Showing posts with label Catholics in Bangladesh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catholics in Bangladesh. Show all posts

Friday, December 1, 2017

Pope Francis Ordains Priests And Meets With Bishops, Inter-religious Leaders and Rohingya Refugees in Dhaka


Pope Francis's Second Day in Bangladesh

Pope Francis ordains a deacon to Catholic priesthood at the solemn Mass at Suhrawardy Uddyan, Dhaka (Dec. 1, 2017)
Photo courtesy: CTV photo via BTV

More than 80,000 Catholics from all over Bangladesh attend the papal Mass at Suhrawardy Uddyan, Dhaka (Dec. 1, 2017)
Photo courtesy: Reuters

Pope meets with Catholic Bishops of Bangladesh at the Archbishop's House, Ramna, Dhaka (Dec. 1, 2017)
Photo courtesy: Osservatore Romano

More than 80,000 Catholics from around Bangladesh, a number of government officials, members of foreign diplomatic corps, inter-religious leaders, and ecumenical Church leaders attended Pope Francis's solemn concelebrated Mass at Suhrawarthy Uddyan park in Dhaka today, reports various news sources. 

 In his homily, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude to all and said: "I know that many of you came from afar, for a trip for more than two days. Thank you for your generosity. This indicates the love you have for the Church," reports the Daily Star. 

 He also encouraged and inspired 16 deacons by saying: "you are to be raised to the Order of the Priesthood.  For your part, you will exercise the sacred duty of teaching in the name of Christ the Teacher.  Impart to everyone the word of God which you have received with joy.  Meditating on the law of the Lord, see that you believe what you read, that you teach what you believe, and that you practice what you teach."

 Meeting Bangladesh's Catholic bishops at the Archbishop's House at Ramna, he appreciated the pastoral plan of the bishops and encouraged them to continue their work earnestly. He laid emphasis on the importance of the laity in the Church, saying: "At the same time, I would ask you to show ever greater pastoral closeness to the lay faithful.  There is a need to promote their effective participation in the life of your particular Churches, not least through the canonical structures that provide for their voices to be heard and their experiences acknowledged.  Recognize and value the charisms of lay men and women, and encourage them to put their gifts at the service of the Church and of society as a whole.  I think here of the many dedicated catechists in this country, whose apostolate is essential for the growth of the faith and for the Christian formation of the next generation.  They are true missionaries and leaders of prayer, especially in the more remote areas.  Be concerned for their spiritual needs and for their continuing education in the faith."

 In the inter-religious peace gathering at the same compound, Pope Francis welcomed all and encouraged them to work for solidarity, harmony, and peace. He also said: "Openness of heart is likewise a path that leads to the pursuit of goodness, justice and solidarity.... A spirit of openness, acceptance and cooperation between believers does not simply contribute to a culture of harmony and peace; it is its beating heart."

 Meeting with some Myanmar Rohingya refugees in the gathering, he said: "The presence of God today is also called Rohingya... In the name of all of those who have persecuted you, hurt you, I ask forgiveness. I appeal to your large hearts to give us the forgiveness that we are asking."
Pope Francis rides on a cycle rickshaw at the Archbishop's House at Ramna, Dhaka (Dec. 1, 2017)
Photo courtesy: AP

 Pope Francis also rode on a cycle rickshaw in the Archbishop's House compound in Dhaka. He is the second Pope to do so. The first pope to ride on a rickshaw was Pope John Paul II in his 1986 visit to Bangladesh. The Guinness Book of World Records should consider to mention Pope John Paul II's name as the first rickshaw-riding pope in the world in more than 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. 

 For more, click on the following:
(Updated on Dec. 4, 2017)

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Posted by Jerome D'Costa at 12:12 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, November 30, 2017

Pope Francis On Arrival Receives A Cordial Welcome in Bangladesh


Pope Francis' First Day in Bangladesh

Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid officially receives Pope Francis at the Dhaka Airport (Nov. 30, 2017)
Photo courtesy: Reuters

(L-R) Bangladesh and Vatican flags furl on a roadside in Dhaka (Nov. 30, 2017)   
Photo courtesy: AFP

On his arrival in Dhaka, Pope Francis, as head of the Vatican State, was given a red-carpet welcome, including a guard of honour, by Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid. Delegations of political and religious authorities, and a groups of children, with their flowers, singing and dancing, were also there. 

