Fr. Speziale, PIME and mission on the banks of the Brahmaputra
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - On the banks of the Jamuna river, where the holy waters of the Ganges and Brahmaputra meet, is the mission of PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) in Manikgonj, which for over 10 years has been caring for families - and children in particular - of the Bagdi tribes. Created in 2000 by Fr. Arturo Speziale, who was then pastor of the church of St. Cristina in Mohammadpur (Dhaka), the mission aims to provide basic education to the people of the area.
The mission is located in a very difficult zone: its proximity to the river, in fact, results in frequent erosion and landslides, particularly during periods of flooding. This has meant that the local tribals - Christians and non-Christians - have settled mostly along the roads, or occupy the lands of other people. "The precariousness of the territory - Fr. Speziale tells AsiaNews - has helped fuel a sense of insecurity and inferiority among these people, who are very poor and mostly illiterate."
Until a few
years ago, the tribal Bagdi of Manikgonj fell under the jurisdiction of some
parishes of the Archdiocese of Dhaka. However,
says the missionary, "the Catholic communities of these parishes did
little to try to get in touch with the tribals and understand their problems.
There had never even been a census."
The
missionary decided to do something about these small communities. "In
the beginning - he recalls - when I was pastor of St. Christina, I was in this
area only twice a month. Two catechists lived here, Cyril Besra and Jhunu Mary,
who took care of all households: from daily prayer , catechism,
to various community services".
In July 2005, Sister Mary Consolata and Sister Mary Chobi, from the sisters of Mary Queen of Apostles (Smra), moved to the area and opened a primary school and a girls' hostel in Uthali, the St. Angela Catholic Primary School and St. Angela Girls' Home. The response from the public was immediate: within three years, the school went from 50 to 80 children enrolled. Meanwhile, the religious broadened their educational apostolate and opened Catholic schools in three other villages: the Holy Spirit school in Dhusor, with 50 students, the St. Alberic in Jianpur, with 100 students, and the Blessed Mother Theresa in Teroshri, with 130 children. "If at the beginning the average level of education was very low - notes Fr. Speziale - Today several young people from these communities are going to college."
One of the latest initiatives launched by Fr. Speziale is a cooperative for savings: "This minority has never owned property. Even after the fall of the zamindar (aristocratic landowners) they were unable to maintain their land, because they had no concept of savings, which we hope to teach them through the cooperative".
The Manikgonj mission's main center is the village of Utholi, where the missionaries and nuns take care of about 40 families. Of these, 35 are indigenous, and 10 others have emigrated here from Satkhira and Khulna. The other major core is Manikgonj, capital of the district, where there are about 30 families. Then there are the villages of Jianpur, Dhusor and Aricia, where there are respectively 12, 18 and 7 families.
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