In Luxmibazar, Old Dhaka, stands a rectory which has housed Holy Cross missionaries since 1868. Providing priests a space to return to for rest and restoration after each day’s hard work, the rectory has sheltered men who have given their lives to bring the people of Dhaka to Christ for more than a century. 

The seeds that were sown by those first missionaries have been continually watered through the work of their successors, and today Holy Cross Catholic Church, Luxmibazar, serves 1,600 faithful Catholics—an impressive figure in a predominantly Muslim country where Christians represent only around 0.3% of the population. 

The Congregation of Holy Cross’s presence in Dhaka represents both Blessed Basil Moreau’s courageous “yes” to the Vatican’s request to send his men where others had refused to go due to East Bengal’s impoverished state and challenging climate, as well as the endurance of the priests and brothers who have weathered the area’s long and sweltering summers, cyclones, and monsoon rains. 

Although the men of Holy Cross have endured all this well, the rectory has not. Aged and weather-beaten, the three-story building’s roof became dilapidated over time, placing its occupants–two C.S.C. priests, a diocesan priest, and eight staff members–at risk. 

Due to the generosity of donors, Holy Cross Mission Center (HCMC) was able to provide Holy Cross Parish, Luxmibizar, with $10,000 in response to their formal project proposal for renovation repair work. In addition to these funds, the parish also received around $400 from local fundraising. 

At the time he requested funding, Rev. Donel Stephen Cruze, C.S.C., the parish priest, told the Mission Center, “At present, this old historical building condition is very poor and we priests are living under risks. Very urgently, we need to renovate and change the broken roof.” 

After the funding was received, construction began on the rectory on October 30, 2023, and was finished on January 10, 2024. 

Perhaps the most important part of the renovation project was the installation of a new tin-shed roof, which effectively shelters the rectory’s occupants from the rain. “Now priests and staff can live safely under this [tin]-shed building,” Fr. Cruze said after the work was completed. “Because of this renovation project we [are] able to protect our old historical building from rainwater damage.” He also noted that the new ceilings will reduce the building’s heat during the summer, and “Now it is easy to dry up clothes under [the tin]-shed even during the rainy season.” 

The ability to dry one’s clothes, even when it’s rainy, is indeed a great improvement to the quality of life for the residents of the rectory. But beyond that, the new tin-shed roof is also providing an additional benefit to parishioners as well. “[The] large open place under [the] [tin]-shed can be used for catechism classes for the children of Holy Cross Parish, Bangladesh,” Fr. Cruze reported. 

The renovation work also created “more room on the third floor, which can be used for more residential priests and seminarians,” Fr. Cruze said. And there is now additional guest space. “Now we have more guest rooms, which can be used for the guests,” he shared. 

Published by Paula Lent, Digital Media Intern
June 2025