By Felix Anthony
Nampong: Residents of a remote village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district have marked the silver jubilee of becoming Christians with the blessing of a new church.
Hetlong village under the diocese of Miao has 30 families belonging to the Tangsa tribe. The community conducted worship in a bamboo structure with tin roof for quarter of a century. They marked the 25th year of receiving the Catholic faith with a new concrete church on February 10 in the presence of guests and dignitaries from around the district.
Blessing the church, Bishop George Pallipparambil of Miao congratulated the community for staying strong in their faith for the last 25 years. He invited them to have a stronger faith along with the new church. He also encouraged them to keep alive the flame of faith to withstand possible threats to it in future.
“In the Bible we see several letters of St. Paul addressed to the Corinthians and Philippians. These communities do not exist today because they did not live according to the teachings of the faith they received. This could happen to us too if we are not fervent in the faith we celebrate today,” the Salesian prelate cautioned.
The church, dedicated to Apostle Peter, is a substation under Nampong parish, manned by the Society of the Missionaries of St. Francis Xavier, or the Pilar Fathers, a congregation based in Goa, western India.
Speaking on the occasion, Laisam Simai, local legislator and advisor for Tourism, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, shared his faith experience. “Wherever I have been, as a student and even today, I always look for the nearest church to participate in the Sunday services for I have experienced its transformative effects on my life,” said the leader, who is also one of the youngest legislators of the northeastern Indian state.
Kothan Mossang, the village leader and one of the first to receive Baptism in the village, inaugurated the church.
Many youth and 30 children received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion during the inaugural Eucharistic celebration.