By Ripon Rozario, SJ
The establishment of the first novitiate in Bangladesh in 2022 marked a milestone for the Society of Jesus in the region, responding to growing pastoral needs and reflecting confidence that more men in Bangladesh are responding to the call to Jesuit life.
Three young men in Bangladesh had completed their pre-novitiate and were ready to begin their novitiate. Normally, they would have traveled abroad for this – most often to India, sometimes to Sri Lanka. But in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic closed borders and halted visa processing.
Faced with this situation, the Jesuit formation team considered three options: ask the men to wait until overseas novitiates could accept them again, with no clear timeline; encourage them to join another congregation or pursue diocesan priesthood; or establish a Jesuit novitiate in Bangladesh.
After consultation and prayerful discernment, they chose the third option and submitted their proposal to the Superior General, who recognized the urgency and thepastoral need of the moment and granted approval. On 16 July 2022, the first Jesuit Novitiate in Bangladesh opened with three novices at a newly prepared property in Mathbari, Gazipur. Today, seven novices are in formation. Two novitiate classes have already completed the first stage of Jesuit formation; four of those men have professed First Vows and continue their studies in India.
Formed in Diversity, Rooted in Local Reality
A defining feature of the novitiate is the diversity of those who enter. The novices come from different regions of Bangladesh and bring varied cultural and linguistic backgrounds, offering early experience in intercultural and interlingual living – an essential dimension of Jesuit life and mission.
Formation within their own cultural and social context allows novices to grow in awareness of the country’s social, religious, and political realities while appreciating the breadth of their local cultures more deeply. Through community interactions and apostolic placements across the country, they encounter firsthand the struggles, suffering, hopes and resilience of the local people. These experiences cultivate compassion, solidarity and a deeper sense of mission that will shape their future apostolic work.
Living close to the people also allows novices to organically form relationships with the local community, fostering mutual understanding and trust. The novices aren’t just praying and studying in isolation; they are living among and serving the local people, sharing their struggles and their joys.
Building a Culture of Vocation
Novices regularly participate in Sunday liturgies at the nearby parish church and assist in various liturgical ministries. Through these engagements, many people have come to know the Jesuits more closely. This visibility has sparked interest and curiosity among young people, gradually opening hearts to the possibility of religious life. The growing awareness is bearing fruit: an increasing number of young men are now discerning a Jesuit vocation.
There are six candidates in the candidate house and nine pre-novices in the pre-novitiate, with another five or six expected to enter the novitiate this June. What began as a response to a crisis has become a sign of growth, faith and commitment to preparing men for the service of the Church and society. Formed in the diversity of their own cultures and the realities of their homeland, these future Jesuits are being prepared to minister in their context and yet ready to go wherever the mission calls them.