Peace is a human need. Unity is human responsibility.

In Unity, Peace!

Mongolia and from Mongolia as it celebrates its 800^th year of statehood
Mother Alan Qo’a had two sons by Dobun-mergen, namely Belguenuetei and Bueguenuetei. After her husband died, Alan Qo’a bore three more sons Buqu-qadagi, Bugatu-salji, Bodonchar-munchqaq. The first two, Belguenuetei and Bueguentei were secretly red with jealous anger of the other three. As a mother, Alan Qo’a knew their thoughts and one day called all 5 sons to her presence. To each she gave a shaft of an arrow. And to each she asked this to be broken into half. The 5 sons readily broke the shaft still wondering what their Mother was up to. Then Mother Alan Qo’a took from a quiver a bundle of 5 arrows which she bundled together and gave to them to break. None of 5 was able to break the bundle of arrows into half. Then Mother Alan Qo’a said, alone you can easily be broken by anyone. Together and of one mind, like a bound arrow-shafts none can easily vanquish you. (19-22. “The Secret History of the Mongols”, Prof. Urgunge Transl.)

The Excerpt above was taken from the famous “The Secret History of the Mongols”. It is of tradition that the lineage and heritage of the great Mongols come from this great Mother. For the historian of Mongols the arrow is not only a deadly projectile for hunting and for war. It was also called with a “term that meant ‘straightness of mind’ – in itself implying overtones of moral integrity” (Urgunge, a translator of this edition of the Secret History…)

The title of this article may initially be seen as far fetched with the person of Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan, Anglicized version) characterized by some historians as one who mercilessly took many lives and literally cut them short. But after a few 12 years of missionary life (7 in Papua New Guinea and 5 in Mongolia), I have been taught by my mistakes to listen and be left in Wonder. More than war, a man loves peace. And Peace is a fruit of communion.

After five years or shall I say in more poetic words as the Chinggis would have had it said, after five winters with the people of the felt-walled tents, Life has been WONDER-full.

A Life of wonder is something one cannot exchange for all the price tags a sight-seeing tourist-package can offer. Lest the readers be misled, Wonder should not be equated with only the scent and the velvety touch of roses or be equated with only the thorns. Wonder comes with the fact that the roses come ‘packaged’ with the thorns. Just as snow is not only a matter of immaculate whites and fluffy flakes but also bringing freezing chills and bone racking.

With more than 300 Mongolians registered (not counting the ex-patriates who are in country for reason of business or diplomatic services) in the Liber Baptismorum, the Sunday Eucharist of the Lord is celebrated in three parishes churches and three chapels (soon to be quasi-parishes) simultaneously each Sunday morning. And the wonderful part is that, the larger portion of those who attend the Eucharist are Mongolians not yet baptized – and still faithfully come. The reason being, they too would like to gather and to pray. (all liturgies are in the vernacular; missionaries are obliged to make the 2 year Mongolian Language Course first before diving into the fray of the vineyard of the Lord).

Our Local Church is led by Bishop Padilla, CICM. With him are 50 of us missionaries from 8 religious congregations and 2 dioceses that have lent support with a couple of priests. We Salesians are the 5^th Religious congregation that arrived 5 years ago. And to make things more prophetic 18 nationalities are shared among missionaries. The Top two nationalities are Indians and Koreans, mostly are sisters.

Under communistic laws and atheistic ideologies, no religious instruction is allowed in an establishment other than a duly state recognized Church building. In the early years after 1992, when the Mongolian Communist State established diplomatic ties with the Vatican, Socio-Humanitarian works for the poorest of the poor have been the main face of the Catholic Church. Only in recent years, have the people and government have matured in their understanding that being a Catholic Church and Religion in Mongolia meant the integral development of the person – body AND soul, and I dare even say, the development of the community as a body and like wise a soul. Our Buddhist brothers readily come in support of us Catholics as saying that we are not Christians (other Christian Protestants or Sects), nor Orthodox (Russian Orthodox, recognized not for its Christian roots but by diplomacy with the Russian Communist Involvement from of old) but Catholics. We believe that Catholic relationship with the Buddhists (94% of the population’s 2.7 million people) has gained high ground (if not the highest) recognition among brothers who have more things in common than differences. This last phrase too brings tinges of pain but also of challenges of hope when in the eyes and lips of the Mongolians, we hear their questions as they wonder why there are so many divisions even among Christians.

The mentioning of the Salesian works (should) come only within the context of the situation and life of the people and of the Local Church.

