Marriage Encounter Movement in Mongolia

ME Seeds Sown 20 Years Ago Sprout Again in Mongolia. Article appeared in the Catholic Korea Times.

Korea ME Holds 2nd ME Weekend in Ulaanbaatar; Participants Include Couples Connected to the Late Fr. Kim Seong-hyeon.

Couples, clergy, and religious figures pose for a commemorative photo at the 2nd Mongolia ME Weekend, held in Mongolia from August 28 to 30. 

The Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) Korea Council conducted the 2nd Mongolia ME Weekend from August 28 to 30 at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in the Khan-Uul district of Ulaanbaatar (Pastor: Fr. Peter Hong Jeong-su, Diocese of Daejeon). This event marked a return after 20 years, following the first Mongolia ME Weekend held for Korean believers in November 2006.

While carrying out pastoral work in Mongolia, Fr. Hong Jeong-su recognized the need for ME among Mongolian couples facing family difficulties, such as divorce. Although the infrastructure for conducting ME Weekends in the Mongolian language was not yet fully established, Mongolian couples proficient in Korean participated with the assistance of Korea ME. This ME Weekend holds significance as a first step toward preparing Mongolian people to take the lead in the future of Mongolia ME. Two Mongolian couples, one multicultural couple, and one Korean couple participated in the ME (Marriage Encounter) weekend. The event was attended by the Korean ME leadership team—

Although no official ME weekends were held in Mongolia for the twenty years following the first one, efforts to preserve marriages and families continued. The late Fr. Kim Seong-hyeon (Stephen)—known as the "Eternal Missionary to Mongolia"—recognized the need to safeguard Catholic families amidst a Mongolian society where family breakdowns were frequent during his time serving at the Assumption of Mary Parish in Khan-Uul. To address this, he designated Thursdays as "Couples' Day," celebrating Mass and hosting marriage seminars with the assistance of lay couples experienced in Korean ME activities.

Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, attended the second Mongolia ME Weekend on the second day to encourage the participants. Cardinal Marengo, the first cardinal in the history of the Church in Mongolia, expressed his hope that "Catholic spiritual movements like ME will work in harmony with the Church in Mongolia and establish themselves as forces contributing to the Church's unity and growth."

The Church in Mongolia began to grow in earnest after religious freedom was guaranteed following the democratization of the country in 1990. The Korean Church has also maintained a connection with the Mongolian Church; priests from the Diocese of Daejeon began missionary work there in 1997 and have been involved in parish ministry since 2002.

The couple Jeong Seok (Hieronymus) and Go Yu-gyeong (Helena) remarked, "Just as the Korean ME movement began with assistance from abroad, we hope the Mongolian Church receives support but ultimately takes root and grows into a strong tree through its own efforts."