Dhaka (AsiaNews) – In a country where Christians make up less than one per cent of the population, the centenary of Bangladesh’s first minor seminary was both a celebration of the past and a call to the future. Church leaders urged Catholic families to contribute to the formation of a new generation of men called to the priestly vocation.
Yesterday, more than a thousand faithful – including priests, former seminarians, religious and lay Catholics – gathered at the Little Flower Minor Seminary in Bandura, some 40 km from Dhaka, to celebrate the institution’s centenary. The event highlighted the seminary’s enduring role in the life of the Church in Bangladesh, which over the past century has drawn heavily on local vocations to sustain its growth.
Presiding over the anniversary Mass, the Archbishop of Dhaka, Bejoy N. D’Cruze, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh, described the seminary as “the cradle of the priesthood” in the country. “Located in the parish of Hasnabad, this seminary has played a fundamental role in the spiritual, intellectual and human formation of future priests,” he said, recalling generations of rectors and formators who have shaped the institution’s legacy.
The issue of vocations in Asia
The archbishop took the opportunity to address a concern shared by many local Churches across Asia: the need to encourage priestly and religious vocations in an era of rapid social change and growing opportunities outside church life. “I urge you to send your sons and grandsons to this seminary to become priests,” he told the faithful. “Encourage others to do the same. May this seminary never stand empty.”
His words resonated with many former students who had returned to Bandura to pay tribute to an institution that had shaped their lives, even when their paths had led them away from the priesthood. Among them was Augustine Pratap Gomes, chairman of the Metropolitan Christian Co-operative Housing Society Ltd. – a Christian housing and financial co-operative founded in Dhaka – who entered the seminary in 1981 alongside 84 other young men.
“Six of them eventually became priests,” he recalled.
“Those who became priests serve the Church by proclaiming the Gospel. Those of us who have taken up different professions serve society in other ways. The formation we received here helped us find our way in life.” For Gomes, the seminary’s contribution goes beyond the formation of the clergy. It has shaped citizens, professionals and community leaders who continue to serve both the nation and the Church.
5,000 young people trained since 1926
Founded in 1926 by the American missionary of the Order of the Holy Cross, Fr John Baptist Delaunay, the Little Flower Minor Seminary was the first Catholic institution in what is now Bangladesh dedicated specifically to the formation of priestly vocations. Over the course of the last century, nearly 5,000 young people have studied there.
Its alumni include five archbishops, five bishops, seven monsignors, around 200 priests and four friars. Many others have become teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, civil servants and entrepreneurs.
Recognising this far-reaching impact, Archbishop D’Cruze noted that only a small percentage of seminarians go on to become priests. However, he added, the values and discipline acquired during their seminary training continue to shape the students’ lives long after they have left its walls.
“Even those who did not become priests have grown into people of worth and have built successful lives,” he said. “They are contributing to the Church and to society in many different ways.”
Dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the seminary currently accommodates 52 seminarians. As the Catholic community in Bangladesh looks to the future, the centenary celebrations have highlighted not only a century of priestly formation, but also the untold story of a small institution that has helped to shape the leadership of both the Church and society within a religious minority community.
