I. Early Stage:

During the post-independence period of Bangladesh, the pastoral plan of the Local Church was documented in 1985. The Chattogram Catholic Archdiocese was deeply convinced by the plan. To implement the same, the main felt needed then was the formation of the laity, priest, and religious.

Fr. Patrick D’Rozario, CSC (now Cardinal) started to develop a team to serve these needs which has gradually been named the ‘Pastoral Service Team’. The main task of this team was to organize formation programs (seminars, workshops, training, etc.) at the parish centers and also in scattered sub-centers, and even in villages or paras. Thus, at the early stage, the nature of PST was “mobile”.

The team was then comprised of 1 Priest, 2 Laymen, and 2 Sisters. Since then, there has always been at least a priest, a sister, and a layperson in the team so it always remains a reflection of the communion at the Church. The Pastoral Service Team remains under the authority of the Archbishop of Chattogram and functions as his pastoral office in collaboration with and according to the requirements of the parishes and diocesan commissions in providing formation to leaders as well as to others, to renew and build up the local Church.

Gradually a need for a center was also felt where the team may have offices to work and residential programs may be organized. In the meantime, the use of the Oriental Institute at Sagardi as a Bengali language school diminished to the point of closing it. By 1989, with consultations and agreement between the Chattogram Diocese and Holy Cross Priests’ Society, the work of transforming the Oriental Institute into a Pastoral Center began. In 1990 Oriental Institute was inaugurated as Pastoral Service and Retreat Center (PRC). According to the agreement, there remain two sections: 1) Maintenance Section, commonly known as PRC, under the authority of a Holy Cross Priest, 2) Program Section, commonly known as PST, headed by a director (Holy Cross Priest), 1 secretary, 1 lay person, and 1 LHC Sister. At a later period, one person (Holy Cross Priest) began to function as director of both sections.

During this initial stage of PST formation programs for different age groups were organized mainly focusing on the implementation of the Pastoral Plan for Church in Bangladesh.

II. Second stage:

At a later period both at the national and diocesan levels, different commissions were formed and began to function. At this time, in a more logical way, formation programs for different age groups and nature have begun to come under related commissions. For example, the formation for children and youth came under the Children and Youth Commission, the formation for lay people (adults) came under the Laity and Family Commission, etc.

During this time, formation programs under commissions became more centralized, in other words, such programs have been organized at the pastoral center, and the former “mobile” programs diminished. Parishes organized their own programs. Sometimes parishes could seek assistance from PST. But often parish-level programs were independent from PST. In this process, the activity of PST became limited to assisting commissions mainly with correspondence, secretarial works, and conducting residential programs at PRC.

III. Third stage:

The extended office of PST was initiated in Chattogram in 2004 with a layman Mr. Manik Willver D Costa as in-charge. On a later date, another layman Mr. Tony Larry Quiah was appointed as secretary. The office remains as a branch under its head office in Oriental Institute, Barishal.

IV. Fourth Stage:

In 2013, the headquarters of PST was transferred to Chattogram and Mr. Manik Willver D Costa was appointed diocesan pastoral coordinator. The office in Oriental Institute, Barishal became a regional office for Barishal. On a later date, a Salesian sister Nisha Gagra was appointed in the PST Chattogram office as program coordinator.

V. Fifth Stage:

In 2015, Barishal was erected as a separate diocese hence PST Barishal office was detached from the PST Chattogram. Diocesan Commissions’ working area was lessened within Cathedral, Jamalkhan, Diang, and Noakhali Parishes. Reorganizations of commissions took place, and 15 commissions and desks were created. Those are 1) Liturgy & Prayer, 2) Catechetics and Biblical, 3) Family Life, 4) Education, 5) Health Care, 6) Peace and Justice, 7) Inter Religious Dialogue and Christian Unity, 8) Social Communication, 9) Youth, 10) Laity, 11) Seminary, 12) Clergy & Religious, 13) Evangelization and PMS, 14) Migrants and Itinerant, and 15) Professional Affairs. A separate entity namely the CHT Pastoral Formation Team was formed to substitute diocesan commissions in the area of CHT.

VI. Sixth Stage:

The extended office of PST was opened in Bandarban in 2016 responsible for the CHT region with Fr. Bikash James Rebeiro, CSC as program coordinator and Mr. Khunthairoy Francis Tripura as secretary.

VII. Seventh Stage:

A development office was created in 2017 to deal with the projects with Mr. Mickey Paul Gonsalves as development executive (project) and Mr. Nepal Barua as Site Engineer.

1. To assist in building communion and community at the grassroots and parish level and to work for the same with other Churches and people of other religions. 
2. To provide formation and training to the laity- children, youth, and adults to deepen their Christian faith and commitment, to promote spiritual life and lay participation, and to develop lay ministries in the Church. 
3. To give assistance in the ongoing pastoral and spiritual formation of priests, religious, catechists, and other pastoral agents in the Church. 
4. To provide religious and spiritual motivation and formation to those people who are involved in human development work and who work for justice, peace and solidarity for the kingdom of God. 

1. To respond to the pastoral & catechetical needs and requests of the parishes.
2. To promote pastoral planning activities at the diocese and the parish level.
3. To help diocesan commissions or representatives to the episcopal commissions to implement their programs.
4. To animate seminars, workshops, courses, retreats, missions, and other gatherings organized by different groups.
5. To provide any necessary information.
6. To organize seminars, retreats, courses, and pastoral assemblies at the diocesan and regional levels.
7. To provide printed pastoral and catechetical aids in cooperation with other existing groups doing similar kinds of work.
8. To seek the help of resource persons outside of the PST.
9. To write project proposal of PST, execution, monitoring, and reporting.
10. To write other formation project proposals, execution, monitoring and reporting.
11. To visit parishes for pastoral reasons whenever required.

A. Organogram:

B. Cycle:

1. Personal evaluation (members review the previous month’s activities and prepare a new plan as per the rationales).
2. Planning & accountability (individual members plan their activities for the month and submit them to the team leader).
3. Coordination & collaboration (team leader combines all plans and sends back with new inputs, members extend helping hand to each other).
4. Team evaluation (members meet in the team meeting and evaluate the plan with the outcomes).