The 'Pratibeshi' Editorial Was the First in Proposing the Start of Archbishop Ganguly's Canonization

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The October 16, 1977 editorial
in the Pratibeshi weekly of Dhaka

The first Bangali (Bengali) Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, CSC, died of heart attack on September 2, 1977. Hundreds and thousands of people of all faiths paid a respect to him on the grounds of the Archbishop's House in Dhaka. Many people were expecting even before his burial that the canonization process start soon.

The national Catholic weekly Pratibeshi was the first official voice to echo the expectation of the people. In its editorial of October 16, 1977, the Pratibeshi proposed that the canonization process -- at least, in the form of gathering information on the Archbishop -- be started soon after the installation of the new archbishop.

Upon my return from U.S. studies, I had joined the Pratibeshi as the Executive Editor in early September, 1977. I was fortunate enough to write the editorial of October 16 (the original Bangla (Bengali) editorial is shown above). The English version of this editorial is provided below:

The Proposal for Beatifying the Archbishop

Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, CSC, a virtuous person, died only at the age of 57. He was faithful in living his life following Christian ideals. He left excellent examples of his saintliness and other virtues in every aspect of his life. People of all faiths and ethnic groups were attracted to his pleasant behaviour and action and they were very respectful of him.

During his earthly life, certain persons used to call him a "living saint." We believe that after his death, this country needs him to be a declared saint. There are probably many Bangladeshis who are enjoying the bliss of heaven as unproclaimed saints, but for the strengthening of our faith and for imitating his ideals, we have the need for a proclaimed saint. His affirmation as a saint will also prove that the Church in Bangladesh is also firmly placed.

The first step in the canonization process is the beatification. This work starts with studies of the candidate's life, writings and heroic application of his virtues as well as intensive investigation of at least two miracles that God accomplishes through his intercession. If proven true, the Pope publicly declares the candidate a "Blessed." After this, the Church canonizes the candidate after further satisfactory investigation.

The beatification of a person is quite hard and time-consuming affair. If the local Church starts the beatification process in earnest from the very beginning, the burden of the work becomes easier. To start this work, it is imperative that a committee of appropriate persons be formed. It will not function if the work is done being charged with emotions, but it needs to be completed with sufficient prayer, patience and judiciousness. The committee will need sincere prayers and financial contributions from the faithful. We believe that there won't be any dearth of cooperation from the faithful if the beatification of Archbishop Ganguly is initiated. We, therefore, appeal to the local Church authority to actively consider this matter after the installation of the new archbishop.

In reality, the Arcbishop Ganguly's canonization process started in 2006 after 29 years of this editorial. Although late, it is better than doing nothing!

Let us pray and make every effort in getting Archbishop Ganguly canonized for the greater good of the Bangladesh Catholic Church.

Florida Church's Qur'an Burning Programme Is of Unchristian, Immature and Foolhardy Mind

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Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Centre church
in Gainesville, Florida, USA
Photo courtesy: www.nydailynews.com

Reverend Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Centre church in Gainesville, Florida, wants to go ahead with his previously-announced "International Burn a Koran Day" on coming Saturday, September 11. He is also the author of the book Islam is of the Devil, informs the church's website www.doveworld.org.

This previously little-known Protestant church will commemorate the 9th anniversary of the Muslim terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York city by burning copies of the Qur'an, the holy book of the Muslims.

Rev. Jones says that Islam is a violent religion and people need to be aware of it. His church's website mentions five reasons to burn the Qur'an: 1) Shock the world into focus, 2) Get people to start asking hard questions, 3) Remind the world we still have freedom of speech, 4) Expose the truth, and 5) Force the world into action.

In the website, he also shirks the responsibility if any violence occurs because of his burning the Qur'an. He says: "Lets just make one thing clear. A small church, in a small town, down a back road, burning copies of its own books, on its own property, is not responsible for the violent actions anyone may take in retaliation to our protest....If violence happens in reaction to this, the violence was not caused by us, it has just been exposed."

U.S. State Department, important NATO officials, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, and many other religious leaders condemned the Qur'an burning programme, reports The Toronto Star. Although a small number of Americans supported this church's intended programme, majority of the Americans are against it.

