Fr Dominic Sarkar: my tribal people are poor but eager to learn about Jesus
The Holy Cross priest is pastor in Bandarban, responsible for 8,000 people living in 56 mountain villages. To reach his destinations, and despite the hardships and cost, he walks on poor roads, crosses rivers, climbs hills, and makes his way through the jungle to perform his pastoral outreach. When he arrives, his parishioners “are so happy that that they keep me up all night." Usually, Catholics can attend Mass only once a year.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - When I visit my tribal parishioners, "they are so happy that they do not sleep all night in order to tell me what happened to them, as well as pray and sing together,” Fr Dominic Sarkar, told AsiaNews.
A Holy Cross priest, he is pastor for some 8,000 Catholics in 56 villages in Bandarban district, Diocese of Chittagong (south-eastern Bangladesh). His church is high up in a mountainous area. All of his parishioners are tribal people, mostly ethnic Tripura who live in extreme poverty.
Holy Cross priests arrived in the region for the first time in the 1950s. The area, the priest explained, is home to "11 tribal groups. Some time in the past, Holy Cross missionaries were allowed by the local raja (tribal king) to preach the Gospel. Thus, the number of Catholics began to rise quickly in the region."
It is not easy however for Fr Dominic, 45, to reach the villages. It takes at least five or six hours of walking, as the roads are poorly maintained on most of the territory.
"The paths are not well kept and I have to cross rivers, hills and dense jungle. Sometimes, the journey can take ten hours, but I make the effort gladly in order to reach my parishioners, who are so eager to learn about Jesus Christ."
Still, "pastoral work in the villages costs a lot,” he noted. “Protestant Churches, who receive donations from many donors, reach the villages and preach, making our work more difficult."
In his pastoral work, Fr Dominic can rely on the help of 33 parish catechists. They go with him on his visits to the villages, where he often blesses the unions of couples who contracted a civil marriage. Since he cannot do this in every case, the clergyman he simply "ratifies" existing unions.
Usually Catholics can attend Mass only once a year. In view of this, "We need more priests to our faithful," Fr Dominic said.
Bandarban parish also has a school with a dormitory for (86) boys and one for (92) girls. Most students come from remote villages and might not be able to school if they had no place to sleep.
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