A Concise History of the Archdiocese of Guwahati

The Archdiocese of Guwahati has the territory consisting of 7 districts – Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup (Rural), Goalpara, Nagaon, Morigaon, Hojai and Tamulpur of the state of Assam.

Two Portuguese Jesuit Missionaries, Cabral and Cacella— the first Christian Missionaries to set foot in Assam—reached Hajo and Guwahati on September 26, 1626. They were enroute to Tibet from Hooghly.

In June 1850, Fr. Robin, Fr. Krick and Fr. Bernardi of the Institute of the Foreign Missions of Paris reached Guwahati. Fr. Robin tried to learn Assamese and establish a centre. Fr. Krick proceeded to Nagaon and from there to Dibrugarh with the intention of going to Tibet. In 1854, Fr. Krick and Fr. Bourry were killed in the Mishmi Hills while trying to enter Tibet. Fr. Jacopo Broy of the Institute of the Foreign Missions of Milan took up residence in Guwahati and built a brick church here in 1883. From this central place he looked after the entire ‘Assam Missions’. Soon we find him in Nagaon where he later built a small church.

In 1889, the Prefecture Apostolic of Assam was created with headquarters at Shillong and was entrusted to the German Salvatorian Fathers. In February 1890, the German Salvatorian Missionaries Frs. Gallus Schrole and Rudolph Fontaine reached Guwahati. They were the two great missionaries of the Assam Valley. By this time, many tribal Catholics from Chota Nagpur had come to work in the Tea Gardens of Assam. With the outbreak of World War I, the German Salvatorian Fathers were forced to 12 Archdiocese of Guwahati return to their country. The Jesuits of Kolkata looked after the Assam mission till the Holy See entrusted it to the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1921.

In 1922, the Salesians of Don Bosco arrived in Northeast India under the leadership of Fr. Louis Mathias. In 1923, Fr. Leo Piasecki took charge of the Mission in Guwahati, which at that time covered the entire Brahmaputra Valley, Nagaland and Manipur. Assam Mission then consisted of the whole of Northeast India. Shillong was the capital of undivided Assam. In 1934 when Shillong was made a Diocese, Msgr Louis Mathias SDB was appointed as its first Bishop. Msgr. Stephen Ferrando succeeded him in 1935.

From Guwahati missionary work reached out to Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Garo Hills and Bhutan. Some of the first Catholics of Manipur and Nagaland had studied at Guwahati.

The Diocese of Guwahati was erected by Pope John Paul II on August 16, 1992 with Bishop Thomas Menamparampil as its first Bishop. It was carved out of the Dioceses of Shillong, Tura and Tezpur, the last contributing the largest portion. It was elevated to the status of an Archdiocese on August 1, 1995 bifurcating it from the Ecclesiastical Province of Shillong. The suffragan Dioceses are Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Diphu. Dioceses of Bongaigaon, Itanagar and Miao, erected later, also form part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Guwahati.

The area of the Archdiocese covers 13,961 Sq.km with a population of approximately 7,347,961. A Catholic population of 57884 is spread over 46 parishes/Centres. Catholics are mainly from the tribal communities: Garos, Rabhas, Bodos, Karbis, Tiwas, Santals and Adivasis.

Patron: St. John Bosco | Guwahati Archdiocese
Activities: Parish, Primary, Middle & High School, Evening School, Hr. Sec. School, Alumni, NIOS Study Centre
Don Bosco School
Pan Bazar, Guwahati – 781 001, Assam
Website: www.donboscoguwahati.net
Parish – St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral
Don Bosco, Guwahati – 781001, Assam
Tel: (0361) 2543810: H |2606088: HM
Tel Fax: 2606033 | 2540583: School | 2510410: PP
St. Mary’s Convent FMA | Tel: (0361) 2664997

Don Bosco, Guwahati (Pan Bazar), instituted as a Salesian Community in 1926, has two important dimensions, namely St Joseph’s Parish and Don Bosco School. In 1922, when the first group of Salesians took up responsibility for the Assam Missions, Fr Giuseppe Gill and Br Laureano Santana were assigned to Guwahati. They initiated the primary school for boys, the carpentry and the catechists training centre at Guwahati. In 1926, the Salesian community was formally set up with Fr Leo Piasecki as the Rector. By 1928, the workshop was enlarged and an orphanage (boarding) for boys was built. The house was named ‘Our Lady’s Orphanage’. In 1948, Our Lady’s Orphanage metamorphosed into Don Bosco School in Assamese medium. In 2008, the School celebrated its Diamond Jubilee. English medium was introduced in 1962 by popular demand.