Some Observations on the Qur'an Burning Programme

• In its website, the Dove World Outreach Center calls itself "a New Testament Church -- based on the Bible, the Word of God." In reality, the behaviour of the pastor and his church members is not only unchristian but also immature and foolhardy. The pastor and his followers are throwing Christ's teaching on loving one's neighbour or enemy out the window.
  
• What this attention-hungry pastor is doing is tantamount to inciting violence because he fully knows that his action will unleash violence in different parts of the Muslim world, especially against minority Christians.
• He is stooping himself lower than those radical Muslims who use the Qur'an as their inspiration for violence.
• Living in a safe cocoon in the U.S.A., Pastor Jones has no idea about how minority Christians live in majority Muslim countries. He has no sense of how his small act of hatred and vengeance may trigger violence against some innocent people there.
  
• Burning the Qur'an will have no effect on radical Muslims. Radicalism can be curtailed, if the U.S. and other countries in the West keeps active vigilance on mosques and religious centres that are used to preach hatred and instigate injustice and violence against others.
• If Rev. Jones carries out his programme, he has no right to claim himself to be a Christian pastor. This is the type of people who bring about shame on Christianity and pastorhood by giving vent to their own personal and self-serving motives.
  

U.S. Commemorates Mother Teresa's Birth Centennial With a Stamp

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Mother Teresa of Calcutta in a 2010 U.S. stamp
Photo courtesy: U.S. Postal Service handout

The U.S. Postal Service has issued a stamp this week in honour of the 100th birth anniversary of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The stamp was unveiled on September 5, the 13th death anniversary of Mother Teresa, in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

The CatholicVote.org had organized a petition campaign to have the stamp issued. Over 146,000 people signed the petition. Some opposing groups, like the Freedom From Religion Foundation, opposed the initiative saying that the state and religion should be kept separate. Ultimately, the opposition failed.

Colorado Springs artist Thomas Blackshear II painted the portrait of Mother Teresa, reports Zenit news service.

My Humble Effort in Familiarizing Bangladeshis with Mother Teresa

Today is the 13th anniversary of Mother Teresa's death. On this occasion, I remember Mother Teresa by recalling my effort in familiarizing my Bangladeshi compatriots with Mother Teresa and her great work.

My Interview of Mother Teresa as a Rookie Journalist

It was early January, 1972. Father Francis Gomes Sima was the acting editor of the then Dhaka archdiocesan weekly Pratibeshi. I was helping him out as a part-time worker. When I was in the second year Masters class of journalism, the University of Dhaka closed down due to the 9-month Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971 (we had to repeat the second year of study all through 1972). It was at that time and later that I was a part-timer for the Pratibeshi.

Father Sima informed me that Missionaries of Charity founder Mother Teresa was in Dhaka with a group of her Sisters to found a children's home in the Amputty area of old Dhaka. My journalism instinct told me that it would be good to interview Mother Teresa and let the people of Bangladesh know of her work. I then went to Amputty and met with Sister Margaret, M.C., the Superior of the Sisters there, to make an appointment for interview with Mother Teresa.

On the prefixed day and time I went to the children's home, called Shishu Bhavan, and one Sister took me to a room and asked me to wait. When Mother Teresa entered the room I greeted her. She then asked me to take a seat. My heart was pounding fast. I felt nervous. I was such a neophyte in front of such a great personality! As we progressed in our interview, Mother Teresa's humble demeanor, soft voice and non-threatening body language gradually helped me gain my full confidence.

Initially, I was asking her questions from my prepared list, later as I felt more reassured, I began to interact and ask questions beyond my list. Finally, when everything was over, I felt that I was successful in overcoming an insurmountable wall.

From this interview I prepared articles on Mother Teresa and her work. The English article got published in The Bangladesh Observer (February 9, 1972) and the Bangla (Bengali) one in the Pratibeshi (February 21, 1972). I also wrote another piece on her and it was published in the Voice of Fatima International fortnightly (March 14, 1972) in Brisbane, Australia.

