Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton's Blog

July 24, 2019

Resilient Joy

Upon arrival this morning, following a Monday afternoon departure and having spent all of Tuesday in an airplane or airport, I began the day with a slower pace than is usual.  Prayer filled the AM along with the necessary unpacking of bags.  Thank goodness for traveling carry-on only.

Bishop Hying, of Madison, Wisconsin, and I overlapped today in our USCCB outreach travels which included the opportunity to visit before concelebrating the 11am Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Parish here.  We were joined by over 20 of the faithful and their ages ranged from the elderly to teenagers.

Following Mass, we visited with much of them over coffee/tea and some sweet rolls.  Their resilient joy filled the room where we visited and they were quite intrigued with these 2 bishops from the United States.  They had lots of questions of us and we of them.   One of my first impressions is the tremendous value they place on family and how their faith family is woven tightly within family life--thus the joy and resiliency.

Among many people and places we visited today is a future sight for a mission parish, which is in great need due to how spread out the Catholic population is throughout the country.  I very much look forward to spending this privileged time with our Kyrgyzstan brothers and sisters. 
population is here.  

July 25, 2019

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

This morning we traveled with Fr. Anthony Corcoran,S.J. (originally from Louisiana), the Apostolic Administrator of Kyrgyzstan, from the the capital, Bishkek, to what I would call the unofficial "southern capital" of Osh.  The Jesuit order has served here since it was established as a Catholic mission 20 years ago.

We ventured over a mountain range loosely associated with the Himalayas.  There is a striking difference between the north and the south, both along ethnic and cultural lines.  While in Osh, we visited the Divine Mercy Parish (pictured here), of which they hope to expand in order to more effectively and comprehensively share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

From Osh we traveled northeast to the city of Jamal-abad, where we would spend the next two days.  Here, we visited a compound-of-sorts which serves the poorest of the poor.  We also came a across a polish couple on a 4-month bike ride throughout Central Asia.

We had the privilege to visit with the young and old, especially those who lack any official documentation, as a consequence they have no social status.  They possess no rights to attend school (at any level) nor can they gain any employment.  Many factors contribute to this situation.  Unfortunately, the young are at a tremendous disadvantage for future employment if they have no formal education or citizenship status.  We of course are aware this is not unique to any one country.  In fact, the percentage of the population here below poverty level is at 32.1%.  The average minimum wage is approximately $17.55 per month.

However, our presence here is more about the dignity of the human person than of finance.  Even in the midst of the material challenges, the happiness and joy of those we encountered centered in the love of God, and in particular for Christians, the lives of the saints.  The purity and humility embraced by the saints is the "GPS" by which so many we visited live their lives.  This is a sobering lesson to those of us who live in cultures in which an epicurean lifestyle can enjoy prominence over purity and humility, not to mention charity.

In the parish church here, St. Teresa of Kalkuta, I had the honor to welcome a young lady into the Catholic Church at Mass (pictured here), in the presence of the Apostolic Administrator.  Over 20 people were Confirmed here last year, a remarkable number when you compare it to the entire Catholic population of Kyrgyzstan (500+).   Moreover, these profound spiritual gifts find their home at and are freely shared with the poorest of the poor, thus living out the very mandate Jesus Christ entrusted to his Church from its very beginning.

We certainly are visiting the peripheries here and the lives of the saints guide the live of those in whom we encounter Jesus Christ.  As the Church in the United States, thank you for providing the ability to reach out to our brothers and sisters in the direst of need.

July 26, 2019

Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Did you know that the population of Kyrgyzstan is 70% Muslim, 7% Christian, and the remain 3% Jewish, Buddhist, and Baha'i?  There at present are 3 Catholic parishes in the entire country, strategically located near the the minority Catholic populations.  6 priests and 5 sisters serve a Catholic populations whose descendants include Germans, Poles and other European ethnic groups deported to Central Asia some 70-80 years ago.

As is the usual daily routine, I took time in prayer this morning preparing for the day and the people I would be fortunate to meet.  While the daytime temperatures have been in the middle to upper 90's Fahrenheit, the mornings have bee pleasantly mild.

This morning's visit was to a local continuing care and nursing home.  We were accompanied by three of the local youth who brought a large bag of chocolates in tow.  Upon arrival, we visited the residents and staff sharing with them the chocolates and spending time in conversation.  The residents are from diverse backgrounds and each has an amazing story to tell concerning family, country of origin, even how one resident was saved by her aunt from the gas chambers of a concentration camp in World War II.

A substantial part of the morning into the early afternoon was occupied by our heart-to-heart visits.  Prior to our departure I had the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with one of the residents.  What an appropriate manner to place an exclamation point on our time with our fellow brothers and sisters.

We had a late lunch upon our return which provided time to share and reflect on our experiences.  The care center here is no different than those in the United States in that visits with the residents is pure gold to the heart.  Later in the afternoon we visited with a gentleman from Caritas who teaches students astronomy and the natural sciences.

In the evening, at Mass, I celebrated the Sacraments of Initiation with one of the neighbors.  The celebration was well attended as I shared in the homily the Sacraments enable us to listen more intently to God's word, just as the Blessed Virgin Mary's parents did as they welcomed into the world and raised the Mother of God.  Of course, we need not travel half way around the world to find God, but today has been a reminder the effectiveness of our encounter with Christ extends beyond our personal prayer.