In 1959, when the Salesian Province of Guwahati was created, its offices functioned from Don Bosco premises till the new Provincial House was built in 1971. In 1965, the boarding for boys (orphanage) stopped. Due to lack of room, the technical school was shifted to Maligaon in 1969. In 1980, Pre-primary and Primary classes were added. Thanks to the hard work and dedicated service of many, Don Bosco School emerged as one of the most prestigious schools under Secondary Education Board of Assam (SEBA). In 2006, the School got affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). In 2009, Don Bosco obtained affiliation to commence senior secondary classes. From 2009 the School has changed from being a ‘Boys’ School’ to a ‘Co-ed’ School, by admitting girls in Class XI. It began to admit girls in Class 1 in 2010.

The establishment of a centre for the National Institute of Open School (NOIS), Tuition classes for the neighbourhood children, Literacy and Vocational courses for the out-of-school children are all efforts to make Don Bosco School accessible to young people from all strata of the society. Don Bosco School, bearing distinction in academic excellence as well as in sports and co-curricular activities, makes every innovative effort to transform itself into a Youth Resource Development Centre (YRDC).

The vision and commitment of past headmasters like Shri H.M. Das, Fr Patrick Burns, Fr Mathew Kadavunkal, Fr Thomas Vattoth, Fr Paul Kuttala, Fr Thomas Thekkekandam, Fr Joseph Thelekkatt, Fr Sebastian Vadakethamikal, Fr Thomas Vattathara, Fr George Mudakkampuram, Fr Matthew Vellankal, Fr Kuriala Chittattukalam, Fr Joseph Thelekkatt and Fr Anthony Thekkel have placed the School at par with other premier schools in the country. Fr Sebastian Kuricheal was appointed Principal of the school 2014. Other Salesians who worked in the school are Fr Joseph Parippil, Fr Augustine Karottupuram, Br Abraham Vazhamplackal, Fr Chacko Kuthur Vellattukara, Fr Lukose Cheruvalel, Fr Marcus Lakra, Fr Santosh Minj, Fr Johnson Parackal, Fr George Rajendran (now bishop), Fr Damian Basumatary, Fr Benny Mushahary, Fr Saju Kariyil, Fr Jose Thiruthanathy, Fr Pradeep Ekka, Fr Solomon Dennis Joseph, Fr Francis Cheeramban and Fr Xavier Beck. At Present, the School continues to excel under the guidance of Fr Sebastian Kuricheal (Principal), Fr Joseph Paulianmung (Assistant Headmaster) and Fr Vincent Xalxo (Rector &Parish Priest) with the collaboration of the dedicated staff.

STJOSEPH’SCO-CATHEDRALPARISH

St Joseph’s Co-Cathedral Parish, has its remote origin with the arrival of Fr Jacopo Broy (PIME) in 1872. In 1870, Propaganda Fide erected the new Prefecture Apostolic of Central Bengal with Krishnagar as its headquarters. The territories of Assam and Bhutan were adjoined to it. It was entrusted to PIME (Milan Foreign Mission Society) for missionary work. Fr Jacopo Broy of Venice, sent by PIME superiors, reached Guwahati on 10 June 1872. On 14 July 1883, Fr Broy blessed a small chapel and a residence at Guwahati. The chapel was dedicated to St Joseph. The Catholic community under Fr Broy’s care numbered less than one hundred, mostly Europeans and Anglo Indians and a few Indians. But they were scattered in the length and breadth of Assam. Against all the odds, Fr Broy cared for the flock till the arrival of the Salvatorians (SDS) in 1890. By 1892, Fr Gallus Schoeb SDS took up residence at Guwahati and continued the work of Fr Broy. In spite of opposition from some quarters, Fr Gallus began to turn his attention to the tea garden workers. In 1897, the chapel at Guwahati was destroyed in an earthquake. He bought a plot of land adjacent to the old one and built a new residence and chapel. Fr Gallus returned to Europe in October 1906, having suffered a nervous breakdown. Fr Rudolf Fontaine SDS succeeded him at Guwahati. Under Fr Rudolf the missionary work in the Assam Valley extended among the Tea Garden workers. On 1 January 1910, the foundation stone for a new church at Guwahati was laid by Fr Edward Hackenbrosch and the blessing of the church took place on 27 November 1910. The work of the Salvatorian missionaries came to an abrupt end with their expulsion from the country due to World War I in 1915. In the following years, the Jesuits from Calcutta looked after the spiritual needs of the faithful.

