Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Shillong (Agenzia Fides) – A Church that is alive and vital, growing and enthusiastically dedicated to the work of peace and to the mission among the tribal communities of Northeast India: this is the face of the Church in Shillong (in the state of Meghalaya), which celebrates in 2009 its "Platinum Jubilee, 75 years since the founding of the Archdiocese, on 15 December 1934. As Fides learns from the local Church, the celebrations underway, which lasts for about two weeks, also featured speeches given by Archbishop Dominic Jala of Shillong and the Apostolic Nuncio in India, Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana, the Superior General of the Salesians, Fr. Pascual Chavez Villanueva, as well as numerous local civilian authorities.
Shillong was once the base from which the mission was launched throughout the Northeast Region of India, thanks to the presence and work of religious orders as Salvatorians, the Jesuits and then the Salesians. Today the community continues following its missionary vocation, seeing a visible increase: out of a population of over one million people, Catholics number about 265,000.
The territory of the Northeast suffers a certain isolation from the rest of India. It is also inhabited by many communities and tribal groups from different cultures and traditions. Large sections of the population have difficulty in accessing education. The democratic political structure is itself fairly recent and does not have ancient roots: there is the problem of various components of society, all of whom are represented. The area is a potential source of instability for the entire Indian nation: there are often tensions in the different states of the Northeast like Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh.
In this framework, the Christian communities offer a strong example in the work of dialogue and peace. The mission of the many tribal communities continues full steam ahead, as the local Church tells Fides, and several leaders of villages have shown interest in the message of Christ. The Catholic Church is also appreciated for what it does for development aid, in works of education and charity, for the closeness that it shows towards the different communities. Thus, the Church gains the solid credibility and gratitude of local people. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 9/11/2009)
