KOHIMA— The Kohima Diocese will celebrate its golden jubilee at the Cathedral in the state capital from October 27 to 29. The announcement was made on Saturday at Mt. Tabor Retreat House in Kohima during a press conference.
Interacting with the media persons, Rev. Dr. James Thoppil, the bishop of Kohima Diocese, briefed them on how the first Catholic missionaries started their work in Nagaland, initially focusing on health facilities such as the Naga Hospital (now NHAK) in Kohima. However, over time, their mission expanded to different parts of the state as the Catholic faith grew.
Thoppil recalled that separate dioceses were established in Kohima and Imphal in 1973, with Rt. Rev. Abraham Alangimattathil, SDB serving as the bishop of both.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]He explained that reaching the 50-year mark is an opportunity for Catholics in Nagaland to reflect on their lives and renew their spiritual commitment to the Church and shared that a statue of Mary has been taken to various Catholic institutes throughout the state, symbolising the spreading of love and invoking blessings for the successful jubilee.
Johnny Ruangmei, president of the Catholic Association of Nagaland (CAN), asserted that prior to the establishment of the diocese in Nagaland, the Catholic community had already been growing and cited examples of Catholics reaching out to Nagas and beginning to baptize them as far back as the 1950s.
Ruangmei provided an update on the numerous activities planned for the highly anticipated golden jubilee celebration of the diocese and informed that spiritual preparations and other events have been underway since October of last year in anticipation of the upcoming celebration.
The ongoing renovation at the Cathedral in Kohima is also part of it.
It was informed that a diverse range of guests from both within and outside the country, including state cabinet members, are expected to participate in the celebration.
Representatives from other churches of various denominations will be invited to attend the event as well.
Earlier that day, a consultative seminar was held at Mt. Tabor Retreat House in Kohima, covering topics such as the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Article 371 (A), RIIN, the Manipur crisis, and Naga political issues.
Presentations were given by Elias R Vaz, president of the All India Catholic Union; Elias T Lotha, former advisor and president of CAN; Jonas Yanthan, advisor at CAN; and Johnny Ruangmei, president of CAN.
The discussions centered around the theme of ‘reading the signs of the times’. CAN organised the event, which was attended by Catholics from across the state.