BANGLADESH The first priest of the village of Maria, a town of ‘untouchables’

Bishop Boiragi, Bishop of Khulna, presided in Marianpally at the priestly ordination of Father Ruben Biswas, of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. A ripe fruit of the first evangelization that Xaverian missionaries began 70 years ago among the untouchables of southern Bangladesh.

Khulna () – June 9 was a historic day for the inhabitants of the village of Mariapally, Satkhira, in southern Bangladesh. For the first time in its history a son of the local Christian community was ordained a priest. The Bishop of Khulna, Monsignor James Romen Boiragi, presided over the ordination of Father Ruben Robel Biswas, a religious of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, before an assembly of 800 people.

“I feel very happy because today we have the first priest in our village. I hope that many other young men and women join the consecrated life seeing the example of Father Rubén”, said Marcus Sardar, a resident of the village of Mariapally. .

Father Biswas told that 550 Catholics live in 115 families in his village. More than 70 years ago Italian Xaverian missionaries, who had arrived in this region in 1895, began preaching the Gospel to the village’s Horijon, who are called “untouchables” in the caste system. The inhabitants of Mariapally are farmers, laborers, hairdressers and shoemakers, and only 20% of the people have received formal instruction, because literacy only began with the arrival of the missionaries.

Father Biswas, 36, is the son of an electrician and a housewife and explained that he owes a lot to the testimony of the Italian priests who supported his studies. He referred above all to Father Marino Rigon, who worked hard for the socio-economic development of Mariapally and the Khulna diocese, and even received the honorary title of “Friend of the Liberation War” of Bangladesh. He then added that the example of Bishop Michael A. D’Rozario was very important for his vocation: “He visited our homes. Seeing the holiness of his way of life, I made the decision to enter the seminary,” he recalled.

Before 2003 the name of the village was Putimari. “The Xaverian missionaries renamed it Mariapally, which means town of Mary. They encouraged us to pray for the intercession of Our Lady to save us from all dangers”, explained Fr. Biswas. Now all the inhabitants of the village are Catholic. “The Xaverian priests planted the seeds of the Good News and today we are reaping the fruits,” said Pieal Biswas, older brother of the new priest.

Fr. Ruben will now carry out his ministry in the parish of Pirgacha in the diocese of Mymensing, as vice-parish priest. “God chose Jeremiah to speak – the monsignor told him in his homily. Boiragi-. Now you too must have faith in Him, and He will speak to people with your life, with your mouth and with your heart, and will inspire you to work among the people.”