ULAANBAATAR (UCAN) -- Praying for its "yet unborn" members was part of a Mongolian parish's preparation for Easter.

"Would the youngest members of our church please stand up?" Father Stephen Kim, pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Ulaanbaatar, asked his congregation during Mass recently. "Your task will be to pray for the ones who are going to be re-born on Easter Sunday. And now, the ones who are yet unborn, let them stand up and we will pray for them."

About a dozen people ranging in age from 16 to 60 rose from their seats.

The St. Mary's Parish sub-stations in Niseh, Yaarmag and Zuun Mod are preparing to welcome 20 new Catholics during the Easter Vigil on March 22 night. Ten more people are set to be baptized when the fourth sub-station, in Shuwuu, celebrates its 10th anniversary on Pentecost, May 11.

The parish currently has 140 Catholics, 90 percent of whom regularly attend Mass.

"I used to be concerned about our rather slow growth, 10-20 people a year, while the Protestant groups grow very dynamically," Father Kim, a Korean missioner, told UCA News.

According to him, since the time the first Catholic and Protestant missioners entered Mongolia in 1992, local Protestants now number around 40,000 while the Catholic Church has 415, with a rate of 50-70 new baptisms each year.

"To collect a crowd is easy, similar to collecting a big audience for a good concert. But to help each individual meet Jesus Christ personally on a very deep level and grow in their faith is not so easy," he continued.

Father Kim told UCA News many people who attend the two-year Catholic catechism class do not get baptized at the end of the second year, for various reasons.

"One reason is when they miss too many classes, and lack both the knowledge and stability of faith. Then they have to come for one more year," he explained. "There are others who need to wait even more, maybe because they have problems in their homes, with family members, especially husbands or parents, who do not approve of their baptism."

Some people have been coming to catechism classes for three or four years but still need to wait until they are ready to be baptized, the priest continued. "Even so, most of these people are regular churchgoers and take part in most activities. They understand that they are not ready."

According to Father Kim, the few foreign priests and sisters can work with only so many people until local lay Catholics are strong enough in their faith to help others grow. He added that Catholic families are "very few," but expressed confidence that they and young Catholics are growing and will be able to evangelize others soon with their life example.

The Korean missioner, a priest of Taejon diocese, pointed out that St. Mary's has just six Catholic couples who were married in the Church. "The rest are married to non-Catholics or are still young and single," he said.

The local Church needs Mongolian lay missioners and more Catholic families who can show inspiring life examples to people help others grow. "Until then, I believe, we will continue this steady growth," he said.

The Catholic Mission in Mongolia started in 1992. Now the Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar, it has 64 missioners from 18 countries belonging to nine Religious congregations and Taejon diocese, together with six lay missioners from three countries.

Four parishes and six mission stations serve the country's 415 Catholics. About half the country's 2.8 million people are Buddhists, and another 40 percent have no official religious affiliation. Christians and shamanists together comprise another 6 percent, and Muslims about 4 percent.

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