On October 17-24, 2024, the General Delegate for Mission Animation, Friar Dariusz MAZUREK, visited the mission in Kazakhstan, a presence of the Russian General Custody of St. Francis of Assisi. He was accompanied by Friar Germano TOGNETTI, the General Delegate for the Second Order and Affiliated Institutions.

The visit coincided with the celebration of World Mission Sunday (October 20, 2024) and Mission Week. It was therefore an auspicious time to visit the missionaries there and to spread the message of the mission.
The friars of the mission reside at the Bl. Michał TOMASZEK and Zbigniew STRZAŁKOWSKI Friary in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. They are Friar Roberto PERETTI (from Italy) the Founder and Director of the local music school; Friar Mihael Benedikt MAJETIČ (from Slovenia) the Guardian; and Friar Paweł BLOK (from Poland) the Pastor.
Although they mainly minister to the parish faithful on the outskirts of the city, they also serve parishioners, nuns and other faithful in the city center, or in other cities, who speak Russian, English and Polish. Kazakhstan has an area as large as the European Union. It has vast steppes and a population of about twenty million. Twenty-five percent of its people are Christian (mostly Orthodox) and the rest are Muslim. Temperatures in winter can drop to -40°C (-40°F), and rise to over 40°C. (104°F) in summer. Despite these challenges, the friars provide a beautiful witness to Franciscan life.
During the mission week, Friar Dariusz met with the Most Reverend Tomasz PETA, Archbishop of Astana. He also met with the faithful of the local community, some nuns, and small groups of believers from the cities of Astana, Kökşetaw and Pavlodar.
He gave conferences on the missionary vocation and talked about Conventual Franciscan presences in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Friar Germano shared some spiritual reflections with the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration and blessed the Via Crucis on display in their chapel.
Special thanks to the friars of Astana for their cordial and fraternal welcome and all the best to the faithful under their care.

Friar Dariusz MAZUREK,
General Delegate for Mission Animation