BANGLADESH Moulvibazar, Golden Jubilee of the Oblates of Mary, at the service of tribes and immigrants

A solemn Eucharist began the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in the country. The service was attended by two bishops, priests and about 500 faithful. Today the community has 31 priests, present in three dioceses and seven parishes. How they collaborate in teaching.

Moulvibazar () – They have been witnessing to the Gospel for 50 years in a nation whose majority population is Muslim. They pay special attention to tribal populations and migrants, and help young aspiring priests to study at the national seminary. This is the work of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) in Bangladesh, who inaugurated their Golden Jubilee with a solemn Eucharistic celebration. The appointment was on July 29 in the parish of Lokhipur, in Moulvibazar, in the northeast of the country. The mass was attended by about 500 faithful, numerous priests and two bishops, which confirms the importance of the event.

The OMI mission took its first steps in Bangladesh on July 29, 1973 after an “agreement” between the former Archbishop of Dhaka, Msgr. Theotonius Amal Ganguly, the provincial at the time, Fr. Lucian Schmitt, and Fr. Dalston Forbes, responsible for Asia. How do you explain to Father Ajit Victor Costa, current superior of OMI in the country, one of the initial tasks was teaching in the Bonani major seminary and training the local clergy, in addition to pastoral work in the parishes, among the English-speaking faithful.

If before there were many foreign priests, today most are local. There are 31 active priests in Bangladesh: two are of Indian origin, while another six are on mission abroad. Today, the order can also boast of its first bishop: it is Mons. Bejoy N. D’Cruze, current archbishop of the capital and president of the Episcopal Conference of Bangladesh. In the past, the main challenge for the first OMI missionaries was to be able to adapt to the conditions of the country, while today the biggest problem is “getting the funds to continue the pastoral work,” explains Father Costa.

Fifty years have passed since the first mission was installed: today, the priests serve in seven parishes in three different dioceses, run two institutes, some 40 primary schools and two seminaries. “Most of the parishes”, recalls Father Costa, “are in remote areas, where the tribal population lives” and where the needs are even greater. “Through prayer and teaching, we transform their lives. We are witnesses and announce the Gospel with our lives”, contributing “to the formation of the local clergy”. We also fight to ensure that the “dignity” of the population is respected through fair remuneration for the work done and respect for their rights. The Golden Jubilee, he concludes, is also an opportunity to “rethink mission and activities” at the service of the local Church.