SVD
Generalate

An Overview of Bangladesh

When I made my maiden visit to Bangladesh from 06^th to 12^th March 2025, I was reminded of the words of Saint Mother Teresa, “small is beautiful”. Bangladesh is one of the smallest nations, beautiful and populous, blessed with rivers and rivulets providing rich water resources, beauteous bays and beaches, fertile soil producing lush green fields and robust agriculture, and significant natural gas deposits nurturing the nation’s economy. Spread over 57,000 Square miles, the country is inhabited by 175 million people with the largest military, numbering 7 million personnel, and a huge Bangladeshi diaspora.

The Church in Bangladesh

The Church in Bangladesh is over 500 years old with 0.3% Christians of which 60% belongs to indigenous groups living in the peripheries of the country that boasts of having 91% Muslim population. The Hindus take the second place with 8%.  There are about 400,000 Catholics in the eight dioceses of Bangladesh mainly belonging to the indigenous communities, such as Tripura, Chakma, Marma, Khumi, Santals, Oraons, Mundas, Kukis, Garos, etc. whose cousins live also across the border. Prominent among the male religious congregations present here are the CSC, OMI, SJ, SVD, PIME, CMF, OFM, and SX.

SVD-BGD Mission                      

Responding to the long-standing invitation of the late archbishop Moses Costa CSC of the archdiocese of Chittagong, the Society of the Divine Word ventured its mission with the purpose of working among the ethnic groups of the hill tracts of Chittagong. Frs. Mariusz Pacula and Cyprian Pinto were appointed to start the BGD mission on 15^th January 2018, with Fr. Mariusz as its first mission superior. 

Due to various reasons, the Divine Word missionaries were not able to reach the hill tracts. As an interim arrangement, we began rendering pastoral care in some of the parishes in the plains of Chittagong, mainly pitching our tent in the urban Anglo-Indian parish of Jamal Khan. Issues related to missionary visa and residential permits slowed down our activities considerably. 

Thanks to the quotas of missionary visa allotted to the CBCB by the government that the new missionaries can now enter the country without much difficulty. With this positive development, the SVDs were confident to accept the offer of the archbishop of Chittagong, Msgr. Lawrence Subrata Hawlader CSC to administer the traditional parishes of Noakhali, Diang, Pahartoli, Jamal Khan and Cox Bazar, which were administered by the CSC and the diocesan clergy, who moved to provide pastoral care for the people of the hill tracts.

Now there are four confreres in the BGD mission, actively engaged in providing pastoral care and initial formation in the archdiocese. Fr. Mariusz Pacula is the mission superior and rector of the diocesan minor seminary in Noakhali, Fr. Joachim Kullu is the parish priest of Noakhali. With 2,200 Catholics, it is the largest among the three parishes we administer currently. Fr. Deoswarup Kujur is the parish priest and rector of the SVD Minor Seminary in Pahartoli. It is the smallest parish with 370 Catholics, bifurcated from the cathedral parish.  Fr. Justine Thomas Vengacheril is the parish priest of Diang. Known as the Bethlehem of Bangladesh, Diang is the oldest parish with 770 Catholics.

Fr. Cyprian Pinto, who worked in Jamal Khan and later in Cox Bazar, was transferred to ING in October 2023 for retirement. There are three more young confreres assigned to BGD, waiting to join the SVD community there. During my special visit, I was edified by the commitment, care and hospitality of our confreres in BGD. People and bishop are happy with our missionaries.