Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Dinajpur (Agenzia Fides) - "Most catechists preach the Gospel without being paid for their work. Some of them receive a minimal refund. We hope that with this small gift of a bicycle, a small recognition from the Church, they will be encouraged to be catechists-missionaries": thus, on the occasion of the publication of Pope Francis's Motu Proprio "Antiquum ministerium", with which Pope Francis establishes the ministry of catechists , Mgr. Sebastian Tudu, Bishop of the diocese of Dinajpur, tells Fides of his gesture of donating 45 bicycles among catechists, men and women, for pastoral work in the parish of Ruhea in Thakurgaon, in his diocese of Dinajpur, in the north of Bangladesh. Bishop Sebastian Tudu is part of the indigenous Santal ethnic group, like other faithful of the diocese of Dinajpur. He explains why catechists need bicycles.
"They visit remote villages that are 50 or 60 kilometers from the parish. These environmentally friendly means of transport will help them travel distances more easily. Priests and nuns are unable to travel to every village. The first are often catechists who preach and teach the Gospel". Mgr. Tudu, who is also President of the Episcopal Commission for Evangelization, tells Fides that catechists make a great contribution in his diocese. "These catechists have the merit of reaching out to remote villages and become witnesses of the faith among non-Christian natives. With their welcoming lifestyle, they preach the Holy Bible and often people express a desire to receive baptism". "Catechists teach children and adults who want to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord. They also help nuns and priests to conduct the liturgy, pastoral care, prayer, works of charity. In remote villages they are the visible presence of the Church. They are those who follow the people or the communities of catechumens preparing for baptism". The catechists help in the sacramental catechesis of children and young people in view of First Communion, Confession, Confirmation, and also help the parishes in pre-marital courses for the couple. Sometimes, in the absence of a priest, they lead prayer or a funeral rite. In northern Bangladesh, catechists are a seed for new believers who each year welcome the salvation granted by Jesus Christ. In the diocese of Dinajpur, there are 400 catechists in 18 parishes. Catechist Toruni Das, happy to have a new bicycle, comments to Fides: "I am very happy to receive this gift from the Bishop. I can use this bicycle for my pastoral work and now I can easily visit remote villages. I thank the Bishop and the priests for their affection". Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country with 165 million inhabitants and almost a million Christians, half of them Catholic. (FC-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 11/5/2021)
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