By Matters India Reporter

Purnea, January 19, 2020: Jesuit Bishop Angelus Kujur of Purnea ordained as priest deacon Manoj Mario Hansda at St Peter’s Cathedral Purnea in Bihar.

More than 75 priests, including Purnea vicar general Father Francis Tirkey, Kolkata Salesian provincial Father Nirmol Gomes and his successor and first Santhal Salesian provincial of Kolkata Father Joseph Pauria assisted Bishop Kujur at the January 18 ordination ceremonies, including Mass.

Father Hansda is the 15th Santhal priest among 277 members of the Calcutta Salesian province.

Some 50 Salesians, including 13 novices from Darjeeling district as well as from Santhal missions of Hooghly, Nadia, Murshidabad, Dumka and Purnea districts attended the ceremonies.

Father Hansda celebrated his first Mass at All Saints Chapel at Jianganj near Purnea on January 19.

Born at Kurwaghat near Jianganj, in Purnea Father Hansda studied in Don Bosco School and Boarding Purnea, Bihar.

He thanked his former rector at Purnea, Salesian Father Tomy Mathew for planting the seed of priestly vocation in him and nurturing it.

The ordination program started at 10 am with traditional Santhal welcome rituals at the festive arch set up on the main road in front of the cathedral. Deacon Hansda was flanked by his parents (Dhaneswar and Cicilia) along with provincial Father Gomes.

Deacon Hansda was carried on the shoulders of six men folk on a decorated sedan chair to the tunes of 20-piece marching band by the girls of Vimala High School, Purnea. The road was flanked by Don Bosco Purnea boarding boys dressed in black suits and offering floral tributes to the illustrious alumnus of their hostel.

By 10:30 am the procession reached cathedral entrance door and the candidate was escorted into the church by his parents followed by concelebrants and ordaining bishop with entrance dance by 20 young women in their traditional attire carrying decorated pots overflowing with freshly cut paddy stalks.

While the ordination ceremony was held in Hindi language, the commentary and hymns were rendered both Hindi and Santali languages.

Two high points of the ordination ceremony were when some 80 priests stood around the sanctuary and each one laid hands of Deacon Hansda to pray, and later welcomed him to priestly fraternity with a hug.

In his homily in Hindi language Bishop Kujur explained ‘what it means to be a priest in todays troubled times.’

The prelate lamented that “this is the 5th priestly ordination in the [32 year old] Purnea diocese.”

The prelate called on faithful for fervent prayers so that “more young people may be inspired and heed to God’s call to serve the people of God.”

All through 4-hour ceremony the cathedral was packed with young people, both boys and girls, from four church run schools in Purnea.

The Salesian Purnea mission was started in 1981 by pioneer Spanish missionary of happy memory Fr Jesus Gimenez popularly known as “Fr Jim”. In June 27, 1998, Purnea mission became a diocese and was bifurcated from Dumka diocese.

The Santhal missions in Kolkata province which started in 1955, initially was limited to Murshidabad and Birbhum districts of West Bengal. The opening of the boarding school at Don Bosco Welfare Centre Azimganj in July 1966 was followed in 1967 with the erection of the first parish. With the efforts and resources of Father J. Gimenez the mission progressed by leaps and bounds.

Eventually other parishes or mission centers of Polsondamore, Monigram, Joypur, Barapahari, Purnea, Dumka, Sirsia (Nepal) and Hooghly came into the map of Kolkata Salesian Santhal mission.

Some missions were handed over to the diocese of Krishnagar.