Bangladesh Diocesan Priests' Fraternity Holds Annual Meeting and Conference on Pilgrimage of Hope

The Bangladesh Diocesan Priests’ Fraternity (BDPF) held its annual meeting at the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Banani, northern Dhaka, from June 24 to 27, drawing over 164 participants, including Archbishops, Bishops, and priests from various dioceses across Bangladesh.

The central theme of this year’s assembly was “Pilgrims of Hope with the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

The inaugural Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Auxiliary Bishop Subroto Boniface Gomes of the Archdiocese of Dhaka. In his homily, the bishop said,

“We are holding this assembly in the Jubilee Year with Mother Mary. She is the Mother of priests. Let this pilgrimage with our Mother be fruitful.”

Father Mintu Lawrence Palma, President of the Fraternity, delivered the welcome address at the opening ceremony. He said,

“This year, during the Jubilee Year of Jesus’ birth, we are meditating on the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ Without hope, human beings cannot live.”

In his homily at the closing Eucharist, Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze of Dhaka said,

“We are in the Jubilee Year of Jesus’ birth. This Jubilee speaks to us of hope, and we are reflecting on this hope. Faith is born from hope. So, we must become people of hope.”
“We must remain hopeful that Jesus will relieve our burdens. When we learn to embrace our suffering, it becomes praise to God,” he added.

Emphasizing the importance of such a gathering, Father Paul Gomes, Rector of the Holy Spirit Major Seminary and host of the assembly, said, “This seminary is our common home. It is here that we received education, spirituality, care, and love that made us priests. Despite our busy schedules, we came together, and this is the journey of diocesan priests in Bangladesh.”

Bishop Paul Ponen Kubi, CSC, of the Diocese of Mymensingh, remarked, “The Jubilee Year inspires us to live anew in hope. We are currently in a global context marked by war, unrest, division, and turmoil. In this reality, the birth Jubilee of Jesus proclaims a message of hope.”

In addition to conferences on various themes, the assembly included activities such as the sharing of annual pastoral experiences, the unveiling of books and souvenir publications, the reading of the previous meeting’s minutes, and the election of a new executive committee.

In his closing remarks, Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi expressed his gratitude, saying: “The chosen theme for this year’s assembly, in union with the Jubilee of Jesus’ birth, is very timely. Let us never forget the hope we live by. If we truly love the Church, we must serve it. And serving the Church is serving Jesus.”