Atyrau (AsiaNews/UCAN) –Bishop Janusz Kaleta, first bishop of the westernmost apostolic administration inKazakhstan, was installed on December 17. With his installation as head of the Apostolic Administration of Atyrau, all of the country's four Church jurisdictions now have a bishop. Atyrau is about 2,000 kilometres west of Astana, the capital.
Pope John Paul II divided the one Apostolic Administration of Kazakhstan into four parts onJuly 7, 1999, creating the diocese ofKaragandaand the apostolic administrations of Almaty, Astana and Atyrau. The late pope later raised Astana to the status of archdiocese and Almaty to that of diocese onMay 17, 2003.
InRome, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, theVatican's former Secretary of State, led the November 23 Episcopal ordination of Bishop Kaleta, who had been apostolic administrator of Atyrau since its creation.
During his installation at Transfiguration of Our Lord Church in Atyrau, the new prelate thanked Catholics among the assembly of about 200 people, saying that “if there were no parishioners, neither parishes nor bishop would be needed here.”
Ukrainian Mgr Vasiliy Hovera, Greek Catholics’ ecclesiastical superior inKazakhstanand the rest ofCentral Asia, opened the ceremony by reading the papal announcement of Bishop Kaleta's appointment.
For his part, Mgr Tomasz Peta, archbishop of Astana, said that “it is necessary to note that so important an event is happening during celebrations for the 15th-year anniversaryKazakhstan's independence”. In fact, the Central Asian nation became independent from the formerSoviet UniononDecember 16, 1991.
“Due to independence and freedom of religion,” he added, “we now have five bishops.” And the diocese ofKaragandahas both a bishop and auxiliary bishop.
Bishop Henry Theophilus Howaniec of Almaty and Bishop Jerzy Maculewicz, apostolic administrator of neighbouringUzbekistan, also concelebrated the ceremony.
“I regard my appointment as approval of what has been done over the past seven years,” Mgr Kaleta said. “I hope to invite more priests and nuns to come here.”
Seven priests and three nuns presently serve 2,600 Catholics in seven parishes in the apostolic administration, which is home to 2.2 million people. In terms of Catholic population, Atyrau is the smallest ofKazakhstan's Church jurisdictions. The country has a total of 250,000 Catholics.
Bishop Kaleta was born in Łazy,Poland, onOctober 11, 1964, and was ordained a priest onJune 4, 1989, in the town ofTarnów, also inPoland. Before becoming apostolic administrator of Atyrau, he worked in various parishes inPoland, and also studied at thePapalTheologicalAcademyinKrakow,Poland, and at the theological faculty inInnsbruck,Austria.
Atyrau, situated by theCaspian Seaon the delta of theUral River, is about 20 metres below sea level but isKazakhstan's main harbour. Oil is the area's largest industry, and since many foreigners are engaged in oil production, masses are provided in English, Italian and Russian.
