“Be holy, for I am holy.” This was the theme of this year’s Youth Festival in Oziorny, a picturesque village located by a lake in northern Kazakhstan. As they do every year, young people from the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan—where the Daughters of Charity have been ministering for six years—travelled to Oziorny for the festival.
Uzbekistan is located in Central Asia (it was formerly one of the Soviet Republics). Approximately 99% of its population is Muslim, while Christians make up about 0.01%. The local mission of the Chełmno-Poznań Province is located about 5,000 km from Poland.
The Youth Festival in Oziorny has been held continuously for 27 years, and young people from Uzbekistan have been participating for the past 5 years. This year, ten young people—all deeply involved in the life of the Church—were able to make the trip.
Among the attendees were youth from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Poland, Uruguay, Paraguay, Sweden, Korea, France, and several other countries, bringing the total to about 230 participants.
Throughout the festival, the young people attended daily Mass, received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and participated in morning prayer, Adoration, conferences, and small-group activities. In addition to taking on various duties, they made a pilgrimage to Sopka, a memorial site for victims of repression. It was a time to share faith experiences and have fun together.
After the festival ended, we stayed in Kazakhstan for a few more days. We visited two communities of our Sisters in Makinsk and Shortandy, as well as a Franciscan community where we met volunteers from Slovenia and Poland. We also travelled to the small town of Malinovka, located 35 km from the capital of Kazakhstan, to visit the Akmola Museum at the former camp for wives of "traitors to the Motherland" (ALZHIR).
The time God has given us—the joy, the friendships, and the shared faith—will remain in our memories and hearts for a long time. I will conclude with the words of our holy Founder, St. Vincent: “May God be glorified for everything, my Sisters.”
The Daughters of Charity from the Community in Tashkent
