Canada is the second-largest country in the world and a land of immigrants. People from all over the world have come and settled here, century after century.

In the 1960s, members of the Bangladeshi Catholic community first arrived in Montreal and settled there. Later, many families moved from Montreal to Toronto and other neighboring cities in various provinces of Canada. During the 1990s, there was a significant influx of Bangladeshi Catholic residents in Toronto, most of whom were new immigrants.

Naturally, a strong interest in community gathering emerged among Bangladeshi Catholics in Ontario. This led to several social events in Toronto, organized by individuals who voluntarily stepped forward and demonstrated commendable organizing and leadership skills. At the same time, the Catholic community began considering the formation of an association for the greater benefit of Catholics of Bangladeshi origin.

With this goal in mind, on April 12, 1998—Easter Sunday—during a gathering at the ‘New Hundi Restaurant’ in Toronto, a spontaneous proposal to form an association was made by participants. The attendees unanimously formed a ten-member Ad Hoc Committee and entrusted it with the task of drafting a Constitution and By-Laws for an organization representing Bangladeshi Catholics living in Ontario.

The members of the Ad Hoc Committee were: Pascal Gomes, Jerome D’Costa, Vincent Rebeiro, Ivan D’Rozario, Joseph D’Costa, Clarence Shankar Gomes, Joseph Shushil Gomes, Fidelis Gomes, Lawrence Shekhar Gomes, and John Deepak D’Rozario. Later, the committee co-opted Dr. David Henry Mazumdar and Gabriel Shondip Rozario to provide advice and suggestions on various constitutional and by-law matters. The committee also consulted with an attorney, incorporating his input into the draft Constitution and By-Laws before presenting it at a general meeting.

On Sunday, September 20, 1998, the Ad Hoc Committee convened a general meeting at Corpus Christi Church Hall, located at 16 Lockwood Road, Toronto, ON M4L 3M8. The drafted Constitution and By-Laws were presented to the attendees, who unanimously approved and adopted them. Thus, the Bangladesh Catholic Association of Ontario was formally established.

1. President : Pascal Gomes
2. Vice President : Clarence Shankar Gomes
3. General Secretary: Jerome D’Costa
4. Assistant General Secretary : Gabriel Shondip Rozario
5. Treasurer : Joseph D’Costa
6. Event Secretary : John Deepak D’Rozario
7. Executive Member: Fidelis Gomes
8. Executive Member: Lawrence Shekhar Gomes
9. Executive Member: Abel Gomes

About 80 (eighty) Bangladeshi-origin Catholic immigrants were present at this historical meeting.