Later, praising Bangladesh's efforts in helping the hapless Rohingya refugees within its borders, the Pope also took the opportunity to earnestly appeal to the international communities to extend their hands as much as possible. 

To know more on Pope's visit, please see the following:


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Saturday, November 25, 2017

Pope Francis and Bangladesh


Pope Francis elevates Archbishop Patrick D'Rozario of Bangladesh to the cardinalate in the Vatican (November 19, 2016)
Photo courtesy: www.tkayala.com/

Pope Francis greets Cardinal-designate Patrick D'Rozario of Bangladesh in the Vatican  
Photo courtesy: www.asianews.it/

Another 'November Pope' (called so as three Catholic popes visiting Bangladesh so far came in November) is coming to Bangladesh. He is Pope Francis. He is coming on a three-day state and apostolic visit to Bangladesh on November 30 bringing the message of hope, love, harmony, and peace. He will be the third pope to grace the land of Bangladesh. The second pope to visit Bangladesh was Pope John Paul II on November 19 - 20, 1986. His message to  all Catholics of Bangladesh was to be more faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ and work for better communion and brotherhood among themselves and also with members of other faiths. Bangladesh Catholic Church had given him a rousing welcome. The  first pope, Pope Paul VI, to set foot to Bangladesh (at that time it was known as East Pakistan) was on November 27, 1970. He had stopped for a few hours as a short stopover on his way to Manila, the Philippines, to express his love and sympathy for the terrible November 12 cyclone victims in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. He also made a donation towards relief and rehabilitation work among those victims. 

 Pope Francis, originally from Argentina of South American continent, was elected Pope of the Catholic Church in the Vatican on March 13, 2013. From next month onward, his attention fell on Bangladesh, too. He first spoke on the garment factory collapse at Savar and next he gave public statement on the terrorist attack on Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka, he also spoke in support of the Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh, later he named and elevated Dhaka's archbishop Patrick D'Rozario to the cardinalate, and now he is to visit Bangladesh next week. His association with Bangladesh is noteworthy. 

 Being from a third-world country of Argentina, Pope Francis easily understands peoples and situations in countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar. He will be the right person to encourage, inspire, and boost the the hopes and aspirations of the people. His motto for Bangladesh visit is "harmony and peace." He knows that harmony and peace are so necessary in a country where people belong to different culture and religions. On November 21, he expressed his eagerness to meet with Catholic and other inter-religious leaders. "I want to meet the entire people. In a special way, I cannot wait to meet the religious leaders in Ramna Park" [Suhrawarthy Uddyan] in Dhaka. 

 Bangladesh Government and the Catholic Church are ready to receive Pope Francis with cordiality and open arms. They are ready to hear him and interact with him on different issues. His advent to Bangladesh will act as a source of inspiration and encouragement for greater harmony and peace among peoples of different religions and culture. 

 Pope Francis, on his arrival in Dhaka at 3:00 p.m., on Thursday, November 30, will lay wreaths and pay homage in the National Martyrs' Memorial [to those who were killed in 1971 Liberation War] and Bangabandhu Memorial [to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation]. He will also meet with country's president Abdul Hamid and government and civic dignitaries and members of foreign diplomatic corps. On Friday, December 1, he is offer solemn morning Mass at the Suhrawardy Uddyan for about 100,000 Christians and he will ordain 16 local deacons to priesthood. In the afternoon, he will meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Apostolic Nunciature (Vatican Embassy), visit St. Mary's Cathedral at Ramna, speak to the nine bishops of Bangladesh, and, finally, join the leaders in an inter-religious and ecumenical meeting for peace in the open space at the Archbishop's House. A small group of Rohingya refugees will also be present in this meeting. On the final day, Saturday, December 2, in the mid-morning, he will privately visit Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity house at Tejgaon, meet with priests, Brothers, Sisters, seminarians and novices at the Holy Rosary Church, visit the parish cemetery and historic church (old one), meet with young people at Notre Dame College, and go to the Dhaka International Airport for the farewell ceremony. At 5:05 p.m. his plane leaves for Rome. 

 To know more on Pope Francis and Bangladesh, you may click on the following: 

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Monday, February 13, 2017

Brother John Rozario, CSC, Dies in Dhaka


Brother John Rozario, CSC
Photo courtesy: Bro. Harold Bijoy Rodrigues, CSC



Brother John Rozario, CSC, a member of the Brothers of Holy Cross in Bangladesh, died of old-age complications at a hospital in Dhaka on February 1 at the age of 81. He was buried next day evening at the Wari Christian Cemetery after a Mass at Holy Cross Church at Luxmibazar. Hundreds of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian people – priests, Brothers, Sisters, teachers, students, and guardians – paid their respect to him when his body was for viewing at the compound s of St. Joseph Higher Secondary School at Mohammadpur and St. Gregory’s High School at Luxmibazar before his burial.

