by Danilo Goméz

Fr Danilo Gomez, a diocesan priest from Sonson-Rionegro, "lent" to the PIME mission in Bangladesh, writes a letter in which he talks about learning the local language and discovering local traditions. The young priest looks at his year with missionaries and locals in the Asian country.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Almost a year has gone by since Fr Danilo Gomez, a Colombian priest, arrived in Bangladesh. Originally from the diocese of Sonson-Rionegro, he moved to the South Asian nation as an associate of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) after a brief stay in Italy.

In a letter to his friends, Fr Danilo talks enthusiastically about his first steps in this foreign land, from learning the local language, his first Masses in Bangla and the local’s warm welcome to Dhaka’s really unique traffic and the fundamental role of religion in people’s daily life.

Despite “widespread social inequality, injustice, and political corruption, which put wealth in the hands of the few and prevent the poor from having a dignified life,” life is “very beautiful and rewarding”, a boost to “my spiritual life.” Here is the full text of the letter:

Dear friends

May the joy, happiness, grace and love of God always be with you! I send you greetings of peace and goodness from Bangladesh. I am happy to write to you, hoping that you are in good health, and that everything is done for the glory of God and the salvation of those whom the Lord has entrusted to us. I remember all of you in my prayers, daily Masses and my apostolic work. I thank God for you and for all the goodness you have done for me.

It has been almost a year since I arrived here in Bangladesh. Thank you for your kindness and patience towards me. The days I spent among you were unforgettable. I shall never forget the homely warmth and aroma of homemade food. The taste and joy of a home are unique, and finding another one is not easy, almost impossible. Family love, the grace that I received from God who called me to be his minister, the places where I worked in the diocese, learning other languages, knowing other places (Italy, Ireland, Bangladesh), etc. As I remember all of you and all these places, I pray that the Lord may grant you twice as much as what you gave me.

Let me turn now to my missionary journey here in Dhaka, Bangladesh, my study of the language, and, somehow, of this nation that borders India on all sides, except in the south-east where it borders Myanmar, its people and other curiosities that have drawn my attention.

I have almost completed a year studying Bangla, the language of this Asian country, Bangladesh: more than 160 million inhabitants in an area of ​​147,570 km2, with the capital Dhaka. Of course, learning the language is part of the preparation for the mission that I am undertaking.

I saw some parts of Bangladesh – Dinajpur, Suihari, Dhanjuri, Nagori, Modbari, Tumilia, Borni, and Girani, the capitals’ industrial district – and learnt many things about them.

Bangladesh means the land (desh) of the Bangla (Bengali). The language is derived from Sanskrit, with some Persian and Arabic influences. More than 700 rivers runs through the country, the main ones being the Padma, the Meghna, the Ganges and the Jamuna (a Brahmaputra distributary). All of them flow into the Bay of Bengal, in the south.

People are very open and friendly, hospitable and hardworking. They have big families and small houses. The population density (more than 1,000 inhabitants per km2) is one of the highest in the world. Bangladesh is covered in lush vegetation so that every month one can eat seasonal fruit: lychee, mango, papaya, pineapple, jackfruit, banana, and others.

Rice, fish, meat, chicken, lentils, chili and vegetables are the main types of food. Unleavened bread (pita), and various desserts prepared with rice, bananas, milk and spices are also part of the common diet.

Water is the main beverage in every meal. Guests are offered a good hot tea, water, various sweets, snacks and fresh fruit.

Here religion plays a very important role because it is a Muslim country. Alcohol is forbidden by law. Bangladesh is also home to various minorities: Hindus, Buddhists, traditional religions, and of course Christians (0.5%).

Life revolves around the religious calendar. For Muslims, this includes Ramadan, Isaac’s Sacrifice, and the Eid celebration that mark the end of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. On that day, people pray in mosques, wear new clothes, and celebrate with good food (shared with the poor). Hindus celebrate pujas throughout the year. For us Christians, there is of course Christmas, Easter and other special occasions.

I spent this year in the capital Dhaka, at the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), with Fr Giovanni Beretta, a priest who runs the house, and Fr Belisario, a fellow missionary. We celebrate Mass every week, study Bangla, eat together, pray, read and navigate the Internet.

Every week, we also visit some religious houses, like the Sisters of the Holy Child Mary, the Brothers of the Holy Cross, and the Sisters of the RNA, to celebrate Mass in English and be with them. We also celebrate Mass in Italian at the PIME house.

During this year, we also visited some missions to practice the little of the local language we learnt. Father Belisario went to Utoli, not far from the capital Dhaka. I went to Mirpur, Dhaka, at the Mary Queen of Apostles Church, which is run by two Italian priests, Fr Quirico Martinelli (the parish priest) and Fr Emanuele Melli, as well a brother, Alessandro Marangi, all from PIME.

The parish also hosts a group of students who attend a local high school. At the parish, they can discern whether to join the PIME as seminarians and train as ad gentes et ad vitam missionaries

For the past month and a half, with the blessing of the PIME superior in Bangladesh, Fr Franco Cagnasso, Fr Belisario and I have been sent to two missions, to practice what we learnt at the Bangla school.

Fr Belisario is in Girani, an industrial area, at a facility named after Jesus the Worker, whose mission is to accommodate young people who work in local factories, for a year or more if necessary, before they can set up on their own. The facility offers a local Christian outreach programme to the faithful, both individually and as families, as well as religious services in the mission’s chapel.