Thus, we Salesians cater to the poorer youth from those on the streets to the underprivileged youth without a job because they were not given a chance to study well and finish a high-school and college education. From the very beginning a school was asked of the Salesians by the Apostolic Nuncio (to Mongolia and Korea) and the Mission Sui Iuris Superior (then Msgr. Padilla). Otherwise, the Salesians would have opened an oratory instead and worked itself up the ladder of human services. Don Bosco Industrial Training Skills Center that follows a Competency Based Training has been established for the youth 6 months upon the arrival of the first Salesian in 2001, a Jubilee Gift for the Millennium. What started with 30 co-ed students 5 years ago now enrolls annually about 190 students these past two years. By the Start of the new school year in September 2006 the 3-year level upgrade in all trades: carpentry, industrial sewing, automechanics, plumbing-welding, and secretarial would see 250-300 youth from 16-24 years of age coming in to the school of St. John Bosco. Added to the technical curriculum are the compulsory subjects of English and Computer Literacy. Needless to say, for those who did not finish a high school diploma, academics are offered and these students are the majority. Currently the only Catholic high-school, trades-school, with more and more years in contact with the Salesians, the Salesian Pedagogy in “Good morning talks” and Salesian Spirituality in morning prayers (nothing written in the constitution we can’t pray for loved ones) all these infuse and makes the Mongolian youth in our school (99.9% who are not Catholic), imbibe richer human values, the very basis and foundation of any believing faith to speak of. And provide families well-discipline responsible bread-winners and productive workforce for a developing Mongol Republic in the modern world. In comparison with the other institutions, the three Salesians Centers now established in Mongolia employ one of the largest number of local professionals (a policy we try to uphold) to thus bring more support (by way of employment opportunities) to the Mongolian families.

After the establishment of the Technical School, the Oratories naturally came forth from the abundance of the heart of the Salesians. Currently, we have two Youth Centers operating: Don Bosco Youth Center- in a nearby district called Amgalang and Don Bosco Educational Center located 220 km north of the Capital (100 km before the boarder into Russia).

The Don Bosco Youth Center in the Capital, 10 minutes away from the Technical school caters to 50 boarders taken from the streets and man-holes of the capital. 40 other kids (Day kids aging from 5-10) from the neighborhood come to avail of Elementary and rudimentary Literacy. The Boarders (majority boys) range from as young as 10 years old till 18 as of the present. The Mission of this youth center is to ‘fish’ out these kids from living off the streets as beggars or petty thieves. With enough re-habilitation when these kids reach 16 they enter the main Technical School of Don Bosco after passing the usual technical entrance exams which they too get apprehensive about. Then hopefully, in three years, these graduate with enough skills, but moreover the competency and discipline to keep and not only find a decent regular job like all graduates of Don Bosco. Currently, 15 students from our Youth Center are among those studying to make a difference in their life.

The second Oratory is a budding Educational Center by day and Recreational Center by Night

It has 40 co-ed students that avail of the In-Formal Computer and English Language Lessons offered. And as the late afternoon comes, more than 100 youth and kids avail of the recreational services offered. On Sundays, a quasi parish community is being developed. Currently 15 adults have freely and willingly enrolled for catechesis. Unless the Catholic faith and gospel values are not from within the Mongolian people, the Beautiful work and dedication for the poorer youth will not be as effective and faithful. The work in the north, the second biggest concentration of Catholic presence outside of the Capital is well on its way.

80% (a very generous estimate) of youth and kids in our centers (the school and the oratory) located in the capital are from single parents. Most of the cases are due to divorce. Poverty is something they were unfortunately born into. The easiest to see is the poverty of economics… not enough tuition (many can pay only 20$; hardly 15% pay the yearly tuition of 200$ we ask in public; No one can pay the 400$ needed per student if the school should run on its own to pay at least its salaries to local teachers and for electricity and heating in a sub-zero climate half of the year). Yet the more bitter and stark poverty is when you still WONDER why out-of-school youth STILL drop off from our school with the excuse of bad-influence of the pull of companions they had from the streets, then Ill-Health and worse, unsupportive if not non-existent parents.

The poverty of values is poorer than the poverty of economics indeed. The poverty of the soul is poorer than the poverty of the mind or of the skill. The nourishment we feel is again only possible through a family. It would be a cliché even to say that a family is not a family if it is always divided and never acted as one.

800 years ago the great divided tribes of the steppes were united into the first Mongol state. This year, 2006 the people and government of Mongolia celebrate the eight centennial anniversary of their statehood in the founding of their great unity – the Mongols.

With God’s grace and the intercession of the Mama Mary, Help of those who Believe, who has gathered her poor and young children to be sheltered under the homes of Don Bosco would make the Salesians worthy enough to be men steeped in prayer as and stooped with undying work for building unity in a person and thus contribute to making the great Mother and Mongolian youth of 1206 and 2006 fulfill their dreams - to be gathered strong and whole as family in communion.

“In the year of the Tiger, the people of the felt-walled tents gathered around the river Onon, the Tatars, the Onggirats, the Tayichi’ut, the Kereyit, Naiman, Merkit and Jadaran tribes and various smaller tribes” (202.The Secret History of the Mongols) to form what the world now forever remembers as the Mongol people. In the same gathering of all these chiefs of the tribes, they chose a man, the one who had in fact fought to the point of death, to gather them as one. That day, 1206 the great tribes of the steppes chose Chinggis to be their Khaan, their King.”