BANGLADESH Baromari, tens of thousands of faithful in the pilgrimage to ‘Our Lady of Fatima’

The annual event drew Catholics from across the country. In addition to the procession, masses, Eucharistic adorations and a Way of the Cross were celebrated. The event closed with a solemn mass presided over by the Vicar of Dhaka. The Marian devotion of believers, who ask to be supported in difficulties, such as illness and work.

Sherpur () – Tens of thousands of Catholics – at least 30,000 according to some estimates – participated in the annual pilgrimage to the shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, in the parish of Baromari, belonging to the diocese of Mymensingh, northeastern district of Sherpur. The faithful gathered a day earlier to participate in Eucharistic adoration, the Stations of the Cross and the recitation of the rosary during a candlelight procession on the hills surrounding the Marian shrine. The event concluded with a solemn Mass celebrated by Father Gabriel Corraya, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Dhaka.

A true community festival took place on October 28: faithful came from all over the country to pay homage to the Virgin and ask for her help and protection. The construction of the Marian place of worship dates back to 1997, in response to John Paul II’s invitation to “pilgrimages of faith” with a view to the Jubilee of 2000. The church of San León dates from 1942, while the diocese as a whole It welcomes 85,000 faithful spread over 18 parishes.

“I came to thank Our Lady, the mother of Jesus, for having answered one of my ‘manot‘ [oraciones]”, emphasizes Lina Sangma, a woman from the Garo tribe who attends the Bhatikeshore parish. The woman suffered from a health problem that medicine could not cure, but prayer worked a miracle, she tells .

His words are echoed by a person from the Noulakiri parish: Sumita Mree confirms that he prays “the rosary regularly as a family” and that he has received “many blessings from Mary and Jesus thanks to it”. They have protected us” from Covid and Dengue and “today we are here to thank them and pay homage to God” in addition to praying “for our children”. Finally, from Dhaka, there is Khakon Cruze: he lost his job during the pandemic and going through difficulties. “I’m here to ask for the grace of a job,” he says.

Their stories are similar to those of thousands of people who also participated in the pilgrimage and gathered to pray. The vicar general of Dhaka highlights the spirit of initiative and the desire to bear witness to Christ. “The teachings of Jesus and the Virgin of Fatima – explains Father Gabriel Corraya – are the same. They are an invitation to prayer and sacrifice, so that we can lead a holy life”, adds the religious, renewing the invitation to pray the rosary. Father Torun Bonowary, parish priest of Baromari, concludes by asking the faithful to also pray for peace in the country and for harmonious coexistence among the faithful of all religions.