Matters India Reporter
Nagrakata, October 23, 2023 : A tea garden parish in the Dooars area of Jalpaiguri district of North Bengal has celebrated 100 years of founding of Catholic community.

Bishop Clement Tirkey of Jalpaiguri welcomed Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli and seven other bishops of Bengal to the centenary Eucharist with some 100 plus priests, scores of religious Brothers and Sisters; and more than 10,000 faithful.

Special guest at the October 23 celebrations was Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions superior general Father Ferruccio Brambillasca from Rome.

Founded in 1850 in Milan, Italy, Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere (PIME) popularly known as Milan Fathers, is a society of secular priests and lay people who dedicate their lives to overseas missionary activities.

While congratulating the faith of Christians of the parish, Archbishop Girelli thanked the pioneers who brought the Gospel to the remote land of Dooars.

The celebrations started with Archbishop Girelli blessing and re-dedicating existing Church and unveiling of centenary memorial slab commemorating eminent guests participating centenary celebrations.

It was followed by Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta blessing the newly built shrine to venerate original cross erected by PIME Fathers in Nya Sylee Tea Garden.

Father Ferrucio unveiled the slab dedicated to three former bishops of Jalpaiguri diocese – Bishop Ambrose Galbiati(1952-1965), Bishop Francis Ekka (1968-1971) and Bishop James Anthony Toppo (1971 to 2004).

The foundation stone of the Centenary Memorial Hall was blessed by Archbishop Girelli and laid by Father Ferruccio.

The PIME Fathers started mission at Nya Sylee Tea Garden around 1911 in a bungalow offered by the then Tea Garden Manager, and moved to Sacred Heart Church Champaguri in 1923.

The mission began with PIME Father Joseph Antony Lazzaroni from present Krishnagar diocese in Nadia who contacted a group of 20 Catholics from Chotanagpur in present Jharkhand state working in the Nya Sylee Tea Garden.

Today the mission has some 1,250 families with about 8,600 Catholics spread out in 17 sub stations.

Till the partition of Bengal at India’s independence in 1947, Nagrakatta mission was under the diocese of Dinajpur in East Bengal, now Bangladesh.