Sacred Hearth of Jesus Parish in Aktau

The city of Aktau (formerly: Shevchenko, after the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko) was founded in 1964. Aktau is located in the southwest of Kazakhstan and is the capital of Mangghystau Province. According to 2006 data the city is populated by almost 200,000 inhabitants. The city lies on the coast of the Caspian Sea. It’s located on the Mangyshlak Peninsula, the shape of which resembles a female profile. Mangghystau is an ancient land – a part of the Silk Route – and its expanses possess many historical monuments. The region is characterized by severe continental climate with very hot summers.

In the vicinity of the city deposits of uranium ore were found and the city was built as a base for the ore output and processing. In the 90s the output of uranium ceased, but soon after rich deposits of gas and crude oil were found and as a result the city continues to develop rapidly.

Aktau is inhabited by people of different nationalities and confessions, but the Catholic Church has never been present here. On June 30^th 2006, Rev. Janusz Kaleta – the Administrator of the Apostolic Administration in Atyrau – directed Rev. Aleksandr Kalinouski to work in Aktau and on January 10^th 2007, Rev bishop Janusz Kaleta established the Catholic Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the city of Aktau. On March 26^th 2007, when the Catholic Church celebrated the solemnity of the Annunciation, our parish was officially registered by the authorities of Kazakhstan.

The first parishioners appeared on November 1^st 2007, as soon as they found out the city would have its own Catholic parish. It was the Kostinskis family. They came to the Mangyshlak Peninsula in 1971. As true Catholics for years they experienced spiritual dissonance and they always dreamt of having access to the Catholic Church in their new homeland, just as in the far-away Ukraine where they came from.

For the time being the church services are celebrated at Stanislava Kostinskaya’s apartment. Much of what now takes place in the parish happens for the first time. For the first time a Christmas Mass was celebrated, for the first time the ashes were placed on parishioners’ heads on Ash Wednesday, for the first time we celebrated Easter  –  Christ’s victory over the death. Apart from the liturgies that the Catholic Church all over the world celebrates every day, in our parish on every Wednesday evening we meet for “Spiritual Conversations”. This is an opportunity for both parishioners and all other people who seek the truth – regardless of their confession – to get to know the history of Salvation, the fundamentals of Christian faith and to see one’s own life in the light of teaching of Jesus Christ who has opened the way to the Kingdom of Heaven for every human being.

In February 2007 the parish was visited by Rev bishop Janusz Kaleta. During this visit a decision was taken that the church should have a place of its own. A small three-room flat near the city center was bought for this purpose. Soon the Holy Mass will be celebrated in this apartment, where a chapel will be established. At the moment the flat is being renovated. This place will also serve as the parish priest’s residence.

The city and the region is a seat of numerous multinational companies that employ many foreigners. The Catholic parish embraces with its pastoral care the workers of gas and oil fields in the town of Bautino and other places of Mangghystau Province.

At the request of the parish priest of the young Aktau church, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madrid in Spain offered its help sending to work as missioners in Aktau a family of lay catechists. In April 2007 Jose Gonzales and Mercedes Montero visited Aktau to familiarize themselves with the parishioners, with the city, its specificity and needs. We hope that soon Jose and Mercedes will come to settle in Aktau together with their children, and will help to spread the Good News, will engage in the charitable and educational activities and the pastoral work with foreigners.

Still before us are the difficulties related to building a new church. Aware of the enormousness of this task we can only repeat after king Solomon: „But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?” (2 Chronicles 2,6). Yet, we believe that soon we will also hear the words of Solomon, that the Church prays with on the anniversary of dedication: „That your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you said, 'My name shall be there,' that you may heed the prayer that your servant prays toward this place” (1 Kings 8,29).