Marian Advocations of Turkmenistan
The Church hidden in the Karakum Desert
Turkmenistan is one of the most closed countries in the world: about 6.5 million people, 99 per cent Muslims. The Catholic community is minuscule - just 300 faithful -, mostly made up of descendants of Germans, Poles and Ukrainians deported by Stalin. The Mission About Iuris of Turkmenistan was established in 1997. There is a main parish, the Chapel of Transfiguration in Asjabad, and small communities in Türkmenbaşy and Mary. The government is authoritarian and religious freedom very limited; Catholics meet in private, in houses, with closed curtains.
- Marvel and Marian anecdotes of Turkmenistan
- The Chapel of Transfiguration: the hidden church (1997): Es la única iglesia católica de Turkmenistán. Está en un edificio alquilado en Asjabad. Por ley no puede tener forma de iglesia desde el exterior: sin campanario, sin cruz visible, sin ningún signo religioso en la fachada. Los fieles la llaman «la iglesia escondida». La entrada es discreta, casi secreta. Allí dentro, sin embargo, hay un altar con la imagen de la Virgen, velas y un sagrario. Es un oasis de fe en medio de la ciudad.
- German Deportees in the Karakum Desert (1941-1945): During World War II, Stalin deported thousands of Volga Germans to the Central Asian republics. Many were sent to the Karakum desert in Turkmenistan. Men, women and children died of thirst, hunger and diseases in work camps. His descendants - already old - still keep the rosary in German and pray it in their homes. It is a testimony of faith that has survived exile, the desert and the imposed silence.
- Father Andrzej Madej, the Polish priest: Father Andrzej Madej, a Polish missionary, was the first Catholic priest to live in Turkmenistan after the fall of the USSR. For years he was the only priest for the whole country. He traveled hundreds of miles - through the Karakum desert - to bring communion and pray the rosary with the families. He was driving an old Lada Niva on land roads. The faithful were waiting for him with wild flowers from the desert.
- The Virgin of the Desert: a local advocation: La comunidad católica turkmena ha creado una devoción propia: «Nuestra Señora del Desierto», una adaptación local de María Auxiliadora. La imagen muestra a María con un pañuelo en la cabeza, como las mujeres turkmenas, vestida con ropa sencilla y con el Niño Jesús en brazos. Es una María que camina con su pueblo por la arena del Karakum. La imagen fue tallada por un artista local no cristiano que, al conocer la historia de la comunidad, quiso contribuir.
- The Rosary in silence: The Turkless Catholics pray the rosary in a low voice, in their homes, with the curtains closed. There are no public processions, no cheers to the Virgin in the streets. The community is small but united: when a member dies, all gather to pray the rosary for his soul. Faith is transmitted in whispers, from parents to children, in German, Russian and Turkmen. Each Hail Mary is an act of silent resistance.
Asjabad - Transfiguration Chapel
Transfiguration Chapel (Asjabad)
The Chapel of Transfiguration is the only Catholic temple in Turkmenistan. It is located in a rented housing building, with no religious sign abroad due to government restrictions. Inside, a simple altar presided by an image of the Virgin, some wooden banks and the light of the candles. The community meets on Sundays for Holy Mass, officiated by a priest who travels from other Central Asian countries when there is no resident. It is the heart of the Church in Turkmenistan.
▪ Virgin of Transfiguration, light in the desert, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Desert (local advocation)
Our Lady of the Desert
It is an advocation born of the heart of the Turkmena community. The image represents Mary dressed with a handkerchief on her head, like Turkmen women, and simple clothes from the region. Take the Child Jesus wrapped in a sheepwool cloth. There is no official party established, but the community celebrates it on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate, adapting it to its desert reality. The image was carved in wood by a Turkish Muslim artisan who, moved by the faith of Catholics, donated the work.
"Our Lady of the Desert, comfort of those who walk in the aridity, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Rosary of Asjabad
Our Lady of the Rosary of Asjabad
The devotion to the Rosary is particularly strong among Turkless Catholics, who pray in private for religious freedom and peace in their country. Each Catholic family has a rosary inherited from its German or Polish grandparents deported. The community meets weekly to pray the rosary in the houses, rotating from home to home, keeping the faith alive despite restrictions. It is a rosary that crosses generations and borders, joining the Catholics of Turkmenistan with the universal Church.
"Our Lady of the Rosary of Asjabad, pray for us.
Our Lady of Fatima (Korean community)
Our Lady of Fatima (Korean community)
A small community of expatriate Korean Catholics in Asjabad maintains devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. They meet regularly to pray the rosary in Korean, following the tradition of Fatima and the consecration of Russia (and of the ancient Soviet space) to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This community is a bridge between Central Asia and Korean Marian spirituality, and its presence in Turkmenistan is a witness to the universality of the Church.
"Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us."
Direct links to the pages of the awards
Sources: Mission Sui Iuris of Turkmenistan · Fides News Agency · Catholic-Hierarchy.org · Testimonials of the Turkish Catholic community · Episcopal Conference of Central Asia.
← Back to all invocationsIs the advocation of the Virgin Mary of your people missing?
Si no encuentras la advocación mariana de tu ciudad o pueblo, cuéntanosla: la investigaremos para ubicarla y darla a conocer en este mapa del amor de la Madre por el mundo.
Propose an apvocation →