A letter from Fr. Anthony

Dear Parishioners of Saint Andrew’s Parish,
 
Христос Воскрес! Christ is Risen!
Warm greetings from the Church in Kyrgyzstan. 
 
It has now been a month since I have returned from visiting your parish community. I returned filled with such strong impressions: Your vibrancy and prayerfulness are striking and I know that I am not the only one who experiences this in a powerful way when together with you. Thank you for this witness. 
 
I am struck by what I experienced as, indeed, a true “missionary” spirit among many of you—perhaps not in the sense of a foreign mission but in a truly “catholic” mission—to each other, to people in the surrounding areas, and even to the “ends of the earth” as evidenced by your generosity to the local Church here in Kyrgyzstan during the visit. I came as a foreign mission to my home parish to meet and experience your missionary hearts and prayers. 
 
With the first snow here having fallen last week, we recognize the inevitable change in seasons. We welcome autumn and those events in the life of the Church occurring these weeks: continued work with those who come to the Church; preparations to launch the new kindergarten and early childhood center—the first step in establishing Catholic education in this land; construction of the new church in the capital—the cathedral of the Good Shepherd; and, most essential, the ongoing life in Sacraments, prayer, community, and service to those in need. God is beyond good and it is privilege to live in this land in this time with these people. Thank you for sharing our faith on this journey. 
 
I have continued to share with our tiny Catholic communities here in Central Asia about you. It is impossible to convey the hope our people experience as they learn about Catholic activity in other places such as St. Andrew’s. These impressions will remain with me, along with profound gratitude.  God bless you and your families abundantly. We count on your prayers—as we all meet in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who is Risen and Who is coming. 
 
Fr. Anthony Corcoran, 
Apostolic Administrator of Catholics in Kyrgyzstan
9 October 2025

Download his letter here