ULAANBAATAR (SE): “We will soon have the first native priest from Mongolia,” Bishop Wenceslaus Padilla, the apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Outer Mongolia, told Fides on May 31.
A deacon, Reverend Joseph Enkh, has had the date for ordination as a priest in Ulaanbaatar set for August 28.
The Filipino bishop of the region said that this event is particularly important for the young Church in the country, which was only re-founded in 1992 after a long period of suppression and today has just over 1,000 baptised members.
Father Prosper Mbumba said, “I believe that the ordination of a local priest will stimulate the enthusiasm and sense of belonging among the Mongolian people towards a Church that has long been seen as foreign.”
Father Mbumba comes from the Congo and is a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Reverend Enkh was ordained a deacon on 11 December 2014 in Daejeong, South Korea, where he received the bulk of his formation and education for the priesthood.
He returned to Mongolia in January this year and since then has been gaining pastoral experience in various parishes around the country.
There are around 20 missionary priests and 50 sisters from 12 congregations working in six parishes in Outer Mongolia.
Father Mbumba told Fides, “Christians pray a lot for their future priests and parishes are promoting catechetical meetings to offer people a better understanding of the priestly ministry.”
He explained that every parish conducted a novena to pray that the ordination would take place.
Many people are also writing to the young deacon, letting him know that they are proud of his vocation and have trust in his presence and his work.
Father Mbumba concluded, “We thank God for this gift and for this enthusiasm.”