Kohima, March 12 (MExN): The new Jesuit province of Northeast India, known as the Kohima Jesuit Province, was inaugurated on March 10 at Umbir in Ri Bhoi district, Meghalaya, in the presence of Dr (Fr) Arturo Sosa, Superior General (international head) of the Jesuits.
A press release from North Eastern Social Research Centre informed that the name Kohima Province has been given as the Northeast Jesuit mission began at Kohima on April 22, 1970 when three Jesuits from Karnataka arrived there. One of them, 88-year-old Fr Raymond D’Souza, continues to be active at Eden Garden, Khusama, Nagaland.
Today the number of Jesuits in the Kohima Province has grown to 161, more than 100 of them of Northeastern origin, it added.
Those present at the inaugural function included, apart from Fr Arturo Sosa, Dr (Fr) Stanny D’Souza, head of the Jesuits in South Asia; Fr Dionysius Vaz, head of the Jesuits in Karnataka from where the first Jesuits came; Fr Valerian Castelino, head of the Kohima Jesuit Province; several bishops; local leaders including an MLA; and others such as Patricia Mukhim, editor of The Shillong Times, and Allen Brooks, spokesperson of Christians in the Northeast.
Addressing the gathering, Dr (Fr) Arturo Sosa recalled the growth of the Jesuits in the Northeast. After the first milestone of the arrival of the three pioneers, the support of the local communities and of hundreds of others has helped the Jesuits to reach the present milestone.
“The Jesuit presence in the Northeast is rooted in the communities of the people of the region, and has grown with their support,” he said, adding that it was made possible through the collaboration of hundreds of religious sisters and other leaders. He reminded the Jesuits that their mission is to be close to the people and to live the hope of the new life coming from Jesus Christ.
Fr Valerian Castelino added, “We, the Kohima Jesuits, have grown with the communities we serve.”
Dr (Fr) Stanny D’Souza recalled the pioneering spirit of the three Jesuits who came to Nagaland and their readiness to be bridge builders amid the Naga and other nationalist struggles of the 1970s.
Recalling their mission as a saga of commitment and courage, he exhorted the 161 Jesuits of Kohima Province to continue the mission of peace building and reconciliation.
Fr Dionysius Vaz urged them to continue to be pioneers in the spirit of the first three who came with a dream of building new communities with the support of the people of the Northeast.
Archbishop Victor Lyngdoh of Shillong repeated Psalm 121, “Unless the Lord builds, the builders strive in vain.” He thanked the Jesuits for the service they have rendered and urged them to continue with trust in God.
The programme included cultural items, tribal dances and songs presented by students of Jesuit-run educational institutions in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Around 1,000 people attended the event, which showcased the unity in diversity of the region.
