Pope Francis will ordain 16 priests on December 1 during his visit to Bangladesh, according to a report by Vatican Radio.
The ceremony will take place during a public Mass at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka, the report said.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the Mass.
The 16 deacons have studied at the only seminary in Bangladesh, the Holy Spirit Major Seminary. Among them, 10 are diocesan, a clergy or bishop in charge of a diocese, five are members of the Congregation of Holy Cross (CSC), and one is of the Oblate of Mary Immaculate (OMI).AsiaNews spoke with some of the deacons, who expressed their joy and excitement about the ceremony.
Jashim Marmu, a Santal from northern Dinajpur diocese, is to become the first priest from his village. He is eagerly looking forward to the ceremonious day.
“The first good news is that Pope Francis is coming to Bangladesh. The second is he will ordain me a priest,” he told AsiaNews.
Gracy Razario CSC, diocesan of the Dhaka Archdiocese, said: “For me it is a special blessing to be consecrated by him [Pope Francis].”
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Cizar Costa of the diocese in Rajshahi also expressed immense joy that Pope Francis was going to ordain and bless him.
He also thanked the ecclesiastical authorities of Bangladesh for such opportunity, along with his parents and family, who encouraged him to become a priest.
The Holy Spirit Major Seminary currently has 400 candidates for priesthood. Father Emmanuel Kanon Rozario, the rector of the seminary, said they were spiritually helping prepare the 16 future priests.
“In the final stage of preparation, they will participate in a prayer retreat that will take place on November 14-20,” he added.
“Becoming a priest is just the first step in the ministry of priesthood,” Father Emmanuel said, adding that the candidates had been adequately prepared and hoping the deacons would become “holy priests for the Catholic Church”.
Pope Francis is scheduled to stay in Bangladesh from November 30 to December 2, following his visit to Myanmar on November 27-30, which includes a meeting with Myanmar de facto leader and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a press release.
On December 1, during the morning public Mass, the Pope will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country’s bishops, and representatives of Christian churches as well as other religions.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
