Articles

Arrival of Catholic Church Among the Tangkhuls

Opinion | Articles | Joseph M Thohrii | 15-Sep-2021

Introduction

The Tangkhul land, now called Ukhrul District of Manipur is a beautiful mountainous country. The Tangkhuls are Naga tribe of Tibeto-Burman dialect speaking people[1] and belong to the mongoloid race. They inherit a rich cultural like any other tribal communities of the North East region. They celebrate festivals with every seasons of cultivation - plantation, seed sowing and harvesting, with history attached each of these seasons, defining the meaning of every activity. Out of the total area of 22,356 sq. km of Manipur, the hill comprises 20,126 sq. km and out of which an area of about 4,600 sq. km are inhabited by the Tangkhuls[2]. They are ‘brown, tall and muscular people’. The Tangkhuls among the Naga tribe of Manipur has the largest population, which is 1, 78,568  as per 2011 census, inhabiting as many as 230 villages[3]. They are hardworking people, majority of them being Farmers/cultivators.

Arrival of Catholic Missionaries among the Tangkhuls

The arrival of the Baptist mission in the Tangkhul area could be traced back to 1896 with the arrival of Rev. William Pettigrew, a young English missionary. He made gradual progress and under his leadership the American Baptist Church grew in the area[4]. God found his own way of making an opening for the Catholic missionaries to initiate work in Manipur. Phanitphang Hongray was one of the pioneers for the establishment of the Catholic Church in Manipur. It all began with his journey to Dibrugarh (Assam) along with K. Haorei of Ukhrul in January 1940. He studied in Don Bosco School, Dibrugarh form 1940 to 1942 while pursuing his normal studies he was attracted to the Catholic faith and so attended the catechism classes. After learning sufficiently about catholic faith, he requested Fr. Bars and Fr. Louis Kerketta to baptise him. After having studied and understood the new faith, he was allowed to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. On 5^th August, 1942, he was baptised by Rt. Rev. Msgr. E. Bars D.D and given the baptismal name George[5]. Thus, George Phanitphang Hongray became the first Tangkhul catholic to be baptised. Later on as an active lay man he has done yeoman service for the growth of the Catholic Church particularly in the Tangkhul area.

Tangkhul students who were studying in St. Anthony’s college, Shillong were instrumental in bringing catholic faith in Tangkhul area. Thus neophytes wanted to bring some catholic priest to teach the people about the catholic faith and establish the church in the area. But the hurdle was that they need special permission from the Maharaja of Manipur to let the catholic missionaries’ visit their areas[6]. They were permitted but only on the ground that they should preach only in the hill areas and not in the Imphal valley.

Pioneer Missionaries

1. Bishop Orestes Marengo Sdb

Bishop Orestes Marengo was born in August 1906 in a small hamlet called Le Ceccene[7]. Fr. Marengo and Fr. Attilio Colussi made a historic visit to the Tangkhul area in November 1948. When they were leaving they said, “We have prayed to God to reach the Catholic Church in Tangkhul area. He will hear our prayers and the seeds of His Church will truly grow”. Those words came true on 11^th February, 1952[8]. Then in 1952 he made a maiden visit to Ukhrul and after this he started constant visit to this area. He always enjoyed touring the villages and being with his flock. He was very much taken up by the generosity and sacrificing spirit of the Tangkhuls. He made extensive tour to the Tangkhul villages on foot along with Fr. Bianchi[9]. He re-lives the days he spent among the neophytes of Naga tribe of Tangkhuls. After a prolonged sickness he died on 30^th July, 1998 in Tura.

 Aloysius Ravalico Sdb

He was the moving spirit behind all the apostolic undertakings in Manipur. He was an Italian missionary. He was ordained a priest on 2^nd April, 1932. His first visit to Manipur was to the Tangkhuls. He went on for a trip to attend the wedding of a past pupil of Don Bosco School, Guwahati, which paved the way for the mission in Manipur. His great dream was to establish a Don Bosco school and to bring the Daughter of Mary Help of Christians to Manipur and to build a church in honour of Mary Immaculate. By and by all his dreams were fulfilled. He died on 17^th December 1967 after 43 years of indubitable labour in the Lord’s vineyard[10].

 Peter Bianchi Sdb

Fr. Peter Bianchi is a native of Romagna in Italy. Desired to be a missionary in Japan but his superiors has decided to send him to Assam. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Ferrando on 6^th December, 1951 at Shillong Cathedral. In 1955 he was appointed as Secretary to Bishop at Dibrugarh. It is here that he toured to Manipur and started his missionary work[11]. Fr. Bianchi made extensive visit to Tangkhul villages[12]. He was instrumental in opening the first parish, Sacred Heart Church at Hungdung. Then he continued to carry on his mission work among the Mao-Maram areas till his last breath on 8^th March, 2008. His mortal remains were laid to rest in punanamei village, Senapati district, Manipur.      

