Martyr in Bangladesh

Chapter 4. The 1968 floods

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Women work in Rice Fields in Bangladesh

In 1968, while the young people of the Western world were demonstrating in the squares, Father Mario Veronesi blessed the first well which provided water from 600 feet below the surface. A memorial stone bore the inscription “Isshorer dan”, which means “gift of God”.

In the same year, devastating floods brought two thirds of the country to its knees. It was a bad blow for Shimulia and Father Cobbe, who wrote an article for the missionary magazine of Vicenza, his home diocese: “The majority of people face this disaster with Christian resignation and this is demonstrated by the fact that almost all of them come to daily Mass. Our poor people have placed their trust in Divine Providence and the irrigation plan that we are carrying out. We hold meetings almost every evening to discuss what work is to be done and how to do it”.

Valerian Cobbe, however, was worn out by the heavy workload, the floods and the demands of his ministry. He spent almost one month resting in the Jessore hospital. In the meantime, hunger still reaped victims among his people. Back at work, his days were long: Mass, catechism, school, visits to the sick; a short break and then off to work in the fields.

In the evening he joined in the community prayer in church, or said the rosary with some families, then more meetings. The day ended with a little reading, the accounts and correspondence. He sometimes retired to bed at 2 am, only to get up again shortly afterwards. He was getting thinner and in danger of falling sick, yet he walked barefoot in the mud during the rainy season.

Sometimes I feel like going away somewhere, like the Lord did, to pray and forget everyone and everything. Unfortunately, however, I awaken to harsh reality and my heart bleeds for my people.
Fr. Valerian Cobbe

His letters from Shimulia were always full of news about what had been achieved and the things that still remained to be done: “Yesterday, I went to distribute palms in the villages. I walked about thirty miles through the fields. The people know their prayers, they have built a little church, but they have not yet been baptized. I have never before seen such squalid misery. The children and the elderly are all skin and bones, yet the people did not even ask me for any help. They only wanted to know when they were going to be baptized. It is almost incredible, but faith works miracles and perhaps these people understand the value of suffering. Their situation is desperate and even their material future is in the hands of the Lord” (April 8, 1968).

He was only 36 years old, but he felt the weight of the situation; in a letter dated 1968, he confessed: “Sometimes I feel like going away somewhere, like the Lord did, to pray and forget everyone and everything. Unfortunately, however, I awaken to harsh reality and my heart bleeds for my people. Things are so bad here that many missionaries before me had to leave, perhaps even as many as 20 fathers in 15 years”. Valerian Cobbe never gave up; he was tired, but he placed himself in God’s hands. 

Fr. Valerian with a small Bengoli child

A True Father

Exhaustion forced him to take another break in 1969. He told his family in a letter that he was not afraid of becoming old or ill before his time as long as he could help his people in any way. He confided to a friend that he would either live a decent life with his people or die poor with them. Little by little, his work produced fruits. The wells resulted in an abundant harvest.

People came from nearby villages to ask for food and he helped everyone: “I must have distributed about 600 pounds of rice. What else could I do?”. However, he had one complaint: “If only people in Italy could understand how much good can be achieved with just a little sacrifice, I am sure we could find the means to build another 100 wells, instead of just two or three. Hunger is a terrible and horrible thing, it makes people so mean, bad and envious. People in Italy are too well off to understand what I mean by this”.

He did not limit his efforts to the relief of hunger, preaching, providing work, schools and wells. He became someone who could be consulted on any kind of problem facing the community. He became a wise leader and people brought all sorts of problems for him to consider.

Father Cobbe taught his poor people that hard work was the best way to a dignified life. He led by his example. Fr. Silvano Garello wrote in his biography: “His poor people had become farmers thanks to the teachings of the experts who showed them how to cultivate rice and wheat. He worked with his people in the fields in order to share personally in their struggles. Now even the Hindus and the Muslims called him ‘Father’. A peaceful revolution was underway”. Father Cobbe commented: “It is almost a miracle to see Muslims, Christians and Hindus work in the same fields. Another amazing thing is that even the Christian women work in the fields: it is the first time in the history of this country that something of this nature has happened”.

Daily life was made up of small and great miracles, but there was no rhetoric, pietism or paternalism.  Fr. Valerian wrote to his parents on January 17, 1970, who were worried about him: “I remember you every morning in Mass, please pray for me. I owe everything to you, even my determination to persevere in my work. You instilled in me the trust in Divine Providence, as well as optimism and confidence in others, and I have always been rewarded. I have even learned to control my temper more”.

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