A Photo Essay on the 2012 Annual Sports Day at Holy Cross Girls' High School in Dhaka

It was the annual sports competition at Holy Cross Girls' High School at Tejgaon, Dhaka. This is the first time I witnessed all-girl sports competition in my life. 

The colourful competition was timely, well-organized and disciplined. Among the spectators were parents, girl students and a few invited guests. 

Holy Cross Girls' High School, besides regular studies, gives equal importance on extra-curricular activities of its students. 

This photo essay gives you an over-all picture of the annual sports competition held in the school on January 20, 2012.


School-teacher judges (below):

School Girls Participate in Drills and Parades (below):

 

 

Running and Quiz-Answer Competition (below):

Competition on Skipping and Running with Books on Head (below):

Student Spectators (below): 

School Teachers, Parent-Spectators and Invited Guests (Below):

Photos (Dhaka: January 20, 2012) © Jerome D'Costa 

Four Catholic Educational Institutions in Dhaka Receive 2011 Govt. Award for Excellence

St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School

at Mohammadpur, Dhaka

Four Catholic educational institutions in Dhaka recently won Bangladesh government’s prestigious award for outstanding achievements in 2011. The award is given on the basis of “study environment, academic performance, attendance and discipline,” reports UCANews.

Notre Dame College, St. Joseph Higher Secondary School, Holy Cross College and Holy Cross Girls’ High School were ranked 5^th, 6^th, 8^th and 13^th respectively in this year’s ‘Top 20 Educational Institutes Award’ given by the Secondary and Higher Education Board of the Government of Bangladesh. 

Holy Cross priests run the Notre Dame College (founded in 1949), Holy Cross Brothers run St. Joseph Higher Secondary School (founded in 1954), and Holy Cross Sisters run both the Holy Cross College (founded in 1950) and Holy Cross Girls’ High School (founded in 1951). 

Sister Marian Teresa Gomes, CSC, of Bangladesh Dies

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The photo of Sister Marian Teresa Gomes, CSC,
displayed during the funeral Mass
at the Holy Rosary Church of Tejgaon, Dhaka

Sister Marian Teresa's coffin in the church during the funeral Mass

Photos (Dhaka: July 6, 2011) © Joachim Romeo D'Costa

Sister Marian Teresa Gomes, CSC, the first Bangali (Bengalee) Holy Cross nun from Bangladesh died in her sleep on June 25 in Le Mans, France, while attending the 2011 International Session on the Holy Cross Spirituality.

Her funeral Mass, officiated by Dhaka’s Archbishop Paulinus Costa, was held at Holy Rosary Church in Dhaka on July 6. Other co-celebrants were Coadjutor Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario, CSC; Vatican ambassador to Bangladesh Archbishop Joseph Marino; Bishop Theotonius Gomes, CSC; Bishop Bijoy D’Cruze, OMI; Bishop Lawrence Subrata Howlader, CSC; and a large contingent of diocesan and Religious priests. Many Brothers and Sisters from the Holy Cross and other congregations and lay men and women – including Sister Teresa’s relatives were also present. Sister’s old mother and only brother Dr. Lawrence Gomes, who lives in the USA, attended the funeral service.

Among the dignitaries were Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni, a former student of Holy Cross College where Sister Marian Teresa was the principal, and State Minister for Cultural Affairs Mr. Promode Mankin. A sizable number of present and past students of Holy Cross High School and College paid their last tribute to her. Later Sister Teresa was buried at the Holy Cross Sisters' cemetery at Bhadun, a suburb of Dhaka.

Sister Marian Teresa Gomes had a colourful career as a nun. She was the principal of both Holy Cross High School and College for 38 years, gave leadership to the Bangladesh Conference of the Religious (BCR) as its President, was a member of the Episcopal Commission for Education and Government’s Board of Education, provided formation education to Holy Cross Sisters in Africa and was an elected member of the Leadership Team of the Congregation of the Sisters of Holy Cross at Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.

Sister Teresa was born on November 27, 1936 at Golla of Dhaka District. She studied at St. Thecla's Primary School at Golla and St. Xavier’s Girls’ High School in Dhaka. She did her B.A. from Holy Cross College, Dhaka, and B.Ed. from Mymensingh Women’s College, M.Ed. from the University of Dhaka and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.