With the arrival of the Salesians in Assam in 1922, the mission work received a boost. Fr Giuseppe Gil and Br Laureano Santana were the first Salesians assigned to Guwahati. They reached Guwahati on 1 March 1922. In a couple of months Fr Gil visited several towns, villages and tea estates of Assam, reaching up to Nowgong, Lakhimpur and Sibsagar. Towards the end of November 1922, Fr Leo Piasecki was sent to Guwahati as Assistant to Fr Gil. On 14 June 1925 Mgr Louis Mathias blessed the newly built larger church of Guwahati. The number of baptisms in the mission district of Guwahati in 1925 counted 500, mainly among the Garos and the Adivasis. In December 1925, Fr Gil was sent to begin the Salesian work in Calcutta; Fr Leo Piasecki was appointed superior of Guwahati mission. Few weeks later, Fr Francis Mormol joined him as Assistant. Two clerics Eligio Cinato and Mariano Camolese were sent in February 1926 to look after the boarding and to help at the Industrial School at the start. The Salesian Sisters who had reached Guwahati in 1923 began to care for the girls (work room and boarding) and look after the sick in the government hospital. Prior to the arrival of the Salesian Sisters, the Catechist Sisters of Mary Immaculate from Paris, France, who had reached Guwahati in 1913, worked for some years.

In 1928, Fr Piasecki started to publish a Hindi monthly called Salesian Khabaren(Salesian News) to instruct the people and to spread devotion to Our Lady. Clerics Orestes Marengo and Hubert Marocchino who were at Guwahati, helped with the preparation of the magazine. In 1929, Fr Efisio Sanna was sent to be in charge of the community at Guwahati, so that Fr Piasecki would be more free to reach out to the far away villages. In 1930, Fr Sanna was transferred to Calcutta, and Fr Vincent Scuderi was appointed rector and mission superior at Guwahati. In 1931, Guwahati mission district was divided into two: the districts of Dibrugarh and Guwahati. Fr Piasecki was moved to Dibrugarh. Fr Scuderi was made the superior of Guwahati. It consisted of five civil districts of Garo Hills, Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang and Nowgong. Soon Fr Archimedes Pianazzi and Fr Anthony Alessi joined Guwahati and shared the responsibility. Fr Pianazzi looked after Garo Hills and Goalpara districts, while Fr Alessi would visit Darrang and Nowgong districts. In 1932, the Mission district of Guwahati was further divided; two new districts were created namely that of Tezpur and Dhubri. Fr Alessi went to Tezpur assisted by newly ordained Fr Aloysius Ravalico. The Mission district of Dhubri was to be manned by Fr Pianazzi helped by Fr Luigi Rocca, another newly ordained priest. Though the Guwahati Mission was reduced in size and number, the missionary activities flourished and number of baptisms increased among the Adivasis and Boros. In October 1934, Fr Orestes Marengo was made the mission superior of Guwahati. In the following year Fr Alessi was transferred from Tezpur and made superior of Guwahati so that Fr Marengo was left free to visit villages and baptize. At the end of 1938, Fr Alessi was assigned to pioneer Salesian mission in Burma. Fr Mario Ferrario, the new superior, reached Guwahati on 5 January 1939. On 18 February in the following year, Fr Attilio Colussi took over as the rector and mission superior of Guwahati.

During the years of World War II (1939-45), the mission work in Guwahati suffered much. Most of the Italian priests and the clerics were moved out of Guwahati, first to Shillong and then out of Assam. The Mission campus at Guwahati became shelter place for the refugees of World War II. The Salesians, priests and sisters, rendered most appreciable service to the wounded and sick soldiers of the War. Only by February 1948, the School began to function again; in the middle of 1949 Fr Luigi Arneodo replaced Fr Attilio Colussi as the rector of the house. Due to the request of civil authorities, the Mission opened a hostel for the students of Cotton College. But towards the end of the same year (1949), at the recommendation of Rev. Fr A. Fedrigotti during the extraordinary visitation, the hostel for the College students was closed down.

