BISHKEK (UCAN) -- A young woman says her love for music and a priest's moving sermons have inspired her to serve the Catholic Church in Kyrgyzstan.

Victoria Krasina, 20, first encountered Father Aleksandr Kan, superior of the "sui juris" (self-governing) mission in Kyrgyzstan, six years ago at a youth Mass that she attended at the invitation of some Catholic friends.

Krasina said she was moved by the Jesuit priest's sermons and continued to attend Mass thereafter.

"I liked the youth Masses and all, but I felt something was missing," she said. "I asked Father Kan if I could play the piano during Mass to liven it up. He agreed and that was how my work with the Church started."

Krasina, a slightly-built, energetic youth, is not only involved in liturgical and secretarial work in a parish in Bishkek, the Kyrgyzstan capital, but also in practically all local Church ministries.

After working as a nanny for a year in Germany, Krasina returned in February to work full time for Father Kan. She is the local church's Girl Friday -- secretary, bookkeeper, translator and office assistant.

On Aug. 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration, Father Kan took Krasina with him to several villages in neighboring Kazakhstan, a four-hour drive from Bishkek. There she was lector and server, and led the liturgical music.

She also serves as a catechist for 10 villages where Masses are held weekly. Since Father Kan's driver's license expired, she lately has also become official driver.

Krasina was born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 1982. Her father is a Russian engineer who was re-assigned to Uzbekistan to work on government projects there. She was baptized Russian Orthodox, but her family did not practice their faith except on special feast days.

Krasina attended two years of college where she studied credit and finance at Kyrgyzstan's International Institute, but she did not like the courses, as music and the piano were so much a part of Krasina family life.

A Chilean Jesuit scholastic taught Krasina and her cousin to play the guitar in less than two months. Krasina now teaches youth in outlying villages how to play the guitar for Masses.

"When we go to these villages, young people surround me while I give guitar lessons. Sadly, most will never be able to own a guitar since it costs a family two months' salary to buy even a cheap one," she said.

She went with Father Kan's group to the women's prison Aug. 7. The visit marked the first time Church representatives were allowed to minister to Catholic women among the more than 1,000 inmates there.

Said Father Kan, "I am lucky to have Krasina. Her parents trust us with her. Without her, we would not be able to do what we are doing."

Krasina said she would like to attend a university in Europe or Asia to study philosophy and theology so as to serve her people better. "I have a secret dream I do not share with many, but it keeps me going," she said. "I really want to be at the service of the Church and help people know God better, so I need more training, especially in theology."

She works 12 to 15 hours a day and tackles difficult tasks but never wants payment for her Church work. "I am doing it for free," she said. Her parents, sister and a niece have all converted to Catholicism and support her service to the Church of Kyrgyzstan, she explained.

Few outside the country know her, but within the local Catholic community, practically everyone is touched by her presence. As one Catholic said of Krasina, "No matter what time of day or night you meet her, she always greets you with a smile and an encouraging word."

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