By Lissy Maruthanakuzhy

New Delhi, March 23, 2026: The Catholic Church in northeastern India has mourned the death of Mother Mary Rose Thapa, the first native superior general of the Missionaries Sisters of Mary Help of Christians.

Mother Thapa died at 6:10 am on March 22 in Guwahati, Assam, due to age-related illness. She was 91.

She received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick the previous day at the congregation’s provincial house in Guwahati, where she had been leading a retirement life, spending most of her time in the chapel, adoring the Eucharist.

Funeral Mass will be held at 11 am on March 24 at the congregation’s cemetery at Mawlai, Mawroh, a suburb of Shillong, capital of Meghalaya state.

A statement from the provincial house said Mother Thapa “peacefully surrendered her life to the Lord.” The congregation and the faithful expressed gratitude for her long and dedicated service.

Mother Thapa’s “life was a witness to faith, humility, and missionary commitment. She served the Church with dedication and guided the Congregation with wisdom,” said Bishop Albert Hemrom of Dibrugarh, chairman of NESCOM (Northeast Social Communication) condoling the death.

Mother Thapa’s life remains a witness to faith, humility, and missionary dedication, continuing to inspire the Church in northeastern India and across the global missionary community, he added.

Allen Brooks, spokesperson of the United Christian Forum of Northeast India, said humbleness, warmth and simplicity were the hallmarks of Mother Thapa. They helped her establish the indigenous congregation as a well-grounded spiritual global community

“I feel blessed having met and known her,” Brooks told Matters India.

Born on March 11, 1935, as Lakshmi Thapa, as one of the ten children of a Hindu family from Nepal. His father was then serving in the Indian army. When the family was living in Dehradun, now in Uttarakhand, a young Baptist missionary invited Lakshmi to Jorhat, a town in Assam.

The man promised to meet her in Calcutta (now Kolkata), and then travel together to his place. However, he was not there when she landed in Calcutta.

That was in 1953, and Thapa was 18. She then became a Catholic in 1953, and was baptized in 1953 by Bishop Stephen Ferrando, who founded the congregation in 1942.

She took the name Rose and joined the congregation and made her religious profession on December 8, 1956.

She served as the first native superior general of the congregation for 18 years from 1970, guiding it during a crucial period of its growth and expansion.

Under her leadership, the congregation expanded its outreach, especially among rural and tribal communities of northeastern India. Her life was marked by simplicity, prayer, and commitment to evangelization and service.

The congregation now has six provinces in India and mission delegations in Italy and Africa. They serve 14 countries, including India.

It has more than 1,460 members from around 80 ethnic groups, serving in 70 dioceses across 240 centers worldwide. Sister Christine Mynsong currently serves as the eighth superior general, elected on January 27, 2024.