Spiritual renewal, reconciliation and fraternity during Lent in Bangladesh

A scene from Jishu Nila, a folk-religious play on the life, suffering and death of Jesus, staged by a Catholic group in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka in 2017. (Photo: Stephan Uttom/UCA News)

On the first Tuesday of Lent, about 200 Catholic villagers — children, adults and the elderly — gathered in the yard of a Catholic family in Choto Satanipara, one of six villages under Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rangmatia of Gazipur district in central Bangladesh.

From morning to afternoon, the faithful had special prayers, life sharing from elders, Way of the Cross, Mass, a special talk from the parish priest and a fraternal meal with rice, vegetables and lentils before heading back to their homes.

Nearly half of the village's 400 Catholics are non-residents who live in cities, mostly in capital Dhaka about 50 kilometers away, for reasons such as jobs and education.

The spiritual and social gathering on March 3 was part of a special village-based program during the Catholic Church's Lenten season, introduced by Dhaka Archdiocese about a decade ago.

The Lenten program has become highly popular among Catholic faithful in all parishes, villagers and church officials say.

"People come, meet up and talk to each other, so it becomes both a spiritual and a social gathering. Most villagers attend the program and it is quite popular among them," Amol D'Costa, 69, a Catholic father of four, told UCA News.

He is a former parish councilor and a senior community leader in the village.

The Lenten program helps to diminish disputes in the community, strengthening fraternity through reconciliation, D'Costa said.

"There are troubles and disputes in the family as well as between members of one house (clan). This program is for all, so it helps people to rethink their problems and change their hearts. It triggers reconciliation and promotes fraternity among villagers," he added.

This year each family donated 200 taka (US$2.35) to support the program.

Rangamatia Church has six villages with about 3,716 Catholics, and they are part of the Bhawal area of Dhaka Archdiocese. Consisting of eight Catholic parishes in Gazipur and Dhaka districts, Bhawal is one of the oldest and largest Catholic strongholds in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Catholics in other areas of Dhaka Archdiocese participate in similar programs during Lent.

Parishes also organize Lenten programs targeting various age groups, such as children and youths, to help them realize their roles and responsibilities in the Church and society.

Besides spiritual renewal, the program is a way of bringing people together for exchange and cooperation to help them "become new human beings" by changing their hearts during Lent, said Father Vincent Khokon Gomes, a parish priest and a consulter of Dhaka Archdiocese.

"When people gather together, they have an opportunity for social exchange. It helps create relationships and to regain lost relationships. Any social program requires people to sit together and talk to each other for program arrangement. Thus, they become cooperative. Ultimately, people in bad relationships get some healing," Father Gomes told UCA News.

The Church's intention for such programs is to help people realize how they can become "enlightened beings," the priest pointed out.

"Lent encourages and inspires us to leave behind our weaknesses and dark sides and transform ourselves. If we want to become enlightened human beings, we first need to find out what are the obstacles and overcome distances in our relationships," he said.

Fasting during Lent is not just about abstention from food but also about abstaining from weaknesses. The importance of prayerfulness is how it connects with our everyday activities such as acts of mercy and offering support to the needy and poor, Father Gomes noted.

"People have various problems in the family and society which hamper relationships. This program is an invitation for all to come together and to help them realize the needs for renewal and reunion," the priest added.

Spiritual resurgence and folk-religious traditions

Christians, most of them Catholics, make up less than half a percent of Bangladesh's population of more than 160 million. The estimated 400,000 Catholics are spread in two archdioceses and six dioceses.

Like Catholics in Dhaka, the faithful in other parts of Bangladesh also take up special programs for spiritual renewal.

Days before the start of Lent on Feb. 26, Chittagong Archdiocese in southeastern Bangladesh held an annual pastoral gathering with a special theme, "My identity in Christ."

In a special pastoral letter delivered during the Feb. 20-22 gathering, Holy Cross Archbishop Moses M. Costa of Chittagong urged the faithful to contemplate Christian identity during Lent and in the whole year.

"Our true identity lies in our inner self, not in our earthly belongings, position, designation, ethnicity, etc. Our behavior, moral values, actions and other inherent characteristics make us who we really are. That is our real identity. As Christians, our real identity should be centered on Christ but unfortunately most of us are in a crisis to understand this identity," said Archbishop Costa, secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh.

Christians must look at Jesus Christ and try their best to imitate his role as a king, priest and prophet to be part of his mission for salvation of the world from sins through sacrifice and service, the prelate said.

Barishal Diocese in southern Bangladesh arranges parish-based spiritual awakenings for the faithful. They include prayers and a passion play that draw hundreds of local Catholics during Lent.

Meanwhile, Catholic villagers in Bhawal arrange and participate in popular folk-religious traditions such as Koster Gaan (Songs of Sorrow), Jishu Nila (Life of Jesus) and Jibonto Krusher Poth (Enactment of Way of the Cross).

Montu Tolentinu, 48, is a Catholic and a member of the 30-man Koster Gaan group at Chorakhola village under St. John the Baptist Church.

The village, with some 2000 Catholics, is one of the largest Catholic villages in Bhawal. Popular folk-religious traditions like Koster Gaan and Jishu Nila originated in the village and spread to other parts of Bhawal and Dhaka.

Tolentinu, a farmer, said that they have already started singing the songs of sorrow in the evening and have been booked in advance for the coming days.

"Every year before Lent we prepare for singing in our group. This year we have started singing in houses of peoples who invite us and it will continue up to Good Friday," he told UCA News.

"We believe our songs on the life, suffering and death of Jesus inspire people to repent and change hearts to prepare for the feast of Easter."

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Original Articles:

UCAN: Spiritual renewal, reconciliation and fraternity in Bangladesh

LCI: Spiritual renewal, reconciliation and fraternity in Bangladesh