Born at the Banshbari village of Motbari Catholic Church in Gazipur District on January 2, 1936, Brother John Rozario studied at Motbari Catholic Primary School and Bandura Holy Cross High School. After Grade 8 in Bandura, he was sent to Noakhali for one-year novitiate in 1953. After his first vow in 1954, he studied in Grades 9 and 10 at St. Gregory’s High School in Dhaka. After completion of his Matriculation Examinations in 1956, he joined Notre Dame College. After two years of I.Sc.there,he did his B.Sc. (Honours) in 1962 from the University of Dhaka. Later he was sent to the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA, for his M.Sc. in Physics (1965).

He taught at St. Joseph’s High School at Mohammadpur, Dhaka, and Bandura Holy Cross High School. In the Holy Cross Brothers-run schools in the Archdiocese of Dhaka, American Holy Cross Brothers would be the headmasters. Brother John Rozario was the first local Brother to hold the headmaster’s position. He served for 19 years as the headmaster of Bandura Holy Cross High School, St. Gregory’s High School, and St. Joseph Higher Secondary School.

He was also the first Bangladeshi Brother to serve as the Superior of the Brothers of Holy Cross in the Archdiocese of Dhaka. He was the Brothers’ Superior from 1981 to 1991 and Vice Provincial from 1991 to 1994.

In addition, he served as the Coordinator of the Bangladesh Christian Communities Programme (1976-2008) and president of the Bangladesh Conference of the Religious (1986-1987). He was also involved with some other Church and social organizations, such as different Episcopal Commissions, Caritas Bangladesh, and Asiatic Society.

His hobbies included reading, writing, and sporting. He was a voracious reader and this made him fluent in writing. He used to write a regular column, called ‘Kothokota’, using ‘Bijon Rozario’ as the pseudonym for the writer.
--Info courtesy: Brothers Harold Bijoy Rodrigues, CSC, and Binoy Gomes, CSC

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Monday, June 6, 2016

Sunil Gomes, A Catholic Grocer, Killed in His Store in Bonpara, Bangladesh


Sunil Gomes, a village grocer, in his store at Bonpara Bazar of  Natore District
Photo courtesy: The Daily Star (Dhaka)

Sunil Gomes, 71, a Roman Catholic village grocer, was hacked to death recently in broad daylight in his shop at Bonpara Bazar of Natore District, north-west of Bangladesh. The grocery store was near the local Catholic church of Bonpara in the Diocese of Rajshahi. According to news reports, the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for this murder. 

Sunil's younger brother, Father Proshanto Gomes, working in the Diocese of Dinajpur, expressed his surprise and anguish at this brutal killing. He said that his brother was a simple villager with no enemies. 
 
This hacking death resembles the earlier IS-claimed killings in different parts of Bangladesh.


Hours earlier, Islamic militants shot the wife of the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Chittagong where he was zealously fighting Islamic terrorism. 

For more, please read the following:


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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Father Silvano Garello, S.X.: A Relentless Advocate and Producer of Christian Literature in Bangladesh - 2


Father Silvano Garello, S.X., looking at a photo of Father Mario Veronesi, S.X., who had been killed in 1971 by West Pakistani soldiers at Jessore, Bangladesh. He wrote about Father Veronesi in several of his books.
Father Garello in front of some of his published items in Dhaka



Effort for Setting Up Small Religious Libraries Among the Catholics

Father Silvano Garello, with Father Pio Mattevi, S.X., Director of the National Social and Catechetical Training Centre in Jessore, Bangladesh, has been striving for the last few years and have been successful in getting small religious libraries established in some Catholic parish houses, Religious Communities houses, youth hostels, Catholic NGOs, Religious Formation houses as well as in private homes. So far, about 100 such libraries exist. These libraries buy and collect books on the Bible, catechesis (teaching of religion), liturgy and prayers, spirituality and meditation, Mariology, Papal documents, Lives of Saints, Catholic faith, and the like.

