The Catholic Church in Kazakhstan is experiencing a phase of profound transformation: no longer simply the Church of former Polish, German or Ukrainian deportees, it is increasingly becoming a community that represents the Kazakh people and their language.
As a commission of bishops works on translating the Missal and other liturgical texts into Kazakh, a growing number of ethnic Kazakhs are asking to learn about the Gospel and receive Baptism.
Evangelisation through encounter
Fr Gabriel Jocher is a 37-year-old Austrian priest of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus and Mary (SJM) and National Director of Missio in Kazakhstan. He explains:
‘In rural areas, Christians are still largely descendants of those deported during Stalin’s era. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many returned to Germany, Poland and other countries. As a result, many rural parishes have gradually become smaller.’
At the same time, however, a new phenomenon has emerged. Fr Gabriel says:
‘In the major cities, we see Kazakh people every day, with no Christian background, spontaneously entering our churches. They simply ask: “What is this place? What do you do here?” That opens the door for us to introduce them to the Gospel and to the Church.’
Building a uniquely Kazakh Church
The Catholic community in Kazakhstan is a minority in a country of around 20 million people, where Islam is the majority religion and the Orthodox Church is the second-largest faith community. Catholics number an estimated 120,000.
With many former deportee families returning to their countries of origin, the Church’s mission is increasingly focused on the Kazakh population. Fr Gabriel says:
‘Twenty years ago, missionaries were here mainly to accompany the former Catholic settlers. Today the future of the Church is different: pastoral ministry is increasingly focused on the Kazakh community.’
Translating the faith from scratch
Russian remains the language most commonly used in liturgy, catechesis and pastoral care, but translating the faith into Kazakh has become a missionary priority. Fr Gabriel says:
‘The problem is that there is still no official Catholic translation of the Bible or liturgical books. Protestant communities already have their own version, while we are still working on it.
‘For the Kazakh people it would be extremely important to be able to celebrate Mass and pray in their own language. This is a process of inculturation that takes time. A special commission is working on it. We must find the right words and the most appropriate theological terminology. ‘But once this work is completed, I believe many more people will feel involved and happy to participate in the life of the Church.’
Some steps have already been taken. ‘Every day in our Cathedral we pray the Rosary in both Russian and Kazakh,’ he says. ‘During Mass we sing several hymns in Kazakh. At the Major Seminary in Karaganda, we also celebrate an experimental liturgy in Kazakh once a week.’
The formation of future priests reflects the same priority: ‘We are teaching seminarians in Kazakh,’ he says. ‘We are convinced that this is the path for the future of the Church in this country.’
New seekers and the hope of baptism
According to the missionary, these are people engaged in a genuine spiritual search:
‘We now have a significant number of Kazakhs who have converted to Catholicism. We cannot always explain what draws them. Perhaps they are searching for the meaning of life. The Gospel speaks to their hearts.’
While each Easter brings about new hope for the future of this small Church:
‘In the parish where I currently serve in Astana, we celebrated four adult baptisms this year; last year there were twelve. At present another ten people are following the catechumenate.’
Sometimes the first encounter with Christ begins in the silence of a church. Fr Gabriel says:
‘We simply tell them: “Go to the Chapel of the Ascension, sit down and pray to God.” Then the Holy Spirit does the rest.’
A mission of respect and compassion
Mission also means creating places of encounter in a society where direct evangelisation is subject to legal restrictions. Fr Gabriel explains:
‘As missionaries, we are allowed to work only within the areas where we are registered. For this reason, building relationships is essential. We organise concerts in churches, cultural events and social initiatives. The nuns care for sick and disabled children. Our school has become a privileged place for meeting with the local population.’
Fr Gabriel’s congregation has managed the Sankt Lorenz School in Korneevka, northern Kazakhstan, for twenty-five years, together with the Austrian Franciscan Sisters of Vöcklabruck. The main building was once the local Communist Party headquarters, but now it brings hope to a community which faces big challenges:
‘It is a public school administered by us. It includes kindergarten, primary and secondary education, with around 200 students. In a rural area affected by unemployment and alcoholism, the school offers children a concrete opportunity to build a different future.’
Serving scattered communities across vast distances
The landscape of the Church in Kazakhstan, and the challenges faced by missionaries there, is almost unimaginable for those of us in England and Wales.
‘The distances are immense,’ says Fr Gabriel.
‘To reach one of our mission stations, I travel 250 kilometres. The nearest parish to our school is about 600 km away. Much of our ministry is carried out in the car.’
Even so, the missionaries strive to ensure that isolated communities do not feel abandoned:
‘At least once a month we visit families living in the most remote areas, celebrate Mass, hear confessions and share life with them. One of the strengths of the Church in Kazakhstan is precisely this sense of family and mutual support.’
Building places of prayer and welcome through mission
As National Director of Missio in Kazakhstan, Fr Gabriel travels throughout this enormous country sharing about the love of God for all:
‘Together with two religious sisters, we organise periods of missionary animation in the most remote parishes. Every year we undertake three or four major missionary journeys, and we are trying to appoint Missio [Pontifical Mission Society] representatives in every diocese because the distances are so vast.’
Missio supports projects across Kazakhstan, including summer camps dedicated to Archbishop Fulton Sheen (creator of the Mission Rosary), assistance for an orphanage in the Diocese of Almaty and a chapel in Burabay, a tourist destination in the north. Fr Gabriel concludes:
‘We want to be present even in places where people go on holiday. A small chapel, a guesthouse, a place of prayer, these can all become opportunities to meet many people. Today, this too is evangelisation for us.’