Miriam Church, Diang

P.O. Fazilkharhat, Upazila: Karnaphuli

Chattogram-4371

Bangladesh

Cell phone (Parish Priest): +88 01308779015

Sunday:

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Monday-Saturday:

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District: Chattogram

The area under Karnaphuli Upazila: Charlakshya, Juldha, Charpatharghata, Bara uthan, Shikalbaha.

The area under Patiya Upazila: Kolagaon, Habilasdwip, Kusumpura, Jiri, Kashiaish, Ashia, Jangalkhain, Baralia, Dhalghat, Kelishahar, Haidgaon, Dakshin bhurshi, Bhatikhain, Chanhara, Kachuai, Kharana, Shobhandandi.

The area under Banshkhali Upazila: Pukuria, Sadhanpur, Khankhanabad, Baharchhara, Kalipur, Bailchhari, Katharia, Saral, Shilkup, Chambal, Gandamara, Shekherkhil, Puichhari, Chhanua.

The area under Anwara Upazila: Bairag, Barashat, Raipur, Battali, Barumchhara, Barakhain, Anwara Sadar, Chatori, Paraikora, Haildhar, Juidandi.

The area under Chandanaish Upazila: Kanchanabad, Joara, Barkal, Barama, Bailtali, Satbaria, Hashimpur, Dohazari, Dhopachhari.

The area under Satkania Upazila: Charati, Khagaria, Nalua, Kanchana, Amilaish, Eochiai, Madarsha, Dhemsha, Pashchim Dhemsha, Keochia, Kaliaish, Dharmapur, Bazalia, Puranagar, Sadaha, Satkania, Sonakania.

The area under Lohagara Upazila: Barahatia, Amirabad, Padua, Charamba, Kalauzan, Lohagara, Putibila, Chunati, Adhunagar.

oIn the literature of the 16th and 17th centuries, the name ‘City of Bengala’ appears repeatedly. Although Portuguese merchants established regular trade relations with Bengal beginning in 1518 A.D., an explorer named Varthema mentions the advent of the city, i.e. ‘City of Bengala’, in 1510 A.D. Duarte de Barbosa was among the first to map Africa and the subcontinent of India. “This sea (Bay of Bengal) is a gulf that enters from the north,” he explains. Bengala is a large city inhabited by Muslims with a beautiful port located inland from the coast. He meant by Bengal the region of present-day Chattogram city. However, Portuguese writers mentioned Chatigam, or modern-day Chittogram, as a city in Bengala and depicted its location further south of Chatigam. Father Hosten, a missionary, erroneously concluded that Diang was the first Portuguese settlement in the Bay of Bengal and that it was named Porto Grande, which means harbour. In reality, Porto Grande was located in present-day Chittagong. In 1540 A.D., an explorer named The Burroughs included Chatigam on his map, but City of Bengala and Diang were not mentioned. Another explorer named Ovington clarifies the confusion by identifying Chatigam or Chattogram as the City of Bengala and stating that Portuguese authors have incorrectly depicted the location of the City of Bengala as being further south.

Late in the fifteenth century, however, Christian communities were established in Diang. In 1598 A.D., Father Francesco Fernandez and Father Domingo de Souza of the Jesuit community were the first missionaries to arrive in Bengal. Since Diang was inhabited by Portuguese Christians at the time of Father Francisco Fernández’s 1599 AD visit, it was necessary for him to make the journey there. In a letter he sent to the Cochin Diocese on 22 December 1599 from Diang, he refers to Diang as Chattogram’s port city. Since then, Diang has become known as the Port of Firingi in the annals of Portuguese history. Father Francesco protested vehemently when he discovered that the Arakans were enslaving numerous Portuguese children and women. As a result, he was apprehended in 1602 and had an eye removed. He was the first Bengali Christian martyr to perish in captivity, and his name is recorded in history. At the base of the Diang hills, which extend over a three-mile ridge along the south bank of the Karnaphuli, the name Diang persists. Diang was then ruled by the kingdom of Arakan. In his letter, Father Fernandez mentions that there are many Portuguese residing in Diang. When the Portuguese requested land from the King of Arakan in order to construct a church, the land was granted. In 1601 A.D., two Dominican priests, Father Gaspar the Assumption and Father Belchior the Luz, established a 3200-square-foot church and a hermitage in Diang at the invitation of the Portuguese. This is the third church to be constructed in Chattogram. Two weeks later, however, the church was destroyed by a fire during the conflict. Until 1602 AD, Arakan King was amicable with the Portuguese garrisoned in Chittagong and Diang. In 1602 AD, when the Portuguese seized Sandwip from the King of Bakla, hostility with the Arakan King began. He began to view the Portuguese as a security threat to his dominion.