Since 1973, Father Garello has been writing articles and books in Italian, too. His articles appeared in Fede e Civilta (Faith and Civilization, which later got renamed Missionari Saveriani (Xaverian Missionaries), Populi e Missione (People and Mission), and Mondo e Missione (World and Mission) -- all published from Italy.

He also contributed for some photography books on Bangladesh (published in Italy), provided commentary in some Italian documentary films, and produced some colour slide programmes for Italian schools. 

Father Silvano Garello’s Italian-language books, published in Italy 

1.       Morire tra gli oppressi: testimonianza evangelica di Mario Veronesi missionario in Bangladesh (Dying Among the Oppressed: an evangelical witness of Mario Veronesi, a missionary in Bangladesh), Bologna: EMI (Editrice Missionaria Italiana), 1973.
2.       Morte e vita in Bangladesh: diario liberazione (Death and Life in Bangladesh: a diary on the liberation [of Bangladesh in 1971]), Bologna: EMI, 1974.
3.       Il Pozzo Profondo (The Deep Well) (a biography of Father Valeriano Cobbe, S.X. killed in Bangladesh in 1974), EMI, 1975.
4.       Cento villaggi per Serafino: Serafino Dalla Vecchia  (Hundred Villages for Serafino: Serafino Dalla Vecchia) (work of Father Serafino Dalla Vecchia, an apostle to the muchis or Rishis – leather workers – in Bangladesh), Parma: Missionari Saveriani, 1978.
5.       Alla ricerca dei Cristiani in Cina (In Search of Christians in China), (a travelogue), EMI: 1978.
6.       Sotto il sole, sotto la pioggia: vita missionaria in Sierra Leone (Under the Sun, In the Rain: missionary life in Sierra Leone), EMI, 1979.
7.       La strada di Titute: P. Giambattista Collini, missionario in Cina e Sierra Leone (The Road to Titute: Father Giambattista Collini, a missionary in China and Sierra Leone), EMI: 1979.
8.       Dalla foce alle sorgenti del Gange (From the Mouth to the Source of the Ganges River) (missionary experience in Bangladesh and Nepal), EMI, 1984.
9.       La tigre ingrate e alter favole del Bengala (The Ungrateful Tiger and Other Tales of Bengal), (a selection of Bengali tales for the Italian children), EMI, 1988.
1.      La campana ferita (The Wound Bell), (travel in Tibet and discovery of the ‘Bell of Lhasa’), Vicenza: Esca, 1987.
1.     Breve viaggio nella Perestroika (A Short Trip to Perestroika), (travel to new Russia), Vicenza: Lief, 1988.
1.     Bangladesh terra del Servo sofferente (Bangladesh: The Land of the Suffering Servant), Vicenza: Lief, 1988 and 1992.

1.     Sapore di Vangelo Bengalese (The Taste of the Bengalee Gospel), (the transforming power of the Gospel in Bangladesh), Vicenza: Lief, 1992.

1.       Braccia spalancate e cuore trafitto: la testimonianza evangelica di P. Mario Veronesi missionario in Bangladesh (The Open Arms and Pierced Heart: the evangelical testimony of Father Mario Veronesi, a missionary in Bangladesh ), Vicenza: EMI, 1996.
1.      Una pagina del prodigi di Dio (One Page of the Wonders of God), (life of Blessed Guido Maria Conforti, founder of the Xaverian Missionaries), Parma: Missionari Saveriani.
1.     Il pozzo Profondo: L’Avventura bengalese di p. Valeriano Cobbe (The Deep Well: Father Valeriano Cobbe’s Adventure Among the Bengalees), (he was killed in Bangladesh in    for his interreligious farmers’ cooperative work), EMI: New Edition, 1997)
1.     Dietro a lui correndo, zoppicando. Sentieri di Missione in Asia (Behind Him Running, Limping: Paths of Mission in Asia), (ways of missionary activities in Asia), Brescia: CSAM, 2001.
1.     La storia di natale (The Christmas Story), Padua: Imprimedia Edizioni, 2004. (This book has been translated and published in Bengali, too).

Father Silvano Garello’s achievement is the production of the sheer volume of Christian religious and spiritual books and publications in varied categories. He is an example of an ardent publisher in face of many constraints – irregular flow of finance, paucity of properly-groomed local manpower for the print media, lack of required support from Church personnel -- in Bangladesh. His books have creative designs in production and a high quality of printing and binding. He will go down in local Church history as a person who wanted to zealously evangelize in all corners of the country using locally-produced Christian literature, when there’s still a dearth of such literature in Bangladesh.




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