0992_Mongolia: Snow leopard, an eagle, an angel and a yak for the 4 Evangelists!

 

 

ULAAN BAATAR: 10th January 2005 -- Those readers who have already watched the Salesian Mission Day DVD on Mongolia (and if you haven't then get hold of a copy from your Province Centre; it's excellent), will have noted the spanking new Cathedral in the city.  What you will not have noticed are the new stained-glass windows, yet to be installed.

    Taize and Ulaan Baatar have combined in a unique venture, with the help of Bro. Marc, a member of the Korean Taize community.  In representing the 4 Evangelists, after studying Mongolian symbolism, Bro. Marc has transformed the Lion and the Bull of Mark and Luke into a snow leopard and a yak, respectively.

    Bro. Marc, who is working on the windows in Seoul with a South Korean artist, Cho, hopes to have the windows installed by this coming August.  There will be a total of 36 semi-circular stained-glass windows in the new Cathedral.  Bishop Padilla invited Bo. Marc to Ulaan Baatar after meeting him in 2003.

    The Swiss-born Taize Brother joined the original French community led by Bro. Roger many years back.  He comes from a Swiss Protestant family but typifies the open and ecumenical spirit of the Taize community - when the community was asked if it would set up an Asian outpost he volunteered, first going to Japan then settling in Korea.

    Bro. Marc's view of his artistic contribution to Ulaan Baatar is that the combination of Mongolian and European artistic heritage in this instance will create a beautiful space for prayer,  He speaks of stained-glass as a metamorphosis of light, not just pretty windows.  The entire interior of the Cathedral, he maintains, will be altered by the light filtered through his windows.

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