Embracing Catholicism: First Baptised Catholic community

In the beginning the missionaries had to suffer because of the lack of communications with the people. The people were not able to understand English and only few could who were studying outside. Then there was always a threat from the Protestants and the pagans and sometimes they were even beaten. The pioneering missionaries did a commendable job in trying to adjust to the Naga culture[13].

As mentioned earlier, Tangkhul students who were studying in St. Anthony’s college, Shillong were instrumental in bringing catholic faith in Tangkhul area. In 1946, A.S. Dominic Shomi was captivated by the faith of the Catholics and embraced it[14] . The arrival of the Catholic missionaries to Manipur hills for a second time has been closely linked with the the life and efforts of A.S. Shomi. Indeed, he could be considered as one of the “real pioneers” in the establishment of the Catholic Church among the Tangkhuls of Manipur[15]. Unfortunately he died at a young age of 37 in 1966.

Hardships and Persecution

Naturally, in certain villages the favour of the new catholic aroused the anger and jealousy of some group of non-Catholics who emptied up their bile by beating up some catechists and faithful. On the contrary the number of baptism arose higher and higher[16]. Later Fr. Bianchi and his companions were beaten up in Lambui. Later Fr. Bianchi was pulled out of the Church at Tangkhul Hungdung by the Protestants[17]. They were not permitted to show religious film in Hungpung. In spite of all this Fr. Ravalico and Fr. Bianchi never gave up.

Lack of transport and communication and multiplicity of languages were also real hurdles for the early missionaries. The hostile attitude of some people in certain areas also poses problems for the missionaries. The people who became Catholics were even ridiculed by the Protestants and pagans. They were thrown out of the villages and even their houses were burned down. Gradually many of these difficulties were overcome with their spirit of sacrifice and dedication[18].

Growth of Catholicism among the Tangkhuls

The Tangkhul community was the first to be received into the Catholic Church in Manipur. Fr. Marocchino reached Hungpung on 10^th February, 1952. On the following day, on 11^th February, 1952, he baptised 33 families with 350 members and were received into the Catholic Church. Thus for the first time in Manipur a community was converted to Catholicism[19].

First Parish and other parish

Sacred Heart Parish, Hungpung was the first parish in Tangkhul area and was canonically erected on 15^th June 1964. Fr. Mathew Planthottam took charge as Parish Priest and Fr. P.C. Mani as his Assistant Parish Priest[20]. Gradually as the catholic population increased, the number of parishes began to come up. Now at present there are 10 parishes which are subdivided from this mother parish.

Number of Parishes at present

There are 10 parishes among the Tangkhul inhabited areas. These parishes are listed as below

1. Sacred Heart Parish, Hungpung (1964)
2. Holy Spirit Parish, Nungbi (1975)
3. Mary Help of Christian Parish, Hunphun, Ukhrul (1978)
4. Christ King Parish, Chingjaroi (1980)
5. Good Shepherd Parish, Kasom Khullen (2004)
6. Joseph’s parish, Talui (2006)
7. Joseph’s Parish, Choithar (2007)
8. Anthony’s Parish, Muirei (2011)
9. Peter Mission Centre, Kamjong (2013)
10. Mary Help of Christian Mission Centre, Keihao (2020)

As per the latest statistics of the TCC, the population of the Tangkhul catholics is  21,953 (approx.)

Vocation to Priesthood and Religious life

With the growth of the number of Catholics there is also growth in the local vocation among the Tangkhuls. It may be noted that Sr. Teresa Shimrah MSMHC (professed in 1969) is the first religious sister and Fr. Mario Matuingai in 1982 became the first catholic priest to be ordained among the Tangkhuls. . There are now 24 priests and 80 religious sisters among the Tangkhuls. Many more are maturing their formation in major seminaries and novitiates. May the Lord bless abundantly all those who have played their role in promoting the vocation to priestly and religious life

The Catholic Church at present  

The Church in the Tangkhul area is at rapid growth. The Tangkhuls at present have nearly a Catholic population of around 21,956 (approx). The Tangkhul Catholic Council (TCC) is the apex body of the Tangkhul Catholics and the Tangkhul Catholic Shanao Long (TCSL), the Tangkhul Catholic Youth Federation (TCYF) and the Tangkhul Catechist Forum (TCF) are the Women, Youth and Catechist wing of the Tangkhul Catholic Church. They closely work with the Priests and religious who are in the parishes of the Tangkhul area. They work as the lay body in the progress of evangelisation and spread of the gospel in the Tangkhul area. They function with great dynamism and efficiency. Recently the TCC had a reach out programme to Kongkailung, Myanmar (Burma) for the Tangkhul catholic Diaspora.

Evangelisation in progress

The early missionaries have done a very commendable work in evangelisation especially one among who stands out tall was Late Fr. Mathew Planthottam, who is considered as the ‘apostle of the Tangkhuls’. They dared to venture the new land and preach the Gospel of Jesus and baptise those who believed. The Catechists also play a very pivotal role and owe them much in the evangelisation process in the area. Their work and service are commendable and their sacrifice is immense. The lay leaders had been carrying the torch of the Catholic faith everywhere, even ahead of the missionaries in certain places. Their sacrifices support and example brought many others to the Church.

