On 29 September 2026, the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Fr Anthony Corcoran SJ was ordained bishop in the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, becoming only the second Catholic bishop in the history of Kyrgyzstan. Fr Corcoran has served as Apostolic Administrator of Kyrgyzstan since 2017 and will continue his ministry in a country where the small but growing Catholic community lives within a predominantly Muslim society. Kyrgyzstan is part of the Northern Poland Jesuit Province (PMA), one of 16 provinces and region of JCEP.

The episcopal ordination was also a significant moment of friendship and dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Muslim community in Kyrgyzstan, with the presence of the country’s Grand Mufti and a high-level state delegation. Rafał Bulowski SJ shared with us the story of this important moment for the Church in Kyrgyzstan and for the Society of Jesus.

The newly ordained bishop had been serving in Kyrgyzstan as the successive ordinary since 2017 and has now become the second bishop in the history of this small Central Asian country. This event holds special significance for the small Catholic community that exists and is growing in a country where Islam remains the dominant religion. The principal consecrator was the Italian missionary, Cardinal Giorgio Marengo IMC, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Catholics from many countries gathered in large numbers at the Roman basilica dedicated to the Apostle of the Nations for the episcopal ordination. In addition to representatives of the distant Church in Kyrgyzstan, a large delegation of consecrated and lay persons was present, as well as friends and family of the newly ordained bishop from the United States, Europe and Asia.  The co-consecrators of the ordination were the American Cardinal James Harvey, Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and Archbishop George Panamthundil, Apostolic Nuncio to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. A total of eight bishops and nearly 100 priests, including many Jesuits, Bishop Corcoran’s confreres, concelebrated the solemn liturgy.

In addition to the historical significance of this event for the Church in Kyrgyzstan, it was also extremely important from the perspective of relations between Kyrgyz Catholics and local Muslims. The presence at the episcopal ordination of Zakirov Abdulaziz, the Grand Mufti of Kyrgyzstan (the official leader of Kyrgyz Muslims), was very important. An official state delegation was led by Tashibekov Talantbek, who heads the National Agency for Religious Affairs and Interethnic Relations under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. In recent days, the delegation, together with Bishop Anthony Corcoran SJ, held a series of meetings, including one at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

The modern Catholic community in Kyrgyzstan traces its roots back to World War II. Originally, it was composed primarily of Catholics of German, Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian descent. The first Apostolic Administrator of Kyrgyzstan was the late Nikolaus Messmer SJ (2006–2016). The second Catholic bishop in the history of this mission country is now also a Jesuit. Saint Pope John Paul II had entrusted the Society of Jesus with the mission in Kyrgyzstan in 1998. The total number of Catholics in Kyrgyzstan ia approximately 1,500 faithful.

Anthony Corcoran SJ was born on April 19, 1963, in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. He earned a degree in political science from Marquette University in Milwaukee, a degree in international political economy of development from Fordham University in New York, and a degree in theology from the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

He entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus on August 14, 1985, and was ordained a priest on June 8, 1996. After his ordination, he continued his studies in spirituality at the Weston School of Theology, and upon completing them, he served in the following roles: Director of the Interdiocesan Pre-Seminary in Novosibirsk (1998–2000 and 2007–2008); spiritual director at the same Pre-Seminary (2001–2005); parochial pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Berdsk, in the Diocese of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Novosibirsk (1998–2008); Vicar General of that same diocese(1999–2008). In 2006, he earned a doctorate in moral theology from the Weston School of Theology, and from 2009 to 2017 he served as Superior of the Independent Russian Region of the Society of Jesus. On August 29, 2017, Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of Kyrgyzstan. He recently obtained Kyrgyz citizenship.

Ed. Rafał Bulowski sj