Father James Romen Boiragi Installed as the Bishop of Khulna

Newly-consecrated Bishop James Romen Boiragi of the Diocese of Khulna, Bangladesh

 Photo courtesy: The Pratibeshi (weekly) (Dhaka: June 24, 2012)

Father James Romen Boiragi, the administrator of the Diocese of Khulna, was consecrated and installed as the fourth bishop of the diocese on June 15, 2012. He had become the administrator when the incumbent Bishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze, O.M.I. was nominated the bishop of newly-formed Diocese of Sylhet on September 30, 2011.

Bishop James Romen Boiragi, born on May 3, 1955 at Haldibunia Village of Bagerhat District, studied at St. Paul’s High School (at Shelabunia), Notre Dame College (Dhaka), Holy Spirit Major Seminary (Dhaka) and was ordained a priest on January 13, 1985. After working as a pastor at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Khulna he went for higher studies in Canon Law at Urbaniana University in Rome, Italy, where he attained his Ph.D. degree in 1996. On his return home, he worked as the Vicar General and Vice Judicial Vicar of the Tribunal for the Diocese of Khulna, parish priest and diocesan administrator before being nominated bishop of the diocese on May 2, 2012.

The Diocese of Khulna at a Glance

The Foreign Missionaries of Milan (PIME) from Italy started their apostolate in parts of the territories, later included in the newly-formed Diocese of Khulna, in 1855. Later, from 1927 to 1952, the Salesian missionaries from Italy took over the work. Jesuit missionaries were in charge of the Satkhira parish area from 1918 to 1952.

After the independence of India and Pakistan from the British rule in August, 1947, a large section of the territory belonging to the Diocese of Krishnagar fell within the jurisdiction of India and a small section within Pakistan (East Pakistan). When the Diocese of Jessore was canonically erected on January 3, 1952 in East Pakistan, the smaller section of the Diocese of Krishnagar was included in it. On June 14, 1956, the Bishop’s House moved to the larger city of Khulna from Jessore and the Diocese of Jessore took the new name of ‘Diocese of Khulna.’

Bishop Dante Battaglierin, S.X. (1952-1969), Bishop Michael Atul D’Rozario, C.S.C. (1970-2005), and Bishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze, O.M.I. (2005-2012) served this diocese before.  

The Diocese of Khulna covers 28,236 square kilometers (10,905 sq. miles) with a Catholic population of 35,152 among the general population of 14,717,000. The diocese comprises the civil districts of Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Jessore, Jhenidah, Norail, Magura, Faridpur and part of Gopalganj.