A Portuguese warrior by the name of Filippi de Brito e Nicote collaborated with the Arakan monarch Salim Shah, fought against the Tangur king, and brought the place known as ‘Pegu’ under the Arakan king’s control. As a consequence, Nikote became the Arakan King’s favourite. But subsequently, the Portuguese emperor appointed Nicote as the commander of the occupation of Pegu. After eight months of conflict, another warrior named Salvador Ribeiro D’Souza defeated King Salim Shah and captured Pegu. Later, Nikote succeeded Masinga as the monarch of Pegu. Brito e Nicote dispatched his son to the King of Arakan to negotiate the port of Diang’s tenancy. But the Arakanese monarch summoned Nicote’s son and all those who accompanied him to court, where he was executed. In 1607 A.D., the Arakan King executed 600 peacefully residing Portuguese women, men, and children in Diang who had nothing to do with Nicote’s politics. At that time, a Portuguese named Sebastio Gonzales Tibau escaped the attack of the Arakan monarch with about ten other Portuguese. Tibau rose to prominence in Portuguese history and avenged the atrocity at Diang. After 1615 AD, the Portuguese reoccupied Diang. At this time, Portuguese explorers commenced employment with the Arakan King. Salim Shah continued to rely on Portuguese assistance to endure against the Mughal Empire. The current Christian neighbourhood of Diang is evidence of the Portuguese who returned in 1615 AD and settled the area. The Old Cemetery is a cemetery located near the Christian Quarter. It is believed that martyred Christians from the year 1607 were interred in this cemetery.

In 1630 AD, Arakan King Salim Shah discovered that the Portuguese were conspiring with the Mughal emperor to seize control of his realm. In addition, he secretly attacked the Portuguese and began planning the overthrow of Diang Port. The Portuguese of Diang were somehow informed of this preparation. A priest named Father Manrique was ministering in Diang at the time. On 2 July 1630 A.D., he set sail from Diang port on the Gelia for Arakan to meet the King of Arakan. At the time, the weather was extremely poor. On the third day, after traversing the Kutubdia Channel and Matamuhuri River, they reached Ramu, which is now within the district of Cox’s Bazar. Father Manrique mentions the city of Ramu. They were unable to leave the ship due to the severe tempest. Probably, they crossed the Bakkhali River to get there. Due to inclement weather, they were able to reach Gorzonia in the district of Cox’s Bazar. When travel by ship was no longer feasible, they began their journey on land on July 8. Through Teknaf, they reached Arakan from there. Prince Shuja utilized this route during his conflict with the Arakans. Father Manrique was successful in persuading the monarch that the Portuguese posed no danger to his kingdom. Father Sebastian Manrique, an Augustinian friar, was in Diang between 1629 and 1631 and visited numerous regions, including Arakan. During that period, he was accompanied by two Augustinian priests, Father Manuel de la Conception, and Father Diogo Colan. At the time, these three fathers initiated 11,407 individuals in Diang and Chattogram. Then, Father Manrique discovered the ruins of the 1601 AD church constructed by the Dominican Fathers. Father Blaez Nunes (1612), Father Caputti (1617), and Father Jean Cabral (1620) were also documented to have served Diang in the eleventh century.

From the 16th century onwards, little is known about the pastoral and sacramental care of Diang Christians, whether clerics of any denomination existed, or if any existed at all. However, historical records indicate that the Fathers travelled from Chattogram to care for the local Christians. Brother Flavian Laplante arrived in Bangladesh in 1932 as a Holy Cross Society missionary. As a consequence of the Second World War, the Bengal famine struck Chattogram in 1943. In Chattogram, thousands of people began dying of malnutrition. The community of fishermen, who are economically at the bottom of society, are the hardest hit by this crisis. With the assistance of fishermen, he established a shelter camp and provisions on the banks of the Karnaphuli River in the Chattogram neighbourhood of Chaktai. The British government awarded Brother Flavian the ‘Kaiser-e-Hind’ medal for his outstanding contribution. The government appointed him as a ‘liaison officer’ to sustain communication with the distressed fishermen.

