By Frida Toppo

Bishnupur: When Archbishop Dominic Lumon of Imphal ordains Father Gangmei Pheigathuaipou Daniel on December 30, the Jesuits will get their first priest from Rongmei, a major Naga tribe in the northeastern India.

Archbishop Lumon will ordain Father Daniel in St Ignatius Church Bishnupur, a Jesuit parish in Manipur state.

Father Daniel is the first priest from the Bishnupur parish that was established by the Jesuits 35 years ago.

The parish now has 2,300 Catholics spread in 20 villages.

The new priest hails from Majuron village in Churachandpur district.

He is the seventh among 9 children.

He did his primary schooling at Loyola school Bishnupur and higher secondary at St. Joseph’s College, Jakhana in neighboring Nagaland state.

He did his novitiate in Shillong and theology in Vidyajyoti College of Theology in Delhi.

Father Daniel says he was inspired to join the Society of Jesus after seeing the humanitarian work of Jesuits and the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate who serve in the parish.

“When I was growing up, clashes between the Kuki and Naga tribes were gaining momentum. I had seen many neighboring villagers being burnt.” He said he had seen many Jesuits priests and MSI sisters “rendering humanitarian services to all communities affected by the tribal clash.”

He was then studying in Loyola School in Bishnupur, a prestigious educational institution in the area. “I might not have been the brightest student but my eyes were wide open to the activities the priests and sisters,” he told Matters India.

Father Daniel credits his vocation with Father Jayant Kumar, the first parish priest of Bishnupur, who died recently. “He was my favorite hero. He would come to my village and often visited my house.”

His elder brothers and sisters became Catholics along with some villages those days.