The present missionaries in the area also ought to carry forward the great zeal and enthusiasm of the early missionaries. With the mushrooming of the local vocation much more can be done in the field of evangelisation. Communication obstacles are less now. Transport and network accessibility is no more a think of the past anymore. People need more catechizing to deepen the faith for sacramental life.

Educational status and institutions

The Tangkhuls were among the well-educated tribe among the tribals in Manipur. Mostly now the younger generations are well educated. Today illiteracy rate has also gone down. The early missionaries believe in the importance of education. They came to underline the conviction of the Tangkhuls in the need for quality education. The purpose of the catholic education is for the development of a fully integrated human being. The school gives not only intellectual growth but also moral character, spirituality and discipline. They impart quality education and the best in whatever way possible to bring about a leader for the future.

At present the Catholic Church runs 11 schools and one college in the Tangkhul area viz,

1. Sacred Heart Hr. Sec. School, Hungpung
2. Holy Spirit School, Nungbi
3. Savio Hr. Sec. School, Ukhrul
4. Christ King School, Chingjaroi
5. Good Shepherd School, Kasom Khullen
6. Joseph’s School, Talui
7. Mary’s School, Khampasom, Ukhrul
8. Anthony’s School, Muirei
9. Peter School, Kamjong
10. Assisi School, Nongdam
11. Don Bosco School, Keihao

Even though these schools don’t topped in the state yet their pass percentage is 98% to 99% every year in the High School Leaving Certificate Exams (HSLCE) conducted by BOSEM and Higher Secondary Examinations, conducted by COSHEM in Manipur.

St. Joseph’s College Ukhrul was established in 2015 to impart higher quality education which gives the best to impart higher learning with both Arts and Science streams.

Conclusion

 I began my study with the description and analysis of the traditional Tangkhul society because it was their traditional society which responded to the Catholic Church the way it did. As a whole the Tangkhul society responded enthusiastically to the Catholic Church. All this credit should be raised to God who sent his missionaries to the Tangkhul area and all those who worked for the spread of faith in the Tangkhul area.

I have put down in words the hopes and aspiration of the Tangkhul Catholics as they journey into the coming days. This is not only the work of the missionaries but it also requires the active and collaborative participation of the faithful so that the Gospel may reach to all our brethren who are in the nook and corner of the Tangkhul hills.

 Reference:

[1] Khashim, Ruivah (1984 ). Long Shim (Dormitory) at the Tangkhuls. The Tribe of North East India, Karotemprel Sebastian (ed.), Shillong, Vendrame Missiological publication, .171.

[2] Ibid. 172.

[3] http://censusindia.gov.in/

[4] Arrival of the Catholic Missionaries in Manipur, Silver Jubilee Souvenir Hungdung, 1952-1977 (1977) .16.

[5] The Baptism Golden Jubilee of Mr. George Phanitphang Hongray on 15-08-1992 (1992),  Published by The Catholic Church Ukhrul, Manipur.1.

[6] Jeyaseelan, Lazar.  History of the Catholic Church in Manipur . (2005). Imphal: Catholic Manipur publications, .69.

[7] Jeyaseelan,  Lazar.  History of the Catholic Church in Manipur, .71.

[8] Arrival of the Catholic Missionaries in Manipur’, Silver Jubilee Souvenir Hungdung, 1952-1977, 18.

[9] Joseph Puthenpurakal, Bishop Orestes Marengo sdb : North East India’s Unparalleled Missionary. (1999) Shillong, Vendrame Institute publication, 225.

[10] Sebastian, A.J (ed.), In His Name: Fr. Peter Bianchi Sdb recounts his story. (1999).  Dimapur, Don Bosco publication, ,72.

[11] Sebastian, A.J (ed.), In His Name: Fr. Peter Bianchi Sdb recounts his story, 72.

[12] Ibid. 82.

[13] Roslyn Kaisa, “The Naga Culture”, in Know your people. (2005) Peter Haokip, Thomas Manjaly and Kuriakose Poovathumkudy (eds.) , Shillong, Oriens Publications,121.

[14] Jeyaseelan, Lazar. History of the Catholic Church in Manipur, 86.

[15] Ibid.,50.

[16] Ibid.51.

[17] Joseph Puthenpurakal, Bishop Orestes Marengo sdb : North East India’s Unparalleled Missionary, 223.

[18] Jeyaseelan, Lazar . “Education for Transformation” in Towards Building up the Local Church. (2004) .Thomas Manjaly, Peter Haokip and James Thoppil (eds.), Shilling, Oriens Publication, 17.

[19] ‘Arrival of the Catholic Missionaries in Manipur’, Silver Jubilee Souvenir Hungdung, 1952-1977, 16.

[20] Jeyaseelan, Lazar . History of the Catholic Church in Manipur, 170. 

(The Authur is a Priest in the Archdiocese of Imphal, Manipur. He can be reached on mtjo89@gmail.com. The Article is an excerpt from his research work)

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