WCC News: Fr Jaroslav Vracovský: Being poor among the poor to witness God’s glory

How to grow in faith and trust when we are surrounded by anxiety and nothing seems certain? Providing a rare insight in rural parish life in Mongolia, Fr Jaroslav Vracovský, Salesian of Don Bosco, reflected on the Gospel reading from John 14 during the World Council of Churches morning prayer service on 4 May. Fr Jaroslav Vracovský during a bicycle trip with the young members of the Holy Family Parish near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Photo: Courtesy of Fr Jaroslav Vracovský 06 May 2026 Fr Jaroslav is a priest at the Holy Family Parish, a small Roman Catholic parish on the periphery of Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia. Originally from the Czech Republic and serving in Mongolia for already 10 years, Fr Jaroslav belongs to the order of Salesians of Don Bosco, with a priority of evangelization and education of young people.  In the small and rural Holy Family Parish there are four new young people baptised this year and 12 new catechumens receiving formation. “Our Christian community mostly consists of the first-generation Christians like Apostles in Acts, which we are reading during Easter season,” said Fr Jaroslav. Reflecting on John 14:1, where Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God. Have faith also in me,” Fr Jaroslav noted that our time has been rightfully called the age of anxiety. “We no longer know what or where our foundations are. When we’re not sure what is certain, when the world and our worldview keep being redefined every few months, we are going to be anxious.”  Understandably, we want to get rid of that anxiety as quickly as we can. “Yet, to be a good leader of anything today—a good pastor, manager, parent, teacher, or even a good citizen, we have to be able to contain and patiently hold a certain degree of anxiety and fear,” said Fr Jaroslav, noting that greater levels of leadership require leaders who are capable of holding greater anxiety. “Leaders who cannot hold anxiety will never lead us any place good or new.” Characterizing Mongolia, a nomadic and a post-communist country with extreme climate and harsh winters lasting for eight months, Fr Jaroslav puts it simply: “We do not know what will happen tomorrow. What we planned – it is almost sure that it will not happen. Why? Because there are many more probable alternatives that we didn’t know about.” “People are carrying water from our parish well to their homes all the year – in all weather conditions, from minus 40 to plus 40 degrees Celsius,” shares Fr Jaroslav Vracovský, SDB, priest at the Holy Family Parish near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Photo: Courtesy of Fr Jaroslav Vracovský A typical Sunday collection of his congregation ranging from 1-2 USD indicates the how poor are people living in the area. “People are carrying water from our parish well to their homes all the year – in all weather conditions, from minus 40 to plus 40 degrees Celsius,” said Fr Jaroslav. “We are blessed here in Mongolia to be poor among the poor, becoming witnesses of God’s glory.” Fr Jaroslav says there must be a reason why Bible says “Do not be afraid” almost 150 times: “Can we recognize how different the alternative of faith and trust is? Faith can only build on a totally positive place within, however small. God just needs an interior ‘yes’ to begin, a mustard-seed-sized place that is in love—not fear—that is open to grace.” People tend to be obsessed and overpowered by fears; they fear what they cannot control. “God is one of our primary fears, because God is totally beyond us and totally beyond our control. The good news is that God has breached that fear and become one of us in Jesus,” said Fr Jaroslav. “Jesus is assuring us that we are not alone. That He is with us, works in us and through us.” When asked what Fr Jaroslav has learned during his 10 years of service in Mongolia, his answer is clear: “To live in trust without the need of control. The less we have, the greater is our freedom.” Following the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, the WCC invites all to pray this week for the churches and people of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. Learn more about the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland