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A brief history of St. Thomas Church, Phelungre village, Kiphire District.

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang | 15-Sep-2021

Phelungreans were the first to receive the Catholic Faith in 1975, under Tuensang district (Present ENPO Area). The Church is dedicated to St Thomas the apostle, who in A.D. 52 brought the Christian Faith to the Southernmost part of the country. The Catholic faith at Phelungre village made its beginning through Late John Yesong the first trained Catechist from this village who received baptism from his Lordship R.T. Rev. Hubert D. Rosareo on 15th Dec. 1968 in Dibrugarh.

Late John Yesong received information from Tuensang parish priest for the first visit of Rev. Fr. L. Marinda to the Kiphire area. He visited Phelungre village on 7th Jan. 1969, who was warmly welcomed by the village elders like G.B‘s, Teachers and Pastors of the Baptist Church. At that time, there were only 12 (Twelve) Baptist Christian families in this village out of a total household of 155. Rev. Fr. Marinda was allowed to preach in the Baptist Church on 8th Jan. 1969 evening by the Pastor and Church elders. The first mass at Phelungre village was celebrated by him the following day.

Rev. Fr. L. Marinda also visited Anatonger village on 8th Jan. 1969 and Kiphire town on 9th Jan 1969 but he was stopped by some people at Phelungre village from doing any missionary work in the area and he was made to leave for Tuensang on Jan. 10th 1969. The second visit of Catholic Priest to the Kiphire Area was Rev. Fr. Chacko T. J. from 2nd to 17th Dec 1969 with Shri T. Tsupesu Joseph. They visited the following villages, Kiphire, Langkok, Singrep, Amahator, Changchor. Rithsithsi, Yingshikur, Phelungre and Anatonger. He was warmly welcomed in most of the villages. Wherever he went, he talked about the Catholic Faith, showed them film strips and stayed either in the teachers or Baptist pastor's residence.

Rev. Fr. Chacko TJ. visited the Area the second time from 28th Dec 1970 - 13th Jan, 1971. Mr. Kiremong Joseph of Longkhimong Village, who was a Seminarian in St Joseph’s Seminary at Dibrugarh, accompanied Rev. Fr. Chacko from Tuensang to Longkhimong Village. They visited the following Villages in Pungro area on foot viz Pungro Village, New Minito, Thanamir, Penkim, Salomi, Luthor, Zanger, Chomi and Pungro Town. In all the villages they visited they showed film strips, talked about Catholic Faith and the need of education. He was helped in translation by some village School teachers or V.G. Commanders or some high School students on holidays in the Village. During that trip Fr. Chacko T.J. collected 12 (Twelve) boys as hostellers from the area and reached Phelungre Village on 12th Jan. 1971 for the night stop, and left for Tuensang on 13th Jan. 1971.

Rev. Fr. P.C. Mani made his first and last visit of Pungro area in the last part of Nov. 1971 and beginning of Dec. '71 accompanied by a trained Catechist (late)  John Yesong on a 13 day trip. Rev. Fr. Castelino S.J. and Rev. Fr. Goveas S.J. reached Kiphire on 18-01-72 who continued to contact the people. With the opening of Loyola School at Kiphire. Rev. Fr. Castilino S.J. was required to be at station more often which helped people to contact father and vice versa. With this, visit of father to Phelungre Village became more frequent.

As an effort of evangelization among his people and to establish the Catholic Church at Phelungre village, Late John Yesong, the then touring Catechist, with the help of Rev. Fr. Castelino, arranged a dancing group from Phelungre village as delegates of Tuensang District on the occasion of the ordination of Rt. Rev. Abraham Alangimattathil as the Bishop of Nagaland and Manipur on 14th Oct. 1973 at Kohima. In the beginning, more than twenty people desired to go but only thirteen of them could willingly go and attended the said occasion. Fr. Castelino personally took the team and a beautiful local cultural dance was performed on that day. The said team included (1) T. Kiusumong 2. Murilo G.B. 3. K. Kiumuko G.B. 4. R. Kiusumong 5. Tsasukiu Teacher 6. Singphukiu Teacher 7. Yutsong 8. Ritsakiu 9. T. Tsasukiu 10. C. Murilo 11. Yangtsakiu Francis 12. ChumuzQ 13. Yongsukiu Teacher 14. Joseph Tsupesu 15. Lt. John Yesong. They went with a dream and hope and many of them turned out to be witnesses for the future.

