A Dutch religious brother in Bangladesh has been named member of the Order of Oranje-Nassau, a civil and military Dutch order that aims to honor people for their service to society.
Taize Brother Guillaume de Wolf was accorded the royal honor for his more than four decades of tireless service for the poor in Bangladesh.
Popularly known as Brother Giom, Brother Guillaume, 74, is one of three Taize brothers in Bangladesh, where he has been based since 1976.
The honor was announced on April 27, the national day of the Netherlands, but the award ceremony was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We honor our brother Guillaume for his good works especially for the needy street children and the disabled,” said Harry Verweij, Dutch ambassador to Bangladesh.
The ambassador conferred the award, a badge with blue and white-enameled bordered Maltese Cross, to Brother Giom at the historic Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection in Dhaka.
“His life is a great example and inspiration that true humanists don’t work for recognition or awards, but only because they love people,” said the ambassador.
“This has always been the motto of Brother Giom throughout his life. He is a man of simplicity but he has accomplished great deeds for the people,” he added.
For the past 40 years, Brother Giom has been working with the poor, especially street children and tribal young people.
Brother Guillaume was born in The Netherlands on April 15, 1946. After becoming a Taize brother, he came to Bangladesh in 1976.
He started work with young people in the Chittagong region, giving service to the poor and the handicapped.
He worked for five years in Chittagong, six years in Dhaka, and more than 25 years in Mymensingh. - RVA News
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.
Latest News
