SW News: The Catholic diocese of Rajshahi in northwestern Bangladesh is celebrating the centenary of the arrival of the faith in their territory. The diocese was canonically erected on May 21, 1990, incorporating within its territory the southern portion of the greater Diocese of Dinajpur.

Christianity arrived in the region a century ago with the mass migration of Christians from Gazipur, near Dhaka, to the north of Bangladesh. The Christians from Gazipur and Bhawal, who faced severe food scarcity, started migrating to districts of Pabna and Rajshahi in search of better living conditions since the beginning of 1920.

The over 15,000 Christian migrants also brought their Catholic faith along with them to the settlements. The Church accompanying the faithful in the pastoral need thus created the diocese of Rajshahi. Now the diocese has over 20,000 faithful.

Celebrating the centenary of the arrival of faith, Bishop Gervas Rozario offered Holy Mass at the parish of Mothurapur. The bishop himself hails from a family of early settlers. The bishop also remembered the Italian priests of missionaries of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) who took care of the pastoral needs of the community and paved the way for the spread of the Gospel in northern Bangladesh. Their work among the tribal communities eventually led to the formation of six parishes in Bonpara (1940), Mothurapur (1947), Borni (1949), Foilzana (2007), Gopalpur (2008), and Bhabanipur (2011).

The early settlers, who were hard-working farmers and laborers, gave the younger generation good education. Now the families of Rajshahi are self-sufficient.