Fr. Abel, Dhaka’s oldest priest

The priest was ordained in 1965. He served in the dioceses of Mymensingh and Dhaka. In 54 years of priesthood he has baptized 2,500 Christians. In "a single ceremony, 900 tribals welcomed Christ". His advice to young priests: "Prepare your sermons and visit families more".

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - "My mother always told me that I would become a priest. She helped me be,” Fr. Abel Ballistine Rozario tells AsiaNews. The 82 year old is the oldest priest of the archdiocese of Dhaka. He was ordained 54 years ago and throughout his pastoral life he has baptized 2,500 Catholics, mostly tribal.

"I am happy with my priestly life - he says - and even though I suffered so much, I know that I work for the Lord. Today I can no longer walk without the support of a cane, but this does not stop me and I continue to do my job. I visit the sick, I listen to the confessions with compassion and I celebrate Mass ”.

Fr. Abel comes from a humble peasant family in the parish of Tuital, in the archdiocese of Dhaka. In all, his parents had ten children. He was consecrated in 1965 and worked in the parishes of Bhatikashor and Ranikhong, in the diocese of Mymensingh, until 1986. In 2014, the elderly priest fell ill and retired. Today he resides in the parish of Tejgaon, the largest in Bangladesh.

In 1987 he witnessed the creation of the diocese of Mymensingh, as a detachment from the archdiocese of the capital. At that time, he says, "most of the tribal population of Garo ethnic groups followed animist religious traditions, they loved plants and animals. Today 99% of tribals are Christians ”.

The priest recalls "when I baptized 900 people all together, in a single celebration. Before joining Christianity, they had followed [the catechism] for at least six months ".

For 17 years "I served in the church of Tejgaon, the longest period for any priest. Here Catholics are educated and no longer have so many children as in the past. Today they have at most two and find it difficult to guarantee them a good education ”.

He wants to give some suggestions to the young priests: "Most do good preaching during mass, but not all of them prepare adequately. You have to prepare by helping yourself with prayer. Then you have to visit the families more, because problems are increasing in the family context. It is very important that priests and nuns give more spiritual support to couples and their children".