(October, 01.2011) The first Bishop of the newly erected diocese of Sylhet in northeastern
Bangladesh was installed on Friday. The new Oblate Bishop Bejoy D’Cruze concelebrated
at the installation Mass held in the Immaculate Conception Church in Lokhipur, in
Moulvibazar district. Nine bishops, including Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Joseph
Marino and Archbishop Paulinus Costa of Dhaka, as well as several hundred priests,
nuns, and brothers joined about 3,000 Catholics who attended what was a historic event
for the local Church. Archbishop Marino read out the Apostolic Letter from the Holy
Father that canonically erected Sylhet as the country’s 7th diocese on July 8 this
year. Bishop D’Cruze had served as Bishop of Khulna before his appointment to the
new diocese. Sylhet, which covers four civil districts — Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj
and Moulvibazar was carved out of Dhaka archdiocese, making it a suffragan of the
same metropolitan Church. “The Catholic Church in Lokhipur shall be the temporary
cathedral under the patronage of Divine Mercy,” the apostolic letter said. The new
diocese has seven parishes and 11 mission centers with about 17,000 mostly tribal
Catholics, served by 21 priests and 33 Religious. “The faithful in Sylhet have waited
for autonomy for so long, and today their dream has come true,” Archbishop Paulinus
Costa said in his homily. (October 01, 2011) The first Bishop of the newly erected
diocese of Sylhet in northeastern Bangladesh was installed on Friday. The new Oblate
Bishop Bejoy D’Cruze concelebrated at the installation Mass held in the Immaculate
Conception Church in Lokhipur, in Moulvibazar district. Nine bishops, including Apostolic
Nuncio Archbishop Joseph Marino and Archbishop Paulinus Costa of Dhaka, as well as
several hundred priests, nuns, and brothers joined about 3,000 Catholics who attended
what was a historic event for the local Church. Archbishop Marino read out the Apostolic
Letter from the Holy Father that canonically erected Sylhet as the country’s 7th diocese
on July 8 this year. Bishop D’Cruze had served as Bishop of Khulna before his appointment
to the new diocese. Sylhet, which covers four civil districts — Sylhet, Sunamganj,
Habiganj and Moulvibazar was carved out of Dhaka archdiocese, making it a suffragan
of the same metropolitan Church. “The Catholic Church in Lokhipur shall be the temporary
cathedral under the patronage of Divine Mercy,” the apostolic letter said. The new
diocese has seven parishes and 11 mission centers with about 17,000 mostly tribal
Catholics, served by 21 priests and 33 Religious. “The faithful in Sylhet have waited
for autonomy for so long, and today their dream has come true,” Archbishop Paulinus
Costa said in his homily.