More Write-ups on Mother Teresa

I was so much enthused with this accomplishment that, later, I wrote more pieces on Mother Teresa. These were published in the Pratibeshi (Dhaka: June 22, 1980 and February 1, 1981), Robbar weekly (Dhaka: February 1, 1981) and Asia Darpan monthly (Dhaka: November, 1988).

My Translations

I also translated two pieces on Mother Teresa into Bangla (Bengali) and got them published in the Pratibeshi. The first one was a lengthy interview of Mother Teresa (titled "The Fruit of Love Is Service" -- Mother Teresa) published in the India Today magazine of May 31, 1983 and it translation published in the Pratibeshi of July 3, 1983. The second one was an open letter of Mother Teresa who personally handed the letter to Prime Minister Morarji Dessai in New Delhi on March 26, 1979. The open letter was on the "Religious Freedom Act 1978" and it's translation was published in the Pratibeshi of April 29, 1979. Mother had vocally supported the religious freedom of the Indians, especially the minorities.

I present below some samples of my write-ups on Mother Teresa:

After interviewing Mother Teresa on her first arrival

in Bangladesh, I wrote this article for
The Bangladesh Observer daily
(Dhaka: February 9, 1972)

After the same interview, I wrote this 2-page article
in Bangla for the Catholic weekly Pratibeshi(Dhaka: February 21, 1972)

Mother Teresa won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.
After her arrival in Dhaka, the Christian community
on January 25, 1981 gave her a rousing welcome
at the Archbishop's House compound. I wrote this
column on her in the Pratibeshi weekly (Feb. 1, 1981).

This is the first of the 3-page article on Mother
Teresa published in the Robbar weekly (Dhaka: Feb. 1, 1981).
(As my name "Jerome" is a French word, the editor
published my full name in French pronunciation!)

This 2-page article was published in
the Asia Darpan monthly (Dhaka: November, 1988)

The Quotation of the Week (September 5 - 11, 2010)

A Persian carpet

Photo (Toronto: January 29, 2010) © Jerome D'Costa

A Doodle: KUTUBDIA ISLAND, Bangladesh

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Kutubdia Island with its lighthouse 

in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Doodle (Dhaka: June 10, 1991) © Jerome D'Costa

Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, CSC, in Photos

Today is the 33rd death anniversary of Archbishop Theotonius Amal Ganguly, CSC. The cause of Archbishop's canonization is already on. Bangladeshis, one day, wish to see him declared a "saint."

For the readers of this blog, we present below some interesting photos on the life of Archbishop Ganguly.

Archbishop Ganguly as a boy
at Hashnabad, Dist. Dhaka, Bangladesh

Photo courtesy: Province Review (October, 1977),
published by Priests of Holy Cross, Indiana Province,
Notre Dame, USA

Archbishop Ganguly as a young priest
(date and place unknown)

Photo courtesy: Province Review (Oct., 1977), as above

(L-R) Archbishop Lawrence Leo Graner, CSC, Father John VandenBosche, CSC,
Father George Pope, CSC, consecrator Cardinal Agaginian,
and newly-consecrated Bishop Theotonius A. Ganguly, CSC,
imparting his special blessing at St. Mary's Cathedral,
Ramna, Dhaka (October 7, 1960)

Photo courtesy: Province Review (Oct., 1977), as above

Bishop Ganguly with some Bangali Catholics in Bangladesh
(Date, place and event unknown)

Photo courtesy: Province Review (Oct., 1977), as above

Archbishop Ganguly in one of his poses during a speech at a function
at Notre Dame College auditorium, Dhaka (date and event unknown)

Photo courtesy: Province Archives Centre, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA

Archbishop Ganguly speaking to Notre Dame College students
(date and occasion unknown)

Photo courtesy: Province Archives Centre, Notre Dame, Indiana

(L-R) Father Benjamin Costa, CSC (presently, Principal of Notre Dame
College, Dhaka); Father (later, Bishop) Joachim Rozario, CSC;
Father Dominic Rozario, CSC; Archbishop T. A. Ganguly, CSC;
and an American Holy Cross priest (date, place and occasion unknown)

Photo courtesy: Province Archives Centre, Notre Dame, Indiana