By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru: Pope Francis on December 28 promoted Bishop Victor Lyngdoh of Jowai as the archbishop of Shillong in the northeastern state of Meghalaya.
The appointment was made public at noon in Rome, corresponding to 4:30 pm in India.
Shillong archdiocese, the mother diocese of the Catholic Church in northeastern India, was without a leader after the death of Salesian Archbishop Dominic Jala on October 10, 2019, in a road accident in the United States. Archbishop Jala, 68, was the first prelate from the Khasi tribe, one of prominent ethnic groups in Meghalaya.
Bishop Lyngdoh, 64, is also a Khasi tribal prelate.
He was born on January 14, 1956, at Wahlang Village, East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya. He entered St. Paul’s Seminary in Shillong for studies at St. Gabriel’s Higher Secondary School. He studied Philosophy at Christ King College in Shillong, and theology at Sacred Heart Theological College in Mawlai. He was ordained priest on January 25, 1987.
He served as assistant parish priest of Resurrection Church, Pynursla 1987-1990.
In 1988, he studied Audio-Visual for Evangelization at Christu Jyoti, Bangalore.
In 1991, he was the assistant parish priest of St. Joseph Church, Mawkhar, Shillong. Ater B.Ed. at the College of Teacher Education in Shillong he became the parish priest of Blessed Sacrament Church, Laitlyngkot and headmaster at Laitlyngkot High School for six years from 1994.
He also served as pastor of St. Paul’s Church, Upper Shillong and principal St. Gabriel’s Higher Secondary School during 2001-2005.
He was parish priest of Mary Help of Christians Cathedral in Shillong when he was appointed the first Bishop of Nongstoin in 2006. After ten years, he was transferred to the diocese of Jowai.
Father John Madur has been looking after the Shillong Archdiocese as the administrator since Archbishop Jala’s death.