BANGLADESH Dhaka celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate

The archbishop of the capital celebrated the jubilee by the presence of the OMI missionaries accompanied by 80 priests and nuns and 600 faithful, witnesses of the mark they have left in the country from 1973 to today. The testimony of dozens of schools open to all. At this moment there are 33 Oblates originally from Bangladesh, 6 of whom are missionaries in other countries.

Dhaka () – The mission at the service of evangelization of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Bangladesh is celebrating half a century of activity. The anniversary was celebrated in the De Mazenod Church in the capital by Msgr. Bejoy N. D’Cruze, Archbishop of Dhaka, accompanied, among others, by Fr. Luis Ignacio Rois Alonso, Oblate Superior General and Fr. Ajit Victor Costa, superior of the Delegation of the Oblates of Bangladesh. The celebration was attended by 80 priests and nuns and 600 faithful, witnesses of the mark left by 50 years of work in this South Asian country.

Bishop Bejoy recalled the efforts of the Oblate missionaries in Bangladesh, both those who are no longer there and those who are still active: “Without the missionaries, this journey of 50 years would not have been possible. Today we remember them with respect and admiration for the work they did.” There are currently more than 3,500 Oblates serving in 70 countries around the world.

The OMI missionaries arrived in 1973 and made a unique contribution to the Church in Bangladesh and to the preaching of the Gospel: “We began with service to the poor,” recalled Father Ajit Victor Costa, superior of the Bangladesh Oblate Delegation. Father Costa made special reference to the work carried out with migrants and in the two national seminaries. “On July 29, 1973, a group of Oblates arrived in Bangladesh. We began to teach in the seminary and work in parishes. “In the area of ​​the city of Sylhet there were only two parishes. Today we have five more. That is why Sylhet became an independent diocese on July 8, 2011. We are very happy to have touched the hearts of many people.”

Currently there are 33 missionary Oblates from Bangladesh. Six of them are serving as missionaries outside their country. 50 years after they began working in this predominantly Muslim territory, there are 2 high schools with a Christian imprint, 40 primary schools and 2 seminaries. Rinku Gomes, a Christian who participated in the Oblate Jubilee celebration, says: “I have always felt that Oblate priests have a lot of love and affection for the people in the communities where they are. They immediately make us feel part of their project of life and faith. His simplicity and sincerity have always attracted me very much and I would like my son to go to the Oblates seminary to be a missionary”.