In the post-Independence years, the mission work continued to be carried out with much zeal. The dedicated work of Parish priests like Fr Patrick Burns (1969-73), Fr Mathew Kadavunkal (1973-79), Fr Thomas Punnolikunnel (1979-85), Fr Elias Kerketta (1985-89), Fr Lukose Cheruvalel (1989-91), Fr Augustine Karottupuram (1991-95), Fr Albano D’Mello (1995-2003), Fr Matthew Parackatte (2003-06), Fr Marcus Lakra (2006-2011), Fr Solomon Denis Joseph (2011-2012), Fr Jose Thiruthanathy (2012-2015) and Fr Francis Cheeramben (2015-2017) have contributed much to the growth of the Parish. From 2017 onwards, Fr Vincent Xalxo is serving as the Parish Priest.The present church building was constructed during the years 1989-1990 and was blessed by Most Rev. Hubert D’Rosario, the then Archbishop of Shillong-Guwahati, on 6 October 1990.In the decades past, the Catholic community increased in number; the number of diocesan priests grew; the religious institutions multiplied; new Parishes were opened; and the overall growth of the Church in the region resulted in the creation of the diocese of Guwahati in 1992. It became an Archdiocese in 1995 and St Joseph’s Parish Church served as the Cathedral Church of the Archdiocese. When the Archdiocese constructed a Cathedral at Rukmanigaon, Dispur, St Joseph’s Church was declared Co-Cathedral.

As per the latest statistics, the Parish has 2915 Catholics. The Catholic families number 522. Guwahati, being the gateway to the rest of north-east India and a cosmopolitan city, nearly fifty percent of the Catholic population is temporarily settled. There are two main Catholic village settlements, namely, Tonybasti and Darjeeling Basti. In the recent years, a number of religious congregations have set up their communities within the Parish. Various Lay Associations collaborate in the life and activities of the Parish.

Fr. Alex Kattakayam       Fr Kishor Moshahary              Fr Vincent Xalxo

        (Principal)                       VP & Asst. PP                             Rector & PP

The Diocese of Diphu was erected on 5th December 1983, detaching the District of Karbi Anglong from the Archdiocese of Shillong-Guwahati, and the District of North Cachar Hills from the Diocese of Silchar. Most Rev. Mathai Kochuparampil, SDB was appointed the first Bishop of the new Diocese. He was installed at Diphu on 4th March 1984. He passed away on 4th March 1992. Rev. Fr. Albano D’Mello,SDB was elected Diocesan Administrator on 11th March 1992. On 24th June 1994, Most Rev. John Thomas Kattrukudiyil was appointed the second Bishop of the Diocese. He was consecrated at the Cathedral of the Risen Lord, Diphu on 8th September 1994. He was transferred to the newly formed Diocese of Itanagar in December 2005. However, he  continued to serve the Diocese of Diphu as its Apostolic Administrator until a new Bishop was appointed. On 14th February 2007, Most Rev. John Moolachira was appointed the third Bishop of the Diocese. He was consecrated on 15th April 2007 at the Cathedral of the Risen Lord, Diphu. He was transferred to the Archdiocese of Guwahati to be its Auxiliary Archbishop; and he left the Diocese of Diphu on 14th June 2011. On 16th  June  2011, Rev. Fr. John Timung was elected by the college of Consultors as the Diocesan Administrator of the diocese of Diphu. On 26th July 2013, Most Rev. Paul Mattekatt was appointed the fourth Bishop of the Diocese. He was consecrated at the Cathedral of the Risen Lord, Diphu on 6th October 2013. 

​The oldest missionary presence in the Diocese is that of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM) at Haflong. The first group of sisters settled in Haflong in 1911. They started a small boarding school, which later on was opened to the children of the British engineers and tea garden managers. But due to malaria and other fatal diseases prevalent in the region, the infant school had to be closed. In March 1918, St. Agnes School was re-opened by the sisters. Soon a priest began to reside at Haflong and served as chaplain to the convent. According to a government letter, the school was meant for the Europeans and the Eurasians in the province and not for any general missionary purpose. Such restrictions remained till the Independence of India.

​In 1927, with the election of Msgr. Lepailleur, CSC as the first Bishop of Chittagong, Cachar was made part of the new diocese. In 1930, Bishop Lepailleur acquired a fairly large plot of land adjacent to the convent on lease. In 1943, he obtained another lease on a piece of land about 10 minutes walk from the convent, which later became the headquarters of the Prefecture of Haflong and the present residence of priests.

​The Haflong mission was initially run by the Holy Cross Fathers (CSC) attached to the Canadian Province of the Congregation. On 7th January 1952, Haflong was raised to the status of a Prefecture Apostolic and Msgr. Gomes Breens CSC, was appointed the first Prefect Apostolic. His area of jurisdiction consisted of Cachar Hills, Mizo Hills and Tripura. The Haflong Prefecture Apostolic was raised to the status of a Diocese on 26th June 1968 with the Episcopal See at Silchar, and Most Rev. Denzil D’Souza was appointed its first Bishop.