In the refugee camp, he observed a large number of orphaned children meandering around. Brother Flavian became concerned for the children’s future. His life thereafter took a distinct path. During this period, Father Bertrand Rodrigues toured the Christian neighbourhood of Diang with Brother Flavian. The current location of Diang, the Maria and Joseph neighbourhood, did not exist at the time. After World War II, he purchased the current site of Diang and began social development efforts, constructing the mission at its present location. In 1945-1946, he brought 200 orphans from Chaktai and established an orphanage there, providing sustenance, education, and vocational training. Additionally, he invited several families of fishermen to Diang to care for the children with family compassion.

Brother Flavian founded the Miriam Ashram School in 1946 AD with the assistance of Brother Godfrey Dennis, CSC, for the purpose of educating orphanage and local children. The school was upgraded to secondary status in 1967. In 1957, Brother Flavian was transferred for several years from Diang to Noakhali. He returned in 1962 A.D. and spent the remainder of his life in Diang. In the same year, he christened Diang Marim Ashram. Since then, he has been concerned in a variety of education and development-related social works. With the assistance of Sister Pauline Nadeau of the Holy Cross Society, the Sewing and Handicraft Education Centre was founded in 1968 to promote women’s independence. He continued to advance the disadvantaged fishermen by undertaking housing projects, health service centres, and cooperative societies, among other initiatives. He founded the Kalidah Fishing Project in 1975. Through this initiative, he began training fishermen in the construction and repair of mechanised vessels.

After returning from his fifth and final vacation in Canada on December 24, 1976, withdrew from social service work and began an ascetic lifestyle by establishing an ashram approximately 500 yards from the home of the Holy Cross Brothers. On 1 October 1978, he constructed the Grotto of the Mother Mary in the hermitage and on 11 February 1979, he organised the feast of the Oir Lady of Lourdes. This event was witnessed by 800 devotees. Later, the late Bishop Joachim Rozario, the third Bishop of Chattogram, CSC, acknowledged Mariam Ashram as a pilgrimage site. Since then, Mother Mary’s pilgrimage is held annually on the second Thursday and Friday of February in Diang, where thousands of devotees from across the nation participate. Later, Father Raymond Dujarière, PRADO; Father Belloni, PIME served as the Ashram’s guru. Currently, Brother Lawrence Dias, CSC, is the hermit of Diang Ashram. Since the 1970s, priests routinely travelled from Chattogram to Diang to celebrate Mass. Later, the priests began to reside in Diang permanently.

The Sisters of the R.N.D.M. community established a permanent mission in Diang in 1978. In addition to their charitable activity in parish, they currently operate four preparatory schools and a health center for poor children.
Brother Flavian Laplante, CSC passed away on June 19, 1981 and according to his final desires, was interred in the cemetery adjacent to the current church in Diang. In 1998, the government of Bangladesh made steps to acquire a substantial portion of Diang for the Korean Export Processing Zone. As a consequence, many portions of this historically significant land were destroyed, affecting numerous living families. In 2009, Mariam Ashram Diang was elevated to the status of parish, and the process of the beatification process of Brother Flavian commenced. In 2010, the two-story church was inaugurated and consecrated in Diang.
In honour of the 500th anniversary of the Christian pilgrimage, on February 7 and 8, 2019, the Diocese reconstructed the walls, crosses, and built a permanent altar in the ancient cemetery of Diang, as well as permanent altar platforms and galleries for pilgrims at the pilgrimage site. At the shrine, the Brothers of the Holy Cross also constructed a magnificent rosary garden.

Parish Priest: Fr. Cyprian Pinto, SVD.

Assistant Parish Priest: Fr. Fr. Justine Thomas, SVD.

Congregation of Holy Cross Brothers (CSC): 5 Brothers serving.

Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM): 3 Sisters serving.

1. Parish Pastoral Council.
2. Liturgy Sub-committee.
3. Justice and Peace Sub-committee.

1. Bangladesh Catholic Students’ Movement (BCSM).
2. Young Christian Students (YCS).
3. Holy Childhood Society.
4. Legion of Mary.
5. Society of Saint Vincent De Paul (SSVP).

1. Miriam Ashram School, Est. 1946 AD.
2. Miriam Ashram Shishu Mongol School. 
3. Village Primary School-2. 

Miriam Health Center, Est. 1948 AD.

1. Miriam Ashram Boys’ Hostel, Est. 1946 AD. 
2. Miriam Ashram Christian Cooperative Credit Union Ltd.
3. Mohila Milon Cooperative Credit Union Ltd. 

Catholics: 744

Sub-centers: 1

Church wards: 4

Church: 2

Prayer leaders: 16 (Volunteers)

Parish workers: 2

Sr. Anjali D’Silva, LHC