Bangladesh’s pioneer nun in social upliftment, women’s empowerment dies at 93

A Catholic nun, a pioneer in social upliftment and women’s empowerment in Bangladesh, died on June 24. She was 93.

Sister Mary Lillian, a member of the Associates of Mary Queen of Apostles, better known as the SMRA Sisters, died due to age-related causes.

For over four decades, she led the Jagorani Handicraft Center in Tejgaon, where she trained thousands of underprivileged women in jute craft, sewing, and small enterprise skills.

After the Bangladesh Liberation War, the nun founded Jagorani Handicraft Center in 1971 to give those in need access to sources of income.

Her work gave dignity and livelihood to countless widowed and displaced women.

With a primary focus on jute products, terracotta, and other regional materials, the Jagorani Handicraft Center is a Dhaka-based organization dedicated to empowering women via craft instruction and sales.

By giving them a platform to sell their handcrafted goods and skill training, the center aims to empower women and enable them to live as dignified individuals in society.

Jagorani manufactures various products, including jute goods, terracotta figurines, woven baskets, candles, jewelry, hand-painted objects, rugs, wooden trays, handbags, and clothing.

Sister Mary Lillian and other trainers expanded the center's craft training programs to include rural villages.

Thousands of women have benefited greatly from Jagorani, which has allowed them to raise their standard of living and earn a living.

Since its modest beginnings, the center has expanded to engage thousands of people and has partnered with groups such as the Christian Organization for Relief and Rehabilitation (CORR)—The Jute Works (CJW) is a church-based handicraft cooperative in Bangladesh—to increase its influence and reach.

Exports of Jagorani's goods have expanded the organization's influence and reach internationally.

Her life was a testament to tireless compassion, service, and a lifelong commitment to social work and women's empowerment. 

Her mission was clear. “If a woman is skilled, she can support her entire family.”

Her work brought enormous transformation, inspiring confidence, independence, and dignity among Bangladesh’s most vulnerable women.

For her outstanding service, she received the Benemerenti Medal from Pope Francis, a global acknowledgment of her humble yet heroic life.

“Though she has left this world, the light of her legacy continues to shine in the empowered lives of thousands,” said Ripon Abraham Tolentino, a local Catholic journalist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.