EMN
KOHIMA, APRIL 3
Suosahie Philip Dzüvichü, a pioneering leader of the Catholic church in Nagaland who passed away on April 1 at his residence in Kohima after a prolonged illness, was laid to rest on Saturday at Christ King Church cemetery.
Hundreds of mourners paid their last respects to the departed leader at the Christ King Parish Hall and a high requiem mass was celebrated by the Bishop of Kohima, Dr. James Thoppil, and 25 priests from different parishes of Nagaland.
Suosahie Philip Dzüvichü was born on March 10, 1932, in Lhisemia Khel, Kohima village. He became a Catholic and received baptism on December 24, 1954, from Fr. Marochino SDB at Naga Hospital, Kohima. Deeply moved by the Catholic faith and its practices, family members recalled, he decided to dedicate himself to the service of the church and in 1955, at the age of 23 years, he was appointed as the first catechist of Christ King Church, Kohima village, a position he served for 61 years.
He was awarded the prestigious Papal Medal - the Vatican State’s highest civil award and a citation of Apostolic Blessing from Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his golden jubilee as Catechist in 2005.
Since the inception of the Church, Dzüvichü was actively involved in spreading the Gospel and the Catholic faith to different parts of Nagaland, particularly Kohima, Zhamai, Zelume, Thizami, Phek, Lazami, Tesophenyu, Tseminyu and Peren.
His contribution to the Tenyidie language has been in the form of translation. He had translated prayer books, hymn books, seven books of the Old Testament and other religious books. The Ura Academy had awarded him a BA degree in Tenyidie.
He had also served as the first president of the Angami Catholic Union, which was formed in 1988. In 1964, he led a team of Naga Catholics to attend the International Eucharistic Congress in Mumbai, during which, the team could meet Pope John Paul VI. In 1975, he participated in the World Encounter of Catechists in Rome, Italy, and France and also made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Egypt in the year 2012.
The Christ King Church, which he had nurtured for the past 61 years, has a total number of 3844 Catholic members. The various institutions that had started with his initiative included Little Flower School Convent in 1969, Don Bosco School in 1970, Christ King School, Bethany Sisters Convent, Medical Mission Sisters Centre in 1972 and Mount Tabor retreat house in 1980.
Late Dzüvichü had also worked with numerous parish priests with whom he served and cared for the Catholic communities since his appointment in 1955. It included Mgs Bars Immanuel sdb; Fr. U Marocchino sdb; Fr. John Med sdb; Fr. Ittyachen Manjil sdb; Fr. MM Michael sdb; Fr. Tom Karthick sdb; Fr. PK Matthew sdb; Fr. Andrew Xavier sdb; Fr. KV Devassy sdb; Fr. PM Joseph sdb; Fr. Jerome Moshary sdb; and presently Fr. Peter Salew sdb.
As a Catechist, he had worked with various bishops namely Late Bishop Rosario, Bishop Robert Kerketta, Late Bishop Abraham, Bishop Jose Mukala and the present Bishop Dr. James Thoppil.
In his demise, the Catholic community of Nagaland has lost not just a tall leader but a central pillar of the community. Late Suosahie Philip Dzüvichü is survived by his wife Alhouu Albina, four sons, five daughters, 26 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