When Fr. Castelino was transferred, and Rev. Fr. Mathew Keemattam took charge of Kiphire Mission and his first visit to Phelungre village was on 18-8-74. He again visited Phelungre Village on 20th Dec. 1974 and stayed in the Village up to 25th Dec. 1974, giving medical aid to die sick, showed films about the life of Christ and conducting meetings with the G.B.s and elders of the village. On 24th Dec. 1974 midnight service Mass was celebrated at the village with a good gathering of people and on this night Rev. Fr. Mathew Keemattam baptized Mr. Francis Yangtsakiu of Longthonger Village.

The message of the Catholic Missionaries including Lt John Yesong, the Catechist, began to take root in the hearts of the people slowly. And finally under the able guidance of Fr. Mathew Keemattam, John Yesong, a dynamic leader assisted by Mr. S. Kiosukiu (who later took the name James in baptism) a student of St John's School Tuensang managed to prepare thirty people including seven boys from Chomi village for baptism. The said thirty people were baptized by Rt. Rev. Abraham Alangimattathil, the Bishop of Kohima Diocess to form the first Catholic community in Tuensang District (Present ENPO Area). It was a day of rejoicing for Tuensang Parish for which Late. John Yesong deserves all praises for it was his effort that made the dream come true.

With the visit of the first catholic Priest Rev. Fr. L. Miranda in early 1969, the seed was sown, nurtured by his successors Rev. Fr. T. J. Chacko, Fr. P.C. Mani, Fr. Castilino S. J. Rev. Fr. Mathew Keemattam and Fr. Kurian in whose time the Church building was constructed with a total expenditure of Rs. 317, 184/- (Rupees three lakhs seventeen thousand one hundred eighty four) only and was blessed by Rev. Fr. Mathew Keemattam on 3rd July 1984. Late Kiusumong and Late Mujongmong G.B. generously donated the land for the Church. The Church in the initial stage had to face surmounting problem. The Community was not only less in number but had less educated persons, to defend the Faith. With the demise of the Touring Catechist Lt. John Yesong, the Catholic Community experienced rejection on all front even in the village.

An incident to recall with grief was on 1st March 1977 (evening) in the house of Shri T. Kiusumong (the then V.C.M.) when Bishop Nagaland, Rt. Rev. Abraham Alangimattathil and Rev. Fr. Mathew Keemattam were having a meeting with the Catholic Community, the G.Bs and leaders of the Baptist Church came to meet the Bishop and father and threatened them to stop preaching the Catholic Faith. In June 1975, meeting was held at Regional Council members Hall (R.C.M. Hall) Kiphire organized by Sangtam Baptist Church Association, where in the meeting the birth of Catholic Church at Phelungre Village was mocked at and threatened. On 18th of Dec. 1976, when Rev. Fr. Mathew Keemattam came to the village to pray for the departed soul of Lt John Yesong, some leaders of the Baptist Church came to the house of Lt. John Yesong and threatened Father and asked him to leave the Village immediately. The Executive Committee of the United Sangtam Students' Conference (U.S.S.C.) also exerted much pressure in stopping all the Catholic Missionary activities. During the mid-seventies they went even approached the Governor of Nagaland and advised him not to allow Catholic Church and School to be established at Phelungre Village. But the Governor warned them that freedom of religion was guaranteed by the Constitution of India.

Today, the days are far changed. The catholic community and the other community live as one family. Differences with regard to Faith hardly exist today. Those ignorant days are regretted and forgotten by the Catholic community and the other denomination. Now both co-operate in all activities. St. Thomas Church with all this experiences is more than 45 years old with its 600 plus members. When the Catholic Church was established at Phelungre Village in 1975, There was hardly any educated person in the community except John Yesong himself and few students like James Kiosukiu, Mathew Throngsukiu and Abraham Ponglekhyong who were studying in Class VII & VIII and only very few primary students. Such was the educational background that there was not a single Government employee but ordinary cultivators and few students, which was the root of financial weakness of the Catholic community in the beginning.

Among the few fortunate persons from Phelungre Village to study in Catholic School were R. Tsapikiu, Tsalito and Kiosukiu, who were taken by Rev. Fr. Chacko T.J. in 1970 and 1971 respectively to St. John's School Boarding at Tuensang out of which Mr. Kiosukiu was Baptised on 7th may 1975. During the seventies after the Loyola School Kiphire was opened in 1972, Fathers and Late. John Yesong took many more students from Phelungre Village to Loyola School and other Catholic Schools and Boardings.  And today the Catholic Community is proud of having Gazette officers, many Govt Servants, Public Leaders, Social Entrepreneurs and many educated persons. It’s a manifestation of God’s grace working through the Catholic Missionaries and the Catholic Schools.

(The Author is a Priest in the Diocese of Kohima, and can be reached on Benjamin.chang24@gmail.com. The content of the Article is personal)

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