Diocese: Kohima
Pioneers: Sisters Innocence D’Souza, Anita Pereira, Jerosa Pereira, Mary Mendonca and Irene Veigas
A 16,579 square kilometres of land in the Brahmaputra valley of the State of Assam was taken apart and formed into a separate State named Nagaland on December 1, 1963. The Nagas, people of the land, originate from the Tibeto-Burma- Mongolian races; they are divided into twelve major tribes, each possessing its own territory, language and tradition; they are affiliated to many Christian denominations. This diversity as well blend entailed in their very existence, facilitated their acceptance of faith in the Catholic Church. The Jesuits of Karnataka Province have been working in the State since 1970. Fr Ambrose D’Mello SJ, Provincial of Karnataka Province, extended an invitation to the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters to join hands with the Jesuits in striving for an all-round empowerment of people in Nagaland. Sr Ernestine D’Almeida, Superior General along with her team accepted the invitation; thus the Ursuline Franciscan Congregation ventured into a missionary terrain in its true sense.
Sisters Innocence D’Souza, Anita Pereira, Jerosa Pereira, Mary Mendonca and Irene Veigas arrived at Meluri on June 27, 1975. They embarked upon pastoral, educational and medical ministries, all in their infancy stage. Catholic population at Meluri has increased from three in 1975 to 2300 in 2013. The Number of children at Meluri School has increased from 48 in 1975 to 2026 in 2013. St Xavier parish at Meluri has grown enough to be declared a full-pledged parish; the Jesuits have handed it over to the diocese in 1985.
Subsequent to handing over the parish to the diocese, the foundation was laid to a new parish in Phor village in 1992, which is 80 kilometres to the south of Meluri. The village consisted of seven ‘converted’ Catholic families. The Sisters guided their faith formation through constant visits to their families. In the same year, a Catholic Mission was established in Washalo village. In 2000, a few people of Akhegwo village, 30 kilometres south of Meluri, expressed their desire to embrace Catholic faith; they were baptized and received into the fold of the Church. At this, they had to face dismissal from their native village. The bond of the Holy Spirit is more powerful than the bond of blood: the families moved to a new place and began living in make-shift houses, which turned out to be a Catholic village. The Sisters have been taking an active interest in visiting and instructing people of the village. A Catholic School in a Catholic Village has been put up to educate children of the village. Currently the School has been upgraded to class V.
In 2004 another new mission was started in New Thewahati village and this village has 19 Catholic families. It is situated at the Indo-Burma border and 150 kilometres south of Meluri parish. Old Thewahati village consists of 24 Catholic families. As the term ‘border’ rightly suggests ‘edge’ or ‘periphery’, people at New Thewahati are victims of several hassles. The Sisters visit the village every month and instruct people; they also provide them with medical facility. Lack of transportation forces them to reach the village on foot.
While a few villages of Nagaland have been flourishing, several villages have been trailing in inhuman living conditions. In order to cater to girl children of such villages, the Sisters have opened a vocational training centre. It trains them in tailoring, knitting and embroidery. The Centre was inaugurated at Meluri in 2002 by Chukkusie, the physician of Meluri Civil Hospital; Fr Jose Sebastian, parish priest of Meluri blessed it.
The first ever convent of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters to have been started in the North- East India is symbolically named after the zealous missionary to India, St Francis Xavier. He has proclaimed Christ far and wide under constant demanding circumstances. The Sisters striving pastorally, educationally and medically at Meluri and its suburbs are doubtlessly on track.