Bengali Christians

Bengali Christians
বাঙালি খ্রিস্টান (Bangali Khrishtan), ফিরিঙ্গি (Firingi)
Total population
1,065,000
Regions with significant populations
 Bangladesh 550,000[1]
 India 515,000 (West Bengal)[2]
Languages
Bengali
Religion
Christianity
--- Catholicism
--- Protestantism
--- Indian Orthodox
Related ethnic groups
Bengali Muslims, Bengali Hindus, Bengali Buddhists
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Bengalis

Bengali Christians (Bengali: বাঙালি খ্রিস্টান) are adherents of Christianity among the Bengali people. They speak the Bengali language and are native to Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.

Christianity took root in Bengal after the arrival of Portuguese voyagers in the 16th century. It witnessed further conversions among the Bengali elite during the 19th century Bengali renaissance.

Bengali Christians have made significant contributions to Bengali culture, commerce and society. The region is home to venerable Christian missionary institutions, including the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa.

Archdiocese of Calcutta
Archdiocese of Dhaka

History

Christianity was established in Bengal by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The Portuguese settlement in Chittagong hosted the first Vicar Apostolic in Bengal.[3] Jesuit missionaries also established churches in Bandel and Dhaka. In 1682, there were 14,120 Roman Catholics in Bengal.[4] William Carey translated the Bible into Bengali in 1809. Many upper-class Bengalis in the British Indian capital Calcutta converted to Christianity during the Indian Renaissance.

The Missionaries of Charity was founded by the Ottoman-born nun Mother Teresa in Calcutta in 1950. It played a major role in supporting and sheltering refugees during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

Denominations

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church in Bangladesh is based in the Archdiocese of Dhaka, with dioceses in Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Sylhet and Rajshahi and Archdiocese of Chittagong, witj dioceses on Barisal and Khulna .[5]

The Roman Catholic Church in West Bengal is based in the Archdiocese of Calcutta.

Anglican Communion

There are three dioceses of the anglican Church of Bangladesh:

  • Diocese of Barisal
  • Diocese of Dhaka
  • Diocese of Kushtia

St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Calcutta (1813) of the Church of North India (CNI).

  • Diocese of Barrackpore
  • Diocese of Durgapur
  • Diocese of Calcutta

Other Denominations

Other denominations include:[6]

Demographics

Bengali Christians are considered a model minority in South Asia and usually enjoy a high literacy rate, low male-female sex ratio and a better socio-economic status.[7] Christian missionaries operate many schools, hospitals and shelters for the poor. They receive support from the Indian and Bangladeshi governments.

Kolkata, Dhaka. and Chittagong have significant Christian populations.

Culture

Lusophone heritage

Many Catholic Bengali Christians have Portuguese surnames. In a tradition similar to Bengali Muslims (who have Arabic and Persian names), Bengali Christians adopted Portuguese surnames due the early influence of Portuguese missionaries in spreading Christianity.

Common Catholic Bengali Christian surnames include Gomes, Rozario, D'Costa, Gonsalvez, Cruze, Dias, D’Silva and D’Souza among others.[8]

Christmas is known as “Borodin” (Big Day) and is a public holiday in both Bangladesh and Indian West Bengal.

Notable Bengali Christians

Religious Leaders

The Arts

Industry

Scholars

Politicians

  • Hubert Costa, Bangladeshi-Polish Member of Parliament
  • Promode Mankin, First Catholic and first member of the country's among Christian community to become a government minister in Bangladesh (as a member of the Bangladesh Awami League) and formerly representing Mymensingh-1 (constituency) (whom his son became his successor).
  • Jewel Areng, son of Promode Mankin. He is the youngest member of parliament (as a member of the Bangladesh Awami League) and the only Catholic, currently representing Mymensingh-1 (constituency) (whom his father was also his predecessor).
  • Harendra Coomer Mukerjee First Governor of West Bengal

Bangladesh Army

See also

References

  1. ↑ Luchesi, Brigitte (1999), "Bangladesh", in Fahlbusch, Erwin, Encyclopedia of Christianity 1, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, pp. 182–183, ISBN 0802824137
  2. ↑ http://ncm.nic.in/minority_population.pdf
  3. ↑ http://www.ctgdiocese.com/chronicle-snippets/
  4. ↑ Luchesi, Brigitte (1999), "Bangladesh", in Fahlbusch, Erwin, Encyclopedia of Christianity 1, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, pp. 182–183, ISBN 0802824137
  5. ↑ World Christian Encyclopedia, Second edition, 2001 Volume 1, p. 368-371
  6. ↑ World Christian Encyclopedia, Second edition, 2001 Volume 1, p. 368-371
  7. ↑ http://www.medindia.net/news/indiaspecial/Indian-Christians-Treat-Their-Women-Better-Sex-Ratio-Highest-31076-1.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.dhakatribune.com/feature/2014/jan/25/voc%25C3%25AA-fala-bangla
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