e are living in difficult times here in Bangladesh. The political situation is unstable. There is a series of strikes around the country that are bringing Bangladesh to the point of breakdown, with great uneasiness for the most vulnerable and poor people.
Christian communities are growing
Despite this situation, we have experienced a year of grace at Chuknogor. After a 5-year preparation for the sacraments,
51 catechumens on Easter Vigil received Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, the sacraments of Christian initiation. This event helps greatly this Christian community who, I hope, will become a point of reference and support for all the people who are called
“the outcast” of the area.
The celebration was held in the cathedral of Khulna, since we do not have yet a church in Chuknogor. The Bishop conferred the sacraments as a representative of the whole church, to symbolize the action of the church as a body, and not my own invention. With the increase of number of baptized families, we are beginning to plan for a holy space which we call our own, for the celebration of the Eucharist. Right now, we are just using a school hall, yet soon we’ll be able to celebrate in our small church.
The deep wells for drinking water
I also have another good news. As you probably know, the water sources found in the southern parts of Bangladesh are polluted by arsenic liquids. In order for us to have some drinking water, we need to build some deep wells, which is an almost impossible task here with the means that they have.
At the beginning of January 2007 we began working on 10 deep wells in some far-away villages
The Xaverian Dr. Gildo Coperchio saw the situation deteriorating as he was dealing with patients of the area, and built five deep wells in strategic places of this area. Now, through the help of more friends, we received the gift of 10 more wells which will be dug in the villages who do not have drinking water. In fact, we began to work at the beginning of January 2007 in some of these far-away villages.
“I have the right to call you Dash”
On Dec. 10 2006 we also celebrated the day of Human Rights, so that the people may become more and more aware of the rights of all human beings, no matter their origin or class. As missionaries, we were the first ones to help promote this important day, and often we are invited to speak in public circumstances. This time around, I said:
“In my 30 years in Bangladesh, even myself I received a “human right:” it is the right to being called ‘muci’
(=outcast). In fact, while I was in Borodol, my first mission station, everyone used to called me
‘the father of the muci.’ Since that time, I also added the term ‘Dash’ which means
slave, the last name of all those muci who are considered outcast. And therefore, my name is
Antonio Germano Dash!”
You can only imagined how the gathered assembly reacted, with words of encouragements and welcome.
(From Xaverian News)