Mongolia: Pastoral Plan To Promote Bible Includes Reading, Sharing, Quizzes PDF Print E-mail
Written by UCA News   
Thursday, 01 May 2008
Nine-year-old Anand started reading the Bible in April 2006, about the time he began learning to read.

The third-grader in Ulaanbaatar has a chart of books and chapters of the Bible in which he marks what he has read with a red pencil. "This way I can see what I already read," he told UCA News as he displayed the A4-size page.

"My brothers have their own charts and mark what they've read, but they're much ahead of me because they are 11 and 12 and can read faster," said Anand, who goes by one name, as is common in Mongolia. "Mother has started marking her second sheet already, but she reads really, really fast," he added.

Bible reading is the first step local Catholics take in Bread of the Word, a three-year pastoral plan designed to help them regard the Bible, the sacraments and acts of charity as true nourishment for human life.

Bishop Wenceslao Padilla, Ulaanbaatar's apostolic prefect, says he hopes the plan that was launched on Dec. 2 will empower missioners and lay Catholics alike to get closer to Jesus Christ and overcome the challenges of life.
 
The plan's main goal, Bishop Padilla explained to UCA News, "is to help the Mongolian people who wish to grow in faith by entering into a wonderful friendship with the Lord and follow Him. I hope it will enable the mission to accomplish the aim of strengthening the life of our Catholic Church."

The Mongolian Catholic Church has three parishes in the capital, another 200 kilometers to the north in Darhan, the country's second largest city, and six mission stations within those parishes.

Each parish and mission station has regular Bible sharing where parishioners read together and discuss how parts of the Bible relate to their lives.

Father Stephen Kim, pastor of Ulaanbaatar's St. Mary's Church, has distributed a Bible-reading plan for his parishioners to follow. They come 30 minutes before Mass to read their bibles. Those without a copy of the Mongolian-language Bible can borrow one from a table near the church entrance.

Parishioners also have the current liturgical calendar in Mongolian language to keep up with the daily readings, the Korean missioner pointed out. "We also print out the Responsorial Psalm and Gospel from each Sunday's readings, and parishioners are encouraged to take that home and reflect on it," he added.

Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral parish in Ulaanbaatar offers a Bible lesson on Friday evenings, while the 12 Catholics at the Shuwuu mission station take turns to lead their Bible sharing. "It is a deep experience," Solongo, a Catholic from Shuwuu, told UCA News.

Young Catholics in Mongolia have planned periodic Bible quiz competitions for the year. At the first one, held on April 12, four people from each parish competed to see who knows the four Gospels best.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Lieve Stragier told UCA News she was amazed how well the young people prepared. "I know it is all in the head right now," she said, "but this is only a first step to encourage the youth to know more about the Bible. Before you live it, you have to know it."

Though the local Catholic Church has dedicated 2008 to the Bible, not all of Mongolia's 415 Catholics have a personal copy. While waiting for new bibles to be printed, Father Kim said, every parish has recently received 50 copies of the New Testament to distribute to parishioners without charge.

Consolata Father Giorgio Marengo, a member of the local Church's Liturgical Commission, told UCA News that Protestant bibles are easily available but may not be suitable for Catholics. Some books of the Bible not included, he noted, and commentaries and introductions in the Protestant version "contain teaching contrary to Catholic teachings."
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 April 2008 )