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.

Portuguese saint triggers devotion in Bangladesh

A devotee kisses the statue of St. Anthony. (Photo: Piyas Biswas/UCA News)

For the past three years, Badhon Gomes has started preparing several weeks in advance for the annual pilgrimage at St. Anthony of Padua shrine in Panjora village in Bangladesh's Gazipur district.

Gomes, 30, is a Catholic from Parowan, one of 16 villages including Panjora that make up St. Nicholas of Tolentino Church (1695) of Nagari, one of the oldest Catholic churches in the country.

For the fourth consecutive year, Gomes coordinated distribution of free lunches to hundreds of devotees of the Portuguese saint during the annual feast day, celebrated on Feb. 7.

“We offered free meals to 500 devotees, but our target was more than 1,000. Due to restrictions on vehicle movements around the shrine, many devotees missed out,” the father of one told UCA News.

Christian and Hindu villagers from Parowan and neighboring Bhasania, under St. Augustine of Hippo Catholic Church, have been supporting the initiative. Between 800 and 1,200 people have received free food from Gomes’ group in the past three years.

“It is a matter of pride that we have St. Anthony shrine in our area. People believe they can receive special blessings from the great saint by serving his devotees,” Gomes added.

Panjora village houses a chapel with a small but extremely popular centuries-old statue of St. Anthony that is believed to have miraculous power to fulfil any wish of devotees.

The shrine, under Dhaka Archdiocese, is the most popular among about the dozen Catholic shrines in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Other shrines are mostly dedicated to Mother Mary, barely attracting 5,000 to 7,000 devotees during annual pilgrimages.

This year two Masses at St. Anthony shrine drew more than 70,000 devotees including Hindus and Muslims. About 6,000 devotees attended every day during the nine-day novena preceding the feast day, church officials said.

A burning flame of enlightenment for 100 years

Guests and dignitaries on stage during the 100-year jubilee celebrations of church-run St. Nicholas High School in Gazipur district near Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Jan. 2. (Photo: Robin Noel)

Subir Kashmir Pereira is disappointed that he missed out on an event that he had been looking forward to for years: attending the centenary jubilee celebrations of his beloved alma mater, St. Nicholas High School.

Geographical distance and other complications restricted him from attending the Catholic school's reunion in the first week of January.

Pereira, 49, is a Bangladeshi-born American citizen who settled in Maryland in 2007 with his wife and daughter.

St. Nicholas, where he studied from 1988 to 1991, is located in Nagari in Gazipur district of central Bangladesh, about 40 kilometers from the capital Dhaka.

"When the school marked 75 years [in 1995], I could not attend due to personal reasons. I told myself that I would have to attend the 100-year jubilee, but I missed out again. This failure is likely to upset me for the rest of my life," said Pereira, a Catholic.

Employed at a pharmacy of a multinational company in the US capital Washington, Pereira was a youth activist back home. He is also a seasoned poet with several titles published in recent years.

He credits his days at St. Nicholas, run by the Brothers of Holy Cross, for laying the foundation for what he has become today.

প্রসঙ্গ: পান্থনিবাস

জন ভিয়ান্নী উচ্চ মাধ্যমিক সেমিনারীটি বন্ধ করে দেয়া হয়েছে ১৪ মে, ২০১৮

সম্প্রতি ফেসবুক মারফত জানতে পারলাম উর্ধ্বতন কর্তৃপক্ষের সিদ্ধান্তে ঢাকার পশ্চিম তেজতুরী বাজার (শুকরের গলি নামেও সমধিক খ্যাত) অবস্থিত জন ভিয়ান্নী উচ্চ মাধ্যমিক সেমিনারীটি বন্ধ করে দেয়া হয়েছে ১৪ মে, ২০১৮। বিগত ১৯৯৯/২০০০ খ্রিস্টাব্দ থেকে সেমিনারীটি ঢাকা ক্যাথলিক আর্চডায়োসিসের একাদশ ও দ্বাদশ শ্রেণীতে পড়ুয়া ধর্মপ্রদেশীয় যাজকপ্রার্থীদের গঠনগৃহ হিসেবে ব্যবহৃত হয়ে আসছিল। পাঁচতলা এ ভবনটি পান্থনিবাস হিসেবেও পরিচিত। স্থানীয় একজন ক্যাথলিক খ্রিস্টানের দান করা জমিতে এটি নির্মাণ করা হয়।

সেমিনারীটি বন্ধ করে দেবার পক্ষে কর্তৃপক্ষের জোরালো যুক্তি থাকতে পারে। তবে বিষয়টি আমার জন্য ব্যক্তিগত মনোবেদনার কারণ। ১৯৯৯ থেকে ২০০৭ পর্যন্ত আমি নিজেও ধর্মপ্রদেশীয় সেমিনারীয়ান ছিলাম, এবং এর মধ্যে ২০০১ এর জুলাই হতে ২০০৩ মে অবধি পান্থনিবাসের বাসিন্দা ছিলাম। এখান থেকে স্বনামধন্য নটর ডেম কলেজে পড়া, ঢাকার শহর চিনতে শেখা ও অগণিত হাসি-কান্নার স্মৃতি বিজড়িত দিনগুলো আজো মনে চির জাগরুক। ২০০৭ এর শেষে সেমিনারী জীবন ছেড়ে আসার পর পান্থনিবাসে আর যাওয়া হয় নি, অনেকবার মনে করেও শেষ পর্যন্ত যেতে পারি নি। তবুও মাঝে মাঝে মনের পাতায় আপনা আপনি স্মৃতির তর্পণ হতো। আজ তাই সেমিনারী বন্ধ হয়ে গেল শুনে মনটা বিষাদে ভরে গেল।

Gathering urges youth to be strong

 

Catholic youth attend special mass during National Youth Day in Bangladesh

Young Catholics were urged to strengthen their faith in Christ to counter challenges of life at the largest annual Catholic youth gathering that ended today. 

“God planted seeds of faith in silence during Youth Day and we’re called to receive it in silence. It is a fountain of light that enlightens us, a networking of faith that connects us all and helps us realize we’re not alone in our life of faith in Christ,” said Holy Cross Bishop Moses Costa of Chittagong, addressing hundreds of young participants and youth activists at the 26th National Youth Day festivities that started on October 3. 

Bishop Costa, chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Youth that organized the program, added: “Youth Day is also a great opportunity to find friends. But our friendship won’t be real or last long if we don’t make Jesus our friend first.” 

Dhaka's archdiocesan youth commission hosted the event at St Augustine Church in Kewachala, Gazipur district. It drew 300 participants and youth activists including clergy, religious and laypeople from all seven Catholic dioceses in the county. 

Throughout the program participants went through creative liturgy, catechism classes, presentations, group discussions and film show to get them into the message of Holy Father. 

They also found friends collecting and joining Biblical verses distributed among them. A colorful rally, heritage corner with traditional local clothes, household tools, delicacies, musical instruments, and historic documents and a cultural function added another dimension to the gathering, making it a pilgrimage of faith and joyful festival at the same time.

END

Original Article:

Gathering urges youth to be strong