MYMENSINGH, Bangladesh — In a country where Catholic vocations often emerge from modest rural communities, the quiet influence of lay Catholics can be decisive. For decades, Lobdine Chisim, a lay teacher and catechist from Mariamnagar Parish in Bangladesh's Diocese of Mymensingh, has been one such influence — helping shape a generation of priests and religious sisters through personal sacrifice, faithful accompaniment, and maternal care.
Chisim, 65, received the papal honor "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" in 2025 in recognition of her lifelong service to the Church. The award highlighted a vocation lived not in vows or ordination but in persistent support of Catholics discerning consecrated life.
Mariamnagar Parish, founded in 1937 by American Holy Cross missionaries, has produced at least eight priests and seven religious sisters over the years. According to clergy and religious from the parish, Chisim has played a role — both direct or indirect — in nearly all of those vocations.
A member of the parish, Chisim teaches at the local Catholic school and serves as a catechist. Known for her fidelity to Church teaching and firm moral guidance, she has long accompanied young people considering the priesthood or religious life, often stepping into roles usually filled by parents or formal formation staff.
Though never officially assigned to a seminary or formation house, Chisim has acted quietly and become what local clergy call a "caregiver of vocations," introducing boys and girls to seminaries and religious congregations, helping them navigate formation, and supporting them materially when poverty threatened to derail their calling.
Chisim, the mother of one child, personally financed the seminary education of her younger brother — now Father Joseph Chisim. Beyond her family, she has continued to follow the progress of seminarians and candidates, remaining in contact with them through letters, visits, and phone calls, particularly during moments of doubt or crisis.
Father Sanchaya Ignatius Chisim (no relation to Lobdine Chisim), rector of St. Paul's Minor Seminary in Jalchatra, Tangail, credits the influence of the laywoman as decisive in his own discernment. Speaking to EWTN News, he said she first inspired him while teaching catechism classes during his school years.
"She encouraged me to enter the seminary and continued to guide me after I joined," he said. "She gave me advice and counseling, and many times helped me financially while I was a seminarian."
During vacations home from the seminary, Father Chisim recalled, she would regularly check on him. "She protected me like a mother and warned me against temptation. She played an important role in my becoming a priest, and I am grateful to her."
Religious sisters from Mariamnagar Parish offer similar testimony.
Sister Mary Hima of the Associates of Mary, Queen of Apostles, now headmistress of St. Lawrence School in Dhaka, said she first encountered Chisim as a child in catechism classes.
"She inspired us to become sisters even then," Hima told EWTN News. "When I later entered the formation house, she was very happy and continued to motivate me, saying that as a sister I would be able to serve very well."
Hima said Chisim's support did not end after first profession. During a difficult period in her early religious life, when she felt unable to confide in her community or family, she turned to Chisim for guidance.
"She gave me honest advice and counseling, which helped me continue my religious life with strength," Hima said, adding that she remains deeply grateful.
Beyond individual discernment, Chisim has become a respected figure throughout her village. She regularly leads evening prayers and is known for encouraging priests, sisters, and laypeople to live faithfully and ethically.
Speaking to EWTN News, Chisim said her motivation comes from a simple conviction about the life of the Church.
"Priests and sisters provide wonderful service. They keep the Church alive," she said. "That is why we need many of them."
She explained that she offers financial assistance only to those pursuing religious vocations, not for marriage. "Many families live below the poverty line," she said. "Some boys and girls lose enthusiasm because they cannot afford books, exam fees, or school costs. I help them as much as I can."
Although she does not consider herself wealthy, Chisim said she finds peace in supporting vocations. "I spend less on the world so that I can help them," she said.
Her role has even extended to assisting diocesan leadership. She recalled being asked by Bishop Ponen Paul Kubi, CSC, of Mymensingh to counsel seminarians struggling with hesitation shortly before ordination.
"I talk to them and encourage them to return to the seminary," she said. "Many have continued and are now serving the Church beautifully."
For those who know her, Chisim's life stands as a testimony to the often-unseen power of lay witness — a vocation of fidelity that, quietly and persistently, has helped sustain the Church in Bangladesh.