I am in Mirpur, a large area in ​​Dhaka. The parish I mentioned has a large congregation (about 2,000 members). In addition, it runs a hostel for bishops, priests, religious and catechists from various parts of the country. The latter and their carers are taken to various medical facilities and elsewhere for treatment and other needs. The parish also provides accommodation to 12 young people, as I said, who are studying at local schools, and help the parish when it organises various events, activities, celebrations, etc.

I have not been at the parish for a long time. I continue to study Bangla, both at school and in two hours of private lessons taught by Prof Snydha Bryan, Monday through Friday. I celebrate Mass in Bangla at the parish church and at the home of the PIME Sisters of the Immacolata, which is not very far.

On Saturdays and Sundays, I always celebrate Mass and deliver the homily in Bangla, which I can do thanks to Sister Clara, a Sister of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who is very generous with her time when it comes to translating texts into Bangla.

My experience has been very special. Thanks to the Ambassador of Colombia in Delhi, India, Paula Cristina Madriñán Padilla, Colombia’s honorary consul in Bangladesh, visited us. She had asked for the names of Colombians in the country, and someone mentioned that there were two priests. Thus, a few days ago, our consul contacted Fr Belisario and we had the opportunity of meeting her, as did a group of Latin Americans and Europeans. Now we celebrate Mass with their families, in Spanish. After Mass, we share typical foods from Latin America and other places.

In Bangladesh, I was struck by the simple lifestyle. People feel good and happy in their small home, where they have a bed, and a few belongings, whilst sanitary facilities and the kitchen are outside. When we visit them, they always offer us the best they have, because they want to make you feel good.

They always want you to come back for another visit. For them, meeting a foreigner is always a new experience and a joy. However, in the country there is widespread social inequality, injustice, and political corruption, which put wealth in the hands of the few and prevent the poor from having a dignified life.

Dhaka’s chaotic traffic is also something unique in the world for I have not seen anything like it anywhere else. It is really amazing how they move on bicycles, motorcycles, card, vans, as well as buses big and small, etc. We tell ourselves that “we know when we leave but we never know when we arrive."

For my part, I can say that the experience has been very beautiful and rewarding. I am going through it by also improving my English, and by reading, writing and strengthening my spiritual life.

I thank God that I am in good health, and I am happy with my apostolic work. I thank God and all those who follow me with their love, especially with their prayers to accomplish the mission entrusted to me.

Helping others is always an obligation and a charism of the Christian faith. Many among us live in conditions of poverty, and unemployment. Thus, sometimes they ask for work, as indeed people do in my country.

I remember one day I went to visit a friend, and the driver of the small taxi, after the ceremony of introduction (name, country of origin, etc.) asked me that name of my country’s currency. I told him peso. So he happily asked for some pesos. “I don’t carry any money from my country,” I told him.

We did not speak for a while. He broke the silence and told me to give him a thousand taka, which for us is not much. However, with that money, he could buy himself a shirt, or a longyi (a sheet of cloth widely worn by men in Bangladesh). I did not answer, and he stopped insisting.

I also met some Colombians who work here in Bangladesh and was able to enjoy my country’s food. Thanks to one of them, Carlos Zuluaga, from Manizales, I tasted some of my country’s typical dishes, like chicken with potatoes and rice, polenta, cheese and arepas. Thus, God gave us more than what we asked for.

I told you many things that are not always connected with one another, but my intention was to give you a glimpse of what I experienced in this great nation of Asia.

Once known as "the white man's grave", Bangladesh is also the land of the Bengal Tiger, cricket, tea, rice, katal, the nomoskar, rivers and the Bangla language, a nation that borders on India and Myanmar. It is the land of the Santal who live in the region of Dinajpur, of the Orao and Garo who live in Mymensingh, of the Chakma and Marma who live in hills bordering India and Myanmar near the port city of Chittagong. It is also the land of rice plantations in Dinajpur, mangoes in Rajshahi, and jackfruit. It includes Dhaka’s crazy traffic, Savar’s industrial area, and Sylet’s green hills and tea plantations. It is the home of Hilsha, the national fish, and the Sapla, the national flower, which grows in country’s lakes. It is a place where the sun rises, imposing and magnificent, to give light and life to a new day; where Muslims pray five times a day, heeding the imam’s call from the minaret.

In this country, greeting others is an essential part of daily culture and life. One way of greeting is Nomsokar, placing one’s hands against one’s chest and bowing toward the person one is greeting. When Christians meet, they tell each other Jesu Pronam, ‘Honour to Jesus’. If they meet a priest, they take one of his hand to their forehead and then kissing it. If they meet each other, they place their hands together in front of the chest, and bow toward the other person without speaking. Muslims say As-salamu alaykum, ‘May Allah’s peace be upon you’. When greeting children or taking one’s leave, one says tata or in the latter case, Koda Hafesh, an expression borrowed from Persian, or Abar dekahobe, which means ‘See you later’ or ‘Come back’."

As final token, I send you my blessing and greetings, for I know I can count on your prayers.

Bangladesh, Dhaka, Saturday, 18 July 2015 – 3, month of Srabon of the year 1422, the day of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the last day of the Islamic month of fasting (Ramadan).

Nelson Danilo Gómez Giraldo, priest.

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