Fr. Seamus
P. FINN, Director of the United States Province’s JPIC Office, tells of a recent
visit to Bangladesh.
Tea estates have a long history in
Bangladesh and they continue to operate in various parts of the Sylhet region in
northeastern Bangladesh. Many of them are located in the newly established diocese
of Sylhet where Bejoy D’CRUZE was named bishop in 2011. I visited a few of these
estates with my Oblate colleagues and others during a visit to Bangladesh in January
of 2012. The workers and their families live on the estates isolated from many of
the normal activities in society and cut off from many established transportation
routes. This includes access to basic education and medical services.
The church has been one of the key
actors in the effort to make these basic needs available in the small villages where
many workers and their children live. This outreach and ministry has also been one
of the priorities for Oblates working in the region. During our visit to the villages
in three different communities, I was impressed by the energy and joy displayed
by the students at the various schools and how they communicated the beauty and
strength of their culture. The bright colors of their traditional costumes added
life to their dances and skits, as did the mixture of traditional and contemporary
music that accompanied their performances. I also found myself hopeful that these
gifts would continue to find room in the life of the newest diocese in Bangladesh.
Oblate JPIC staff work closely with
Bangladeshi environmental activists, whether in the forested northeastern Sylhet
region or in Dhaka, a city of over 16 million people. The issues are different,
but the dynamics are similar: ordinary people are suffering from a rampant disregard
for the integrity of creation. In Sylhet, illegal logging threatens the livelihoods
and villages of the indigenous Khasi and Garo peoples. Oblates are working with
the communities to help them gain title to their ancestral lands - essential to
protecting the forests. In Dhaka, the Buriganga River Keeper works with other environmentalists
and communities to clean up the badly polluted Buriganga River that is the lifeblood
of the city. The Oblate JPIC Office coordinates with both efforts, linking them
with international support. (JPIC Report [USA], Spring 2012)
