The Christa Sevika Sangha (Handmaids of Christ), CSS, is an

Anglican religious order Anglican religious orders are communities of men or women (or in some cases mixed communities of both men and women) in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows which often include ...

for women based in Jobarpar,

Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. It is a part of the Anglican Church of Bangladesh.

History

In 1970 the Sisterhood of the Epiphany, a group of largely British-ethnicity sisters working in Bangladesh, formed a parallel community for sisters of Bangladeshi nationality, and chose the name Christa Sevika Sangha (Handmaids of Christ). The key founder was Sr Susila SE. In 1986 the order became fully independent. At that time the foundress, Sr Susila SE, left the Sisterhood of the Epiphany to become the first Mother Superior CSS, an office she continued to hold until her death on 16 May 2011.Her death is reporte
here
. In total she led the community for 41 years, and was Mother Superior for 26 years. The Sevikas have a longstanding attachment to the

Oxford Mission Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

, and are often referred to simply as the "Oxford Mission Sisters".

Work

The sisters supervise

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...

s for young girls, and a play centre for small children. They are involved in work at local schools and other community projects. They offer a four-fold daily office in Bengali language, as well as a daily eucharist, and a daily informal quiet prayer session.

References

*''Anglican Religious Communities Yearbook: 2006-2007''. Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2005. ;Notes

External links

The Oxford Mission homepageInformation from the Anglican Communion office
{{Anglican orders Anglican orders and communities Christian organizations established in 1970 1970 establishments in Pakistan