The Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar ( la, Praefectura Apostolica Ulaanbaatarensis) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Latin

apostolic prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

(pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction) located in

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...

, with its territory consisting of the entire country. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

episcopal see is the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, in the capital city of Mongolia,

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...

. It is exempt, i.e. directly subject to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, not part of any

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...

. On 28 August 2016, the Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar celebrated the ordination of the first native Mongolian priest by Msgr. Wenceslao Padilla. Other seminarians are studying currently in South Korea.

History

* Established on 14 March 1922 as

Mission “sui iuris” A mission ''sui iuris'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, rankin ...

Outer Mongolia Outer Mongolia was the name of a territory in the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China from 1691 to 1911. It corresponds to the modern-day independent state of Mongolia and the Russian republic of Tuva. The historical region gain ...

(), on territory split off from the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Mongolia * Renamed in 1924 as Mission sui iuris of Urga (or Ulanbator) * Promoted on 8 July 2002 as

Apostolic Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of Ulaanbaatar, but still not entitled to a

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

Statistics

As of 2014, the prefecture had 919 Catholics (0.03% of 3,227,000 total) on 1,564,120 km² in six parishes and a mission with 17 priests (14 religious and three diocesan), 61 in religious life (43 female, 18 male) and 2 seminarians.

Ordinaries

* All missionary members of Latin congregations, notably Scheutists ; Ecclesiastical Superiors of Outer Mongolia *

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic adm ...

Girolamo van Aertselaer Girolamo is an Italian variant of the name Hieronymus. Its English equivalent is Jerome. It may refer to: * Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler * Girolamo Cassar (c. 1520 – afte ...

, C.I.C.M. (1922 – 1924), also Apostolic Vicar of the then Apostolic Vicariate of Chahaer 察哈爾 (China) &

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

Zaraï Zaraï was a Berber, Carthaginian, and Roman town at the site of present-day Aïn Oulmene, Algeria. Under the Romans, it formed part of the province of Numidia. Name The Punic name for the town was (). Zarai is mentioned in the ''Antonine It ...

(1898-05-07 – 1924-01-12) ; Ecclesiastical Superiors of Urga = Urgoo (or Ulaanbaatar) *

Everard Ter Laak Everard Ter Laak (; November 5, 1868 - May 5, 1931) was a Dutch Roman Catholic missionary and bishop who worked in China during the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China. Biography Everard Ter Laak was born on November 5, 1868 in Didam, ...

, C.I.C.M. (1924 – 5 May 1931), also Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar of Chahaer 察哈爾 (China) & Titular Bishop of

Parœcopolis Parthicopolis ( grc, Παρθικόπολις) was an ancient city in Sintice region in ancient Thrace and later Macedon. During Byzantine times it was a bishopric seat. Its site is located near modern Sandanski, Bulgaria. History The city was ...

(1914-05-06 – 1931-05-05); previously Apostolic Vicar of Southern Kansu 甘肅南境 (China) (1906-06-21 – 1914-05-06) and Apostolic Vicar of Chahaer (China) (1924-01-12 – 1924-12-03); later Apostolic Vicar of Xiwanzi 西灣子 (China) (1924-12-03 – 1931-05-05) * Fr. Wenceslao Selga Padilla, C.I.C.M. (19 April 1992 – 8 July 2002; see below) ; Apostolic Prefects of Ulaanbaatar * Wenceslao Selga Padilla, C.I.C.M. (8 July 2002 – 25 September 2018),

Tharros Tharros (also spelled Tharras, Archaic Greek: , Hellenistic Greek, Tarras or Tarrae, Τάρραι) was an ancient city and former bishopric on the west coast of Sardinia, Italy. It is currently a Latin Catholic titular see and an archaeolog ...

(2003-08-02 – 2018-09-25) * Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C. (2 April 2020 – present),

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

San Giuda Taddeo Apostolo The church of San Giuda Taddeo Apostolo is a Catholic place of worship located in the Appio-Latino district of Rome, in via Amedeo Crivellucci. It is also known by its location as San Giuda Taddeo ai Cessati Spiriti after the nearest broad street, ...

(2022 - present)

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links - data for all sections

Apostolic prefectures Roman Catholic dioceses in Mongolia Christian organizations established in 1922 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Organizations based in Ulaanbaatar 1922 establishments in Mongolia {{Asia-RC-diocese-stub

History

Statistics

Ordinaries

See also

Sources and external links