Gopalpur mourns Sr Filomena Alicandro, who died after 50 years of service to the poor and to women
A Missionary of the Immaculate Conception originally from Italy, she passed away at the age of 89 after a long illness. In 1989, she set up a sewing and handicraft centre in Natore to empower women and give them financial independence. She “was like our mother,” the beneficiaries say.
Natore (AsiaNews) – The Catholic community of Bangladesh is mourning the passing of Sister Filomena Alicandro, a missionary of the Immaculate Conception, who died yesterday in Italy at the age of 89 after a long illness.
For more than five decades, she lived and worked in Bangladesh, becoming a familiar presence among Bengali and indigenous Christian communities, particularly in Gopalpur, a parish in Natore district, western Bangladesh.
Her missionary life was marked by her commitment to the poor and women.
Born on 28 January 1937, in the Diocese of Gaeta (Italy), Sister Filomena joined the Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception in 1961 and arrived in Bangladesh in 1966.
During her long mission, she also received international recognition for her service to the poor.
In 1989, she set up the Women Development Centre in Gopalpur, a sewing and handicrafts initiative that has become a fundamental resource for hundreds of marginalised women.
The centre continues to offer basic training in sewing and embroidery, enabling women to earn an independent income and contribute to their households, which are concrete steps to their social emancipation.
“Sister Filomena was like our mother. She used to be our shadow,” said Chobi Costa, one of the beneficiaries of the sewing centre. “She taught us how to cut and sew clothes, holding our hands with deep compassion.”
Costa recalls how, before entering the centre, she had no source of income. “If I were unemployed, I would not have been able to educate my two daughters,” she explained. Today, one of her daughters is a university graduate, while the other is studying nursing.
In addition to her social work, Sister Filomena carried out intense pastoral outreach. According to Sister Veronica Costa, who lived with her in the same convent for many years, her fellow nun "was a true missionary. Through her life and behaviour, she bore witness to Jesus among people of all religions.”
Sister Filomena's daily life was punctuated by family visits and daily spiritual guidance. “She knew every family personally and would visit them regularly,” Sister Veronica explained. “Every Friday, she conducted catechism class to women and supported children’s education, especially those whose mothers worked in the sewing centre.”
The nun travelled from village to village and reached remote communities to proclaim the Gospel.
"She adapted very well to the country," Sister Veronica recalls. "She loved Bangladeshi food, language, and culture. She truly became one with the people."
Her health had deteriorated in recent years. In 2022, a fall caused her to fracture her leg. She subsequently returned to Italy for medical treatment, but expressed a desire to return to Bangladesh, which she considered her true home.
Sister Shefali Pereira, currently director of the Gopalpur centre, reports that hundreds of faithful will gather in the local church for a prayer of suffrage.
Sister Emma D'Costa, a PIME nun from Bangladesh who worked with her in the 1980s, remembers her as a “simple person with great missionary zeal”, emphasising that she “was more Bengali than the Bengalis.”
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29/08/2023 13:50
