UMSWAI (1977) C-1998
Bl Michael Rua Patron
Diphu Diocese
(Attached Presence : Amkachi)
Catholic Church
Umswai – 782 410, Via Jagi Road,
Karbi Anglong,
Assam
96134-60898 Fr. Quirinus S.
98634-59394 Fr. Roland Halge
shansyiem@gmail,.com Fr. Quirinus S
Members
Fr. Halge Roland Asst. PP, Cs
Fr. Syiemlieh Quirinus Rector & PP
Convent:
FMA- Auxilium Convent
History
Located in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam, Umswai is about 112 km away from Guwahati and falls under the jurisdiction of Diphu diocese. The Catholic population is about 4000 in 576 families. The Salesian parish came to existence on 24th April 1977, carved out from the Parish of Sojong
The first Catholics of the parish were Karbis who were baptized by the Salvatorian missionaries in 1914. After the arrival of the Salesians in 1922, several villages were visited by the Fathers from Nongpoh, among whom Fr. M. Belavoine sdb deserves special mention. He began the construction of a house and a small school at Umswai. The Franciscan Brothers looked after the centre and the school. Fr. Belavoine mastered the Tiwa language, gave it a script, wrote the grammar, dictionary and text books up to class III. He wrote religious books, composed hymns, translated the New Testament, the Lectionary of Sundays, Missal and prepared the catechism books, church History and Bible History as well as other literary works of both religious and secular nature.
In the year 1968, the district council allotted the ownership for two plots of land at Umswai and Umpanai to the Catholic mission. Due to the insistence of Fr. Belavoine, a plan to shift the centre to Umpanai was temporarily left undecided. In 1977, when the parish was established, Fr. Albano D’Mello resided at Umswai. When Mgr. Mathai Kochuparambil became the bishop of Diphu in 1984, he decided to keep Umswai as the centre for the parish. The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians came to Umswai in 1986 rendering services like education, vocational training for young women, medical care, etc.
In the year 1989, Umpanai (Amkuchi) which already had a school, boarding and dispensary, was made into a centre with a resident priest. The Adoration Sisters soon joined the centre and set up their convent. They look after the school, the dispensary and do pastoral activities in the villages.