Martyr in Bangladesh

Chapter 3. Destination: Bangladesh

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Parma, Dec. 17, 1952: missionaries departing for Jessore (East Pakistan). From the left, Br. Leonardo Scalet, Fr. Mario Veronesi, and Fr. Marino Rigon

Two more years passed. The year 1952 was marked by four important events: a pilgrimage to Lourdes in August, his resignation from the post of rector, the opening of a new Xaverian mission in East Pakistan and his destination to the same. On November 24, his family bade him farewell at Rovereto railway station. Father Mario received his mother’s final blessing: they would never see each other again. At the age of 40, Mario Veronesi left his native mountains for a far off and unknown land, immortalized by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1913.

The Xaverians arrived in East Pakistan following their expulsion from China by the communists of Mao Tse Tung. In keeping with the Founder’s philosophy which preferred Asia as a mission field, the Xaverians moved to Japan, Indonesia and East Bengal, then called East Pakistan, today’s Bangladesh. British rule in India had come to an end in 1947, and Mahatma Gandhi, who had championed his people’s peaceful struggle for freedom, dreamt of a single grand State, a mother country of all religions. The Muslims, however, did not share this vision and, guided by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, they founded Pakistan, a state divided in two by India: Karachi was the capital city of the larger western part, and Dhaka was the capital of the smaller Eastern sector.

The Xaverians arrived in 1952, with Dante Battaglierin acting as Apostolic Administrator, to take care of the diocese of Jessore. The first followers of Conforti to arrive in East Pakistan were Fathers Albino Tessaro, Antonio Alberton, Mario Chiofi, Vittorino Dalla Valle and Amatore Dagnino, a former Superior General who had previously been in China. These were later joined by Brother Leonardo Scalet, Father Marino Rigon and three others who had been expelled from Mao’s China: Fathers Giuseppe Gitti, Francesco Spagnolo and Aldo Guarniero. Father Mario Veronesi arrived in Bombay with Brother Leonardo Scalet on January 14, 1953, at the end of a boat journey that had begun in the port of Trieste on December 20, 1952. They then embarked on a 1,300 mile train journey to Calcutta and from there, finally, to Jessore in East Pakistan.

Almost a year ago I asked to be allowed to go the missions, and my wish was granted. I am happy to be here and I am grateful to you and our Heavenly Mother for granting my request. I hope to spend the rest of my life in this country. 
Fr. Mario Veronesi

Their first impression was of an earthly paradise. The climate was hot and humid, with abundant rainfall that, however, often left death and destruction in its wake. The principal products of the country: bananas, dates, sugar cane, rice, jute; the rivers, canals, swamps, and the sea teemed with fish. At the mouth of the river Gange lies an immense green sweep, the Sunderbans forest, home to the famous Bengal tiger. The other side of the coin, however, was also very much in evidence: sickness, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, natural disasters and human violence.

The differences between the two Pakistans soon became clear: a common religion on its own is not enough to make one nation. The western government took the upper hand and the Bengalese began to feel once again like a colony. Power and money were in Karachi, leaving the Bengalese with the crumbs. Political parties sprung up pressing for independence. Bloodshed would soon follow.

As soon as he arrived in Jessore, Father Mario Veronesi began to study the Bengalese language. He also began to baptize, hear confessions, and visit the villages. The Apostolic Administrator Battaglierin wrote in a report that, on their arrival in the diocese, they had found three small orphanages, three churches and an inadequate building that housed a secondary school. Father Veronesi was sent to the biggest parish, in Khulna, which was later divided into two communities, Shelabunia and Baniarchok. He wrote to the superior General from Khulna on February 1, 1953: “My district includes almost half the diocese. There are two of us here, but Father Aldo Guarniero is always busy at the school. Almost a year ago I asked to be allowed to go the missions, and my wish was granted. I am happy to be here and I am grateful to you and our Heavenly Mother for granting my request. I hope to spend the rest of my life in this country”.

Fr. Mario visits one of the villages of Sunderbon

What a Parish!

On March 27, in another letter to the Superior General, he wrote: “In the last few days I have visited some of the communities that flourished during the times of the PIME missionaries. The people hadn’t seen a priest for three months, nor a sister in about 15 years. Their connections with the Protestants have made them even colder. They have been waiting for a long time to have a school and a full-time priest. This, of course, is impossible since I am alone. On February 25, after the retreat at Jessore, Father Battaglierin assigned the missionaries to the various missions. As you already know, I am in Khulna with Father Guarniero who will fill the post of headmaster in the school. This means that I will be in charge of the parish ministry (something which makes me very happy!) to a population of 3,010,000 souls, only 1,500 of whom are Catholics. This is half the entire diocese, and three times the size of Sierra Leone! Am I not justified in turning to you in the hope of some sympathy for my plight? I will do all that I can but it is an enormous task for one man. Perhaps my faith is not as strong as it should be, and this is why I do not obtain all I ask for; who knows what wonders the Lord would work if Saint Francis Xavier were here. I feel so inadequate and I ask the Lord to make me a better servant to the souls he has entrusted to my zealous care”.

Though Father Mario felt inadequate in the face of the challenge facing him, he did not lose heart; he explained in a letter to his mother on June 29 how he resorted to a good singsong to improve his morale. He also remarked: “I do not feel the pangs of nostalgia yet, and I do not expect this to happen ever. I was sent here by the Lord and I love this country and its people. It doesn’t matter if they are poor, dirty, sometimes tiresome and somewhat ungrateful. These are defects that can be found everywhere. Little by little, with God’s grace, their standard of life will improve and they will also then be able to give an example of Christian living. I am quite satisfied with my Christians”.

Returning from a village where he had taken part in a eucharistic procession, he commented that it was a pity to see only a few Christians; he hoped that, little by little, the Lord’s grace would conquer many other hearts. He was not content to be the pastor of his small flock; he wanted to be a missionary to all people.

Father Mario Veronesi was appointed the first parish priest of Khulna. Some time later, he wrote to one of his brothers back home in Rovereto, “I arrived in this district a few months ago. I look upon it as a single family that the Lord has entrusted to my care. My immense parish is made up of various towns and many villages, with 1,500 Catholics and more than 3,000,000 non-Christians. As you can imagine, there is no lack of work to do! How will I ever manage to reach them all? Who will help me? We need to build churches, schools and, above all, hospitals. I trust in Divine Providence”.

He rolled up his sleeves and got into the thick of action. He had to struggle against the misery and the hunger that had stricken many people. In a letter to a friend he wrote, “It is one thing to be poor, but downright misery, which means sometimes having nothing to eat, is certainly not good for the soul. We do what we can to help the people satisfy their material needs, but we do not have enough money. Our hands are tied and we suffer at the sight of so much suffering all around us”.

Nevertheless, with the strength of character so typical of those who come from mountain territory, he did not surrender. The number of Christians began to slowly increase and, with them, the number of activities and initiatives also increased. Father Mario encouraged, supported and helped his people in their human and Christian development. He prayed intensely and gave generously of himself. He loved the family that God had given him, and he loved God even more.

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