Thirty years after returning to Bangladesh, the Jesuits are opening a new novitiate on July 16 in the South Asian country, where Christians are a small minority. By allowing the novices to have their initial formation in their own culture and language, the Jesuits hope to promote vocations. (Photo: from the beginning, the construction process was blessed.)
“A Grace of God.” This is how the Jesuit mission superior in Bangladesh, Fr. Ripon Rozario, SJ, describes the support offered by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). During a visit to the charity’s international head office, Fr. Ripon explains how 30 years after returning to the country, the Jesuits in Bangladesh are set to inaugurate a new centre to further develop the Society of Jesus and foster new vocations.
A major issue facing the Jesuits in Bangladesh is the formation of new members of the society. In the past, the order sent novices abroad for formation, particularly to neighbouring India. Fr. Ripon, for example, studied in India, Ireland, and Rome before being ordained in 2013. “A major problem has been the increasing difficulties in getting visas for the novices to study abroad, and other issues with passports and different documents,” he says.
“As Jesuits, we felt it would be good to have the initial formation in the local culture and local languages. We prayed together and decided to start a novitiate in the country,” explains the priest.
A small but vibrant Church
The Jesuits first arrived in Bangladesh in 1576, but for political reasons were forced to leave their mission soon after. “We were only able to re-establish ourselves in the country in 1994, after we were invited by the Bangladeshi Catholic bishops to return,” says the mission superior. There are now 28 Jesuits in Bangladesh, the vast majority of whom are Bangladeshi.
“We run two schools, a retreat house, various spiritual and pastoral programs, and a youth ministry called Magis Bangla,” Fr. Ripon explains. The order also runs a parish with four mission stations for the tribal people. “There are Jesuits who are from a tribal background,” he explains to ACN, allowing them to speak to the people in their own language.
Christians are a small minority in Bangladesh, which is majority Muslim. “Bangladesh is a small but densely populated country, with more than 170 million people,” says the priest. “There are approximately 500,000 Christians in Bangladesh, around 300,000 of whom are Catholics.” The Catholic Church “has contributed immensely to the country, particularly in the fields of health and education.”
“The Bangladeshis are religious-minded people,” he explains. “The Church is quite vibrant, and we have numerous charitable activities.” Many young Catholics grow up seeing the spiritual and social services offered by the Church and are inspired to become Jesuits. “We already had four novices in our novitiate program with six more joining in June,” says Fr. Ripon, who also serves as the society’s Novice Master in the country.
He further explains: “The Church in Bangladesh comes from a poor background and has very little resources.” The Jesuits appealed to ACN to support the construction of the new novitiate. The charity “immediately responded saying that they would help us,” says the priest, with the new novitiate set to open next week.
Fr. Ripon offers his thanks to ACN’s benefactors: “Is is because of your generous support that we are completing the construction, and in the coming years, with the facilities of the new novitiate, we hope to get more vocations. So, thank you for all the support that you have given to the Bangladesh Jesuit Mission through ACN.”
