Father Douglas Venne

United States of America

Fr. Doug with the Poor Clare Sisters in Bangladesh

College Athlete to Bangladesh Missioner

Douglas Venne grew up in United States of America in the city of Racine, Wisconsin (north-central USA). There he went to high school, joined the military, and eventually moved on to college in Dubuque, Iowa. Doug earned letters in college in basketball, football, and baseball. He completed two majors: one in math and one in chemistry. In college, Doug also had a girlfriend. Despite all of these things, Doug became inspired to be a Catholic priest. Priesthood required him to leave his sports, majors, and girlfriend behind, which he did, but not without some regrets. In Doug's own words, "I left my girlfriend to serve the Lord, a typical requirement of our Christian tradition and not necessarily needed for such a commitment." He joined the Maryknoll Seminary, which trains priests dedicated to missions. After his ordination as a priest, Doug worked in the Philippines for 16 years. In the Philippines, he lost his left eye in a jeep accident. In 1975, Doug came to Bangladesh.

The Challenge

On arriving in Bangladesh, Doug and 4 others spent a year learning Bengali (the language of Bangladesh). Bangladesh was a new mission field for Maryknoll, and there were no predecessors to rely on for experience. They were Christians in a country that was 88% Muslim and 11% Hindu. 1971 marked the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan, and the country was still feeling the impact of that revolutionary war. With 1,000,000 dead and the economy in shambles, Bangladesh posed a challenge to Doug and his fellow missioners. That challenge was how to bring the Gospel to the people of Bangladesh in a meaningful way. Doug went to work. He lived as the people lived, and worked in the same fields as they did. He shared his faith with those who asked, but his mission was not to change their religion. His mission was to live with them, help them, and to work for a change of heart. He wanted to inspire those hearts around him to give and to help each other--to live the way God intended us to live. Christ gave up his throne in heaven to live among us and show us the way to life. Doug's mission was (and is) to follow Christ's example among the people of Bangladesh.

Today, Doug is one of three Maryknoll priests and three Maryknoll Sisters that work in Bangladesh. In the words of one man in the village where Doug lives, "Doug is a good man. He helps poor people." Doug is now 71 years old and no longer works in the fields, but he continues to live the life of the people. Recently, one man in Doug's village asked Doug to teach his daughters to read and write Bangla. Doug declined at first, because he felt it wouldn't be right for a foreign Christian man to be teachinga a young woman. The man insisted, though, so Doug gave in when 4 more young ladies joined her. They studied right in the home of the girl under the eyes of the parents. In a country where only 25% of women over age 15 read and write, teaching a woman these things is excedingly radical. Doug doesn't boast much, though, and simply does what he can. After spending mornings teaching farm ladies, Doug spends his afternoons with daily chores. At night, he sits with the men of the village.

Involvement with the Thanarbaid Health Care Centre

Doug is quite good friends with Dr. Baker at the Thanarbaid Health Care Centre. Doug contributes to the centre with some of his finances as well as his writing abilities. Many of Thanarbaid's newsletters found on this website were written by Doug. Doug also keeps up the list of donators for the clinic, and recently found a doctor from his home city who wished to volunteer some time at Thanarbaid. Dr. Fran McCormack and his wife Mary Kate visited Thanarbaid for a month in March 2000 and did an evaluation of the clinc's work and projects. While Doug is not a doctor, his contributions to the Thanarbaid Health Care Centre are much appreciated. If you email Dr. Baker at dougvenne@bd.drik.net, Doug will be the one delivering it.

Contact Information

If you would like to contact Father Doug, you can send him an email at dougvenne@bd.drik.net. His email is reliable, and he checks it every one to two weeks when he gets access to a computer. If you would like to send him a letter, you can write to him at FR. DOUG VENNE, GPO BOX 2399, DHAKA 1000, BANGLADESH. Please use all capital letters in the address and allow 10-14 days for delivery.