Diocese: Kohima
Pioneers: Sisters Edilburga Monteiro, Pushpa, and Matilda Cardoza
As the mission of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters was growing steadily in North-East India, the Sisters felt deeply the need of a transit house for the Province. Accordingly, on August 4, 1986, Assisi Convent was inaugurated in Dimapur. The renowned characteristic of the apostolic activities of the Sisters in North-East India is that they do not remain within the Convent and wait for people to come to them. Instead, they move out in search of the least and the lost. On a par with the apostolic and social activities carried on in other places in general, in Dimapur too, the Sisters visited houses of Catholics, organized Rosary and prayers with the help of slides and translators. They catechized children and youth in their own families, while visiting families irrespective of religion. Once they acquired a bird’s-eye view of the requirements of people, they established the following:
Assisi Higher Secondary School (Morning Section): It was started in 1986. It caters to children of the neighbourhood; assists in providing a solid academic foundation. The school is owned and managed by the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters of North-East Province.
Assisi Higher Secondary School (Evening Section): The Morning Section School caters to those who could procure expensive education. The Sisters were awakened to a reality of children dropped out of school, non-schooling children and poor children. Thus, the Evening Section School came into existence in the same structure. The school offers certificate courses up to class VIII.
Working Women Centre (WWC): The Working Women Centre provides professional training in tailoring, knitting, typing, embroidery and computer to young women and girls. The scheme aims at obtaining self-sufficiency to women and girls. Self-Help Hostel and Vocational Training Centre (VTC): A self-help hostel at the Assisi campus provides hostel facility to trainees of WWC. They support themselves economically by weaving Naga bags and shawls. With the help of these women, adult literacy is imparted to women of the locality.
New Path Society: From 1999 to 2013 Sisters have been working in collaboration with Civil Authorities and Church personnel of Dimapur for those who were in difficult circumstances particularly teenage and minor women who were forced into flesh trades. These were given training in life skills.
Assisi Centre for Integrated Development (ACID): ACID is a registered body of the Province for an integrated development of women with special focus on their empowerment. Currently, the focus of action is women and child labourers; they are assisted through Self-Help-Groups (SHG).
The Centre collaborates also in the National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM). While the head office NDWM is located at Mumbai, Dimapur is one of its offices at the State level. The Organization campaigns for rights, dignity, and empowerment of domestic workers and child labourers. The Sisters assist the Centre by way of creating awareness regarding human trafficking on the one hand and on the other by conscientizing them on safe migration, legislation and policy, legal aid, rescue operations, rehabilitation and reintegration. They also train them for leadership.
Hostel for School-going Girl Children: The hostel accommodates thirty girl children who are basically from rural areas and who aspire to pursue their education. Besides, the hostel strives to form faith of these girls, to build their character and to promote Christian values in them.
Candidacy: Assisi provides initial training for girls aspiring to choose religious life. Besides, Assisi Convent serves as a coordination point for various spiritual and formative activities of the Province. Since 2012 the Candidacy is shifted to the Provincialate Campus in Purana Bazar.
Ever since its inception, Assisi Convent has been functioning as a ‘Mother House’ of the Province; it has operated as a powerhouse to Sisters in their ministry of leading people to God. It had been also the Mission House, Regional House and Province House until the inauguration of Tabor Provincialate in 2009. As such it had for its distinguished occupants, Sr Edilburga Monteiro (Mission Superior), Sr Jeraldine D’Souza (Mission Superior/Provincial Superior) and Sr Mary C J the Provincial Superior. Sr Edilburga, the pioneer at Dimapur heads the list. As a person who could see farther into the future than many a Superior and claim a singular love for the marginalized and respect for the Sisters, she coordinated and animated the mission of the Sisters. By doing so, she enthused the already-committed Sisters towards a cheerful giving...
Assisi Convent had come to stay in view of meeting the need of a transit house for Sisters working in various States of the North-East India. While this need is met satisfactorily, the Convent can be called a hub of socio-spiritual activities in the service of the poor and marginalized. Thanks again are due to Sr Edilburga and her Sisters for their vision, their commitment and their fortitude amidst trials of all sorts. Great things are sure to happen in North-East India through the simple-hearted Sisters; all that would be ‘For the Love of God’.