July 27, 2019

Tempus Fugit (time flies)

It is difficult to believe we have been in Kyrgyzstan 4 days already.  Still, the amount of visits we have been able to fit in the daily calendar is remarkable, as are the people we have had the privilege to visit.  It has been said no matter how much you put into ministry you will always get in return more than you invested.  That axiom applies in Our Kyrgyzstan visit as well.  While these travels were intended to be a pastoral visit, not a spiritual pilgrimage, they have become just that as we encounter Christ in everyone we meet.

In the late morning we had a brief history lesson on World War II and Ander's Army, a Polish military force that fought for the Allies.  The members of this branch of the army offered sacrificed their lives like so many other soldiers, yet differently through their extraordinary journey through the various geographies and demographics they found themselves.  A cemetery honoring their heroism and sacrifice is located here in Kyrgyzstan (photo below).

Upon arrival back in Bishkek, we were surprised that a School Sister of St. Francis was waiting for us in the arrival terminal, for we had planned simply to take a taxi back to our residence.  Moreover, we were invited to a "light" dinner with the community.  Rule #1: Never turn down a meal invitation from religious sisters.  We had a spiritually rich visit and I admire how each one offers her life in a different way for the good of each sister and brother she encounters (photo below).

Bishkek has been "central headquarters" for us and will continue to be in our visits these next few days.  So much has been accomplished in this Central Asian country in such a short period of time these past 20 years.  A viable foundation for pastoral outreach is in the process of being prepared and your generosity and kindness has made it so.  Together we live the words of Jesus that as we meet our brothers and sisters in all places, including the peripheries, we encounter Christ himself (Matthew 25: 35-40).

July 28, 2019

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Our" Father

Today, being a travel day, was not as calendar-intense as the previous days.  We began today with two Masses in the morning at St. Michael the Archangel Church: in English at 9:30 and in Russian at 11:00.

The English Mass was the first Mass in which my Homily was not simultaneously translated into Russian.  Of course, since most attending this Mass were from Europe, perhaps my "American" should have been translated into English.  Between the two Masses we had approximately 70 in attendance, which is very good considering the small Catholic population and that most of the foreign diplomats were "on holiday."  

My homily underscored the truth that the prayer is the "Our" Father, not "My" Father.  Each time you and I pray the Lord's Prayer, we pray with the Church and have the task to build up the Body of Christ.  That means to forgive as God forgives (not always an easy task for human beings, especially when we wrongly equate personal perception with reality).  To be instruments of God's grace is to do and to see as our Heavenly Father.  How many of us indict ourselves when we pray "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?"

Following lunch, we made the 6-hour van ride to Issyk-Kul, near Kazakhstan and at the base of a mountain range shared with western China.   The camp here near Lake Issyk-Kul is used by many youth in the country, providing them opportunity to be outdoors and to literally see the stars without being impeded by ambient light.  Among the many children at camp upon our arrival were children afflicted with some sort of disability.  This camp affords them the opportunity to get out of their usual sheltered situation at home and to experience the larger world, especially the universe through the numerous telescopes located here.  

Many chaperones and volunteers here once attended this camp as children.  We even came across a Catholic French scout troop of men from 18-23 years of age.  What great promise they possess through their faith and zeal for the Church in France.  Missionary disciples come in many age groupings.

July 29, 2019

Human Dignity is Intended to be Contagious

  This last full day at the Issyk-Kul Children's Camp began with Mass, attended by the staff and the volunteers.  The scouts even joined us before their returns to France.  St. Martha was an excellent guide in my homily, especially in her magnificent acknowledgement of Jesus' identity in St. John's Gospel before Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead.

We had an impromptu meeting with Fr. Anthony, the Apostolic Administrator, before his return to Bishkek.  Following that was another meeting to ascertain how we may better, as American Catholics, more effectively assist our brothers and sisters in need here in Kyrgyzstan.  So much comes down to collaboration with other donor partners in order for us to make a significant impact in our friends' lives.  Each one of us has a "piece of the pie" for which we are responsible.

Early this afternoon, a hiking venture into the adjacent mountains occupied the afternoon.  As is the case in such terrain, the weather can change quickly and did not let the hikers down.  Following a significant gust of wind the darkened sky did not just deliver a heavy rainfall, but to provide variety hail was added to the summer precipitation.  You have to wonder how the ancient nomads in this area accustomed to the ever-changing weather. This area was also part of the general "Silk Road"  region and so the travelers from Europe and the Middle East must have had harrowing stories from encounters with weather to nomadic war parties.

The evening closed with the youth proving a number of presentations to us guests.  The youth are quite gifted and I was honored they would take time to share their heartfelt thanks.  Another expression of their gratitude was gift to me in the form of the local Kyrgysh hat called a Kolpak.  I wore it proudly before them.

In my closing remarks to them, I reminded them of the dignity that each one of us possesses in the eyes of God.  No one is a mistake.  Furthermore, I thanked them, on behalf of the American Catholics, for the opportunity for us to live out our dignity as sharer of the goods God so graciously gives us.  I reminded them that I would continue to pray for them as someday they may be in my position, gray hair and all, to assist our younger sisters and brothers.