TAKOB, Tajikistan (UCAN) -- This mountain ski base echoed recently with the animated voices of two dozen Catholic children spending part of their winter vacation with Incarnate Word priests and nuns.

Last year, extremely cold weather kept most of the prospective young skiers and the nuns at home.

"We went to Takob last year, but this time I liked it much better because there were more people," Orzu Saidshoev, a 15-year-old boy from St. Joseph Parish in Dushanbe, told UCA News.

Besides skiing and other fun activities, the young people also had the chance to organize daily Mass and reflect on it, as well as pray together.

This year's pleasant weather attracted so many participants that organizers had to bring the youngsters, all 9-15 years old, in three groups. Nine children from St. Roch Parish in Kurgan-Tube, south of Dushanbe, were the first to arrive in Takob, 100 kilometers north of the capital, to spend three days of their school holiday in the mountains.

"Of course, it would have been better to go together, but the cottage just couldn't hold all the children and Religious," Father Pedro Lopez told UCA News. The priest is prior of St. Roch, but based in Dushanbe.

Following the Kurgan-Tube group, seven girls from St. Joseph took the next three days, and eight St. Joseph boys came last, spending Dec. 8-10 in the mountains. The five Incarnate Word priests that serve the pastoral needs of the sui iuris (self-governing) mission of Tajikistan and the three Dushanbe-based nuns of the Servants of the Lord and Holy Virgin of Matara congregation, also in the Incarnate Word family, rotated as chaperones.

The cottage "was provided free by a friend," said Father Lopez, main organizer of the trip. "He also gave us skis and taught us how to ski."

The five-meter-long, one-story cottage and sets of skis were all they had, but more than enough, since the high mountain base, with a half-meter of snow and thick pines, was conducive for both skiing and contemplation.

"When you see mountains, so high, covered by absolutely white snow, you automatically think about the greatness of God who created it," Sister Maria Blagoveshenie told UCA News after returning to the capital. "Not all parents can pay for a trip to Takob, so I think it is good opportunity for them to go there," supported by the Church, she added.

Father Juan Martin Sierra explained the program. "Basically we played different games and tried to learn skiing, but the children also gained lots from the liturgical point of view."

Every morning priests celebrated Mass in the cottage. They also prayed the rosary with the youngsters every day.

"They could prepare everything for the Mass by themselves, and all the homilies were directed to them, so they could realize the importance and value of the Holy Mass," Father Sierra said. "And from the human point of view, any kind of camping is a good time to practice many virtues, such as generosity, patience, or being in a good mood to cheer up others."

Whether skiing, singing or praying, the break from regular routine was appreciated.

"I also liked skiing. It was the first time for me," Svetlana Petrova, a 13-year-old girl from St. Joseph, told UCA News. "I liked the time spent in the company of my friends and the nuns."

The priests and nuns hope to establish it as an annual event.

All five Incarnate Word priests are from Argentina, where their institute was founded in the 1980s. they serve 250 Tajik Catholics in three parishes. The three nuns who assist them in Dushanbe work with children and youth. Missionaries of Charity sisters also work in the capital, serving poor people.

Mountains make up 93 percent of the total area of Tajikistan, where the government has made repairing tourist facilities a priority since 1994. Muslims make up 96 percent of the country's 6.5 million people, with members of the Russian Orthodox Church forming about 3 percent of the population.

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