With temperatures often dropping under 40 degrees below zero, Mongolia is not an easy place for anyone. Nor has it been easy for the Catholic Church. The faith arrived in Mongolia in the 1300s, but was soon forced out. The Church resurfaced in 1922 and established a mission, only to see the area soon fall under Communist control and Soviet influence. Following the 1990 Mongolian Revolution (which ended Communism in Mongolia and established a fledgling democracy), Catholic missionaries came to rebuild the Church. It would be no exaggeration to say they had to start over from nothing. The first Masses were conducted in a hotel. Communication was difficult: There were no Mongolian Catholics or any Catholic texts in Mongolian. Nor did the new missionaries speak the language. And yet the Church managed to create and maintain some degree of growth. Still not large enough to qualify for a diocese, the Church in Mongolia is an Apostolic Prefecture. The Vatican has had diplomatic relations here since 1992.
Catholicism in Mongolia: A small Church in the frigid land of Genghis Khan – Catholic World Report
Catholicism in Mongolia: A small Church in the frigid land of Genghis Khan – Catholic World Report
