The Holy Cross Mission Center is pleased to share written reflections from the Holy Cross participants in the 2024 Ganguly Exchange, an eight-week international ministry opportunity available to the U.S. Province’s men in formation. Their stories from Bangladesh, Kenya, Mexico, and Peru offer a window into the Congregation’s missionary charism.

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“Home in the Sacred Heart of Jesus”

By Andrew Copp, C.S.C.

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“Brother, will you forget us when you go back home to America?”

Thirty students from St. Martha’s School looked at me anxiously, waiting for me to respond to their heart-wrenching question. 

Something I had struggled with mightily during my two months at St. Joseph Parish in Sreemangal, Bangladesh, was the knowledge that I already had a plane ticket home in late July. My 20-ish-hour flight into Dhaka looked starkly different from the early Holy Cross missionaries. Their 19th-century boat journey took months, and they had no idea when—or even if—they might return to France, the United States, or Canada. 

Though getting to Bangladesh was just a plane ticket away, Bangladesh is still a difficult place for a white American Catholic religious to live in. The humidity positively oozes water from the air, I was instantly recognizable as bideshi (“foreigner”), I had only learned a few words in Bengali before I arrived, and the population is less than 1% Christian. My mom, Laura, could scarcely believe me when I told her of my hopes for the summer: “You want to go to Bangladesh for two months? Is it even safe?” Within the concrete walls of St. Joseph, I felt secure. With St. Joseph and the baby Jesus gazing at my oft-used seat on the 2nd floor of the parish rectory, I knew the Holy Family was looking after me. And the men of Holy Cross were incredibly attentive to my needs, constantly asking how they might make my experience better.

Though I was instructed to never travel beyond the boundaries of the parish compound on my own, I felt incredibly content and welcome as a member of Holy Cross—and as an honored guest—wherever in the parish I traveled. The incredible people I met instantly put me at ease: Fr. James, the pastor of St. Joseph Parish, who loved to share his wisdom from 25 years of Holy Cross priesthood in Bangladesh (“Without prayer, we are helpless,” he would say); Saheed, a 10th grader who longs to play professional soccer in America; Lehan-da, the perpetually smiling and laughing driver who has navigated the pitted and perilous roads of the parish for 25 years; Tuli, the constant spokesperson for the students who were too shy to practice their English with me. 

Every day was a delight because I finally understand the simplicity of the Catholic Church’s mission even amidst a socioeconomic situation as complicated as that of Bangladesh. Because I couldn’t speak Bengali at any appreciable length, my ministry was to be present, to pray, and to love. Each morning before the parish’s 6:00 AM Mass, I prayed that I might love the people I encountered a little more like the Sacred Heart of Jesus loves us. Thanks be to God, I had the time and energy for intercessory prayer like I never had before. Though my schedule has become more crowded since getting back home to Moreau Seminary community, the need I feel to pray for the people I met has only increased since being physically separated from them. I won’t forget Fr. James’s impassioned preaching with its occasional scatterings of English, Saheed’s rhythmic playing of the tabla, Lehan-da’s incredible composure as big touring buses passed within inches of our own vehicle, and Tuli’s quiet questions.

“Brother, will you forget us when you go back home to America?” I looked around the group, trying to look at them with the loving gaze of Jesus Christ. 

“I won’t forget you. Whenever you have Mass here, and I have Mass at home back in America, then we will be with each other in the Eucharist.” We share a home in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Learn more about Holy Cross in Bangladesh

Published: November 12, 2024