The newly consecrated Bishop of Barishal Diocese in Bangladesh says he will commit to nurturing the Catholics’ faith.
The episcopal consecration and the installation of the new Bishop, Emmanuel Kanan Rozario, took place at the Udayan Secondary School in Barishal on August 19.
"To be chosen as the bishop of Barishal a call to migration. In the Bible, Abraham was called by God to go to another country. I left my diocese of Rajshahi to come here, where I have never worked,” he said.
The 59-year-old Bishop Rozario said that as the shepherd of Barishal, he will listen to Catholics and take care of them.
The principal consecrator was Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D’Cruze of Dhaka, and the co-consecrators were Archbishop Lawrence Subrata Howlader of Chattogram and Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi.
Among the guests were Archbishop George Kocherry (Nuncio to Bangladesh), Cardinal Patrick D'Rosario, former archbishop of Dhaka, prelates from the other nine dioceses, over 300 priests, 200 nuns, 4,000 Catholics, and state, national, and local government dignitaries.
In his homily, Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi said the new bishop of Barishal must preach the Gospel and serve people with compassion, understanding, and mercy.
Emmanuel Rozario Rozario was appointed by Pope Francis on June 21 as the second bishop of Barishal.
The first bishop of Barishal was Howlader, who led the diocese from 2015 to 2021.
Rozario was born on February 8, 1963, as a priest in the Rajshahi diocese.
He studied philosophy and theology at the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Dhaka and was ordained a priest on Dec. 28, 1993.
He obtained a Licentiate and Doctorate Degree in Biblical Theology from the Pontificia Universitas Urbaniana, Rome.
He was an assistant parish priest at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Bonpara, as well as a parish priest at Maria Virgo Potens Catholic Church in Borni and Holy Family Catholic Church in Kolimnagar. After that, he was the parish priest of Good Shepherd Cathedral Parish in Baganpara.
He has taught Sacred Scripture at the Holy Spirit Major Seminary, Dhaka, since 2004.
He worked as a formator at the Holy Spirit Major Seminary for 11 years, five years as Dean of Studies, and as vice-rector and rector.
He has been working as a member of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences - Office of Theological Concerns (FABC-OTC) and as an executive secretary of the FABC Office of Laity and Family (FABC-OLF).
Pope Francis erected the new Catholic Diocese of Barisal on December 29, 2015, and it is the eighth diocese in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country.
Before the creation of the Barisal Diocese, the district of Gopalganj (a portion) was under the Dhaka Division along with the Chittagong and Khulna Dioceses. But now the district of Gopalganj is fully included under the Barishal Diocese territory.
The region of Barishal Diocese is 20,708 square kilometers divided into two— Barishal and Dhaka, with 11 civil districts of Bangladesh.
It covers nine civil districts (Barishal, Bhola, Jhalokathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Madaripur, Shariatpur, and a portion of Gopalganj) from the territory of Chittagong Diocese, two civil districts (Faridpur and Rajbari) from Khulna Diocese.
The diocese has six parishes and two quasi-parishes with a total Catholic population of 18,598. It has 13 diocesan priests, five Holy Cross priests, five Holy Cross brothers, and more than 50 nuns from different religious congregations.
The new bishop of Barishal would continue the pastoral work initiated by the Missionaries of the Holy Cross Congregation and other religious orders, said Father Vipul David Das.
"It is necessary to involve and ensure the participation of the people to promote and accelerate the pastoral work and strengthen people’s spiritual life," said Das, a priest of Barishal.
Mary Biswas said, "I am happy to participate in the ceremony of the new bishop. We pray for the episcopal ministry of the new bishop of Barishal. "
John Biswas, a young man, said, "This was the first episcopal ceremony I took part in, which was a new experience for me." - Mary Anna Gomes
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