In July 1974, Rev. Fr. Peter Bianchi, SDB was appointed the parish priest of Haflong. With the erection of the Diocese of Diphu, the parish of Haflong, which comprised the whole district of North Cachar Hills, became part of it. The Catholic community of the district of North Cachar Hills is made up of Karbi, Zema Naga, Khasi, Adivasi, Mizo, Hmar, Dimasa and other tribal groups.

​The Salvatorian Fathers (SDS) had adopted Khasi Hills as their main field of missionary activity. They reached the boundary of Karbi Anglong but did not really enter it. Mr. Langtuk Hanse from the village of Marjong, just a few Kilometers from the present parish centre of Umswai, was the first to hear about the Gospel. On 25th January 1914, he led a group of six people from Marjong to Umtyrkhang in Khasi Hills and received baptism at the hands of Fr. Chrysostomus Lefef Mayr, SDS. These six in turn became apostles, and on 4th May 1916, 31 others from the same village received the Catholic faith. On the 15th of the same month, another 22 received baptism. In 1920, some of those who had received baptism came to settle in Umpanai (Amkachi); thus a community was started there too. Later on a Catholic community was formed in Mynser. The work in this region was not restricted to the Karbis only. The Tiwas too responded to the faith. In 1950, some people of Bor Marjong and Umswai embraced the Catholic faith.

​Mr. Joseph Milik and his four children were the first to receive the Catholic faith in Block I under Jrikyndeng. They went to the Raliang Mission and were baptized on 6th March 1942. They were the people of Umkhyrmi. From here the faith spread to the Karbis of other villages.

​Mr. John Kathar with a group of 27 others were the first to receive the Catholic faith in the Rongkhang area. Msgr. Orestes Marengo, SDB received this first group into the Church.

​The first baptisms in Dokmoka region among the Karbis were at Dentaghat in 1969. In 1950, some Catholics came from Sojong to Diphu to settle there, and thus a community was started there too. Later on, the Karbis at Japralangso, Rihalangso, Balipathar and other villages were contacted. The first baptisms in Chokihola region were in the year 1973.

​Although the first baptisms in Karbi Anglong were in 1914, the first parish  was opened only in the year 1967, at Sojong. On 11th February, the parish of Sojong was inaugurated with Fr. John Mariae Nedumpettil as the first parish priest. In 1971, the parish of Diphu was opened. In 1972, the parish of Dokmoka was opened. The parish of Chokihola was opened in 1974, and Umswai in 1977. Japrajan was the last parish opened (1982) before the erection of the Diocese of Diphu.

​Today, the Diocese has 30 Parishes, 14 Mission centres, 58 Convents. The missionary team of the Diocese comprises the diocesan priests, religious priests, brothers and religious woman belonging to various congregations, numerous full time catechists, village catechists and youth leaders. The Diocese is constantly endeavoring to move forward in the spirit of the first missionaries who planted the Gospel in this part of the world.

Christianity in the new diocese can be traced back to the Augustinian Fathers from Dhaka. Rangamati Dhubri district had a very vibrant Christian community in the 16th century. In the last century the Salvatorian priests and later the Salesians while traveling through the Brahmaputra had stayed at Dhubri.

However, the first to take up residence at Dhubri were the Salesian Fathers Archimede Piannazzi and L. Rocca, who were appointed to work among Garos. In 1932 they took up residence at Dhubri and used it as a base for their apostolate in the Garo Hills as Catholics were denied permission to work in that area. In 1936 Barpeta Road Mission was established. The whole area of the present diocese and more was covered by this parish. The present progress can be attributed to Bishops Orestes Marengo, Joseph Mittathany, Robert Kerketta and to Fr Remo Morra, sdb. Under the leadership of Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, the area had a further growth which led to the creation of the Bongaigaon diocese. Fr Joseph Zubizzaretta, sdb’s name will be always remembered among the most outstanding missionaries of the area.

The Diocese of Bongaigaon is carved out of the Archdiocese of Guwahati consisting of Bongaigaon, Baksa,Barpeta, Chirang, Dhubri Kokrajhar and Nalbari Districts of lower Assam that covers the surface area of 13,630 Sq Km. with an over all population of 5.2 million of which 56,855(1.2%) are catholics. There are 27 parishes, 28 Diocesan Priests, 36 Religious Priests, 07 Brothers and 164 Women religious. Catholic population is mainly tribals with the Bodos forming the single largest group. Santhals, Adivasis, Garos and Rabhas are the other major groups. General population comprises of Koch and Koch Rajbanshies, the Assamese and Bengalis. Dhubri and Barpeta districts have Muslim majority.