Caritas Bangladesh, a social development wing of the Catholic Church, marked the dual celebrations of the 2025 Teg O Sheha Abhijan (Lenten Campaign) and Caritas Sunday on April 6 at its central office.
The theme was “Let Us Journey Together in Faith and Hope.”
The event featured interfaith prayers, inspirational speeches, and a call to action for the Lenten Campaign, encouraging support for humanitarian efforts.
Archbishop Bejoy N. D’Cruze, OMI of Dhaka, attended as chief guest, with Caritas Bangladesh Executive Director Sebastian Rozario chairing the program.
Four keynote speakers were from major religions, namely Dr. Fr. Shipon Peter Rebeiro, Assistant Parish Priest of Vatara Quasia Parish and Professor at Holy Spirit Major Seminary (Christianity); Prof. Dr. Md. Sahidul Kabir, Chairman of the Microbiology Department at Notre Dame University Bangladesh (Islam); Shami Dabodhananando, Representative of Ramakrishna Mission, Dhaka (Hinduism); and Vadanta Chandrobangsho Thero, Principal of Narayanganj Central Buddhist Bihar (Buddhism). They highlighted the universal values of compassion, sacrifice, and support for the marginalized, praising CB’s commitment to foreign and local humanitarian efforts.
Archbishop D’Cruze said, “Trust strengthens our collective endeavors, while hope transforms lives.”
Caritas Bangladesh honored twenty staff members with long service awards for their 10 to 25 years of dedicated service.
The event concluded with a holy mass, reinforcing unity and shared purpose.
Mostly Catholics, Christians in Bangladesh number approximately 600,000 in a population of over 180 million.
About 400,000 Catholics live in eight dioceses in the South Asian country; half of them come from ethnic tribal backgrounds.
Other religions commend Christians for their contributions to social development, healthcare, and education, despite being a religious minority.
Catholicism has grown in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country, due to European and American missionaries over the last 500 years. In 2018, the Catholic Church celebrated 500 years since the advent of Catholicism.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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