by Sumon Corraya

The parish priest in Dhaka's De Mazenod Church tells AsiaNews about the challenges faced by members of his congregation. The community is made up of people from other dioceses in the country. Distances and work have put strains on couples, favouring extra-marital affairs and undermining people's spiritual life.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - The main challenges Dhaka's De Mazenod Church and its congregation face relate to the family, husband-wife relations and the loss of roots.

Whilst most of the members of the 10,000-strong community came originally from other dioceses in Bangladesh, the church, which is run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), covers ​​Baridhara and Gulshan, neighbourhoods where the richest people in the country, including diplomats and ambassadors, live.

Most migrants come from the dioceses of Rajshahi and Mymensingh, and found work in the service sector primarily as cooks, domestics, gardeners, beauticians, caretakers and white-collar workers.

"In the beginning, many people came to church on a regular basis and often helped out," said Fr Ajit V Costa, the local parish priest. "They worked on a number of initiatives that we proposed," he told AsiaNews. "But over time, their visits became less frequent."

"As a housewife I can go to church whenever I want to, but many cannot come even for Sunday service because of work," said Ms Momota Gomes, a parishioner.

This is the case of Ripon Rozario, a driver. "I work for a private company and I cannot get away. I can go to Mass only on Christmas or Easter. I am an immigrant and I need money to send to my parents, but my spiritual life suffers. "

Another problem concerns "the relationship between husband and wife," Fr Costa said. In many cases, "ties weaken, and many couples or individuals come to me to talk about their marital difficulties." According to the priest, the "lack of quality time spent together by the couple" is the main culprit.

Many migrants, above all men, "fail to respect the sacredness of the marriage bond. Several of them leave their wives back in the village because they cannot afford to keep the family together as a result of the high cost of living in the city. Then they end up having extramarital affairs with women in Dhaka".

What is more, "Many lose touch with their home villages, "Fr Costa said. "This means that many families no longer take care of their elderly parents who live faraway."

• bangladesh
• de
• mazenod
• church
• dhaka
• congregation
• social
• challenges