BACKGROUND

Rodrigues, the 10th district of Mauritius, is an island situated
at 650km to its northeast. It has a population of 36 000, most
of whom are of Catholic faith. Its main city is Port- Mathurin.

Other Christian Church denominations are present on the island
namely the Anglican Church, the Adventist Church, and the
Assembly of God.

For more than 150 years, Scripture distribution in Rodrigues has
been carried out in a passive way. In March 2004, after consultation
with the heads of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches,
the Bible Society opened two depots – one managed by the Catholic
congregation of the Soeurs Réparatrices in Port-Mathurin and the other one by a volunteer, who has the responsibility to serve all Protestant Churches.

Furthermore, an interdenominational Committee for the promotion of
Bible work was also set up. Its main tasks are: Coordination of the
Bible Day celebration, organisation of spiritual concerts and prayer
sessions, and to bring help in social oriented projects. It has been
noted that there is a willingness among all churches to have joint activities.

Reports from Rodrigues are very encouraging. A good number of Bibles and hundreds of portions have been distributed since the opening of the depots. For Mgr. Alain Harel, the first Catholic Bishop nominated since the Island got its autonomy in year 2002, the promotion of Bible reading is among the priorities of his episcopat