A Parish House for a New Parish in India
In eastern India, the parish of Chondonpara in the Diocese of Tura is still very new, having been founded in October of 2024. They were also able to open a parish house at the same time, thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, who contributed nearly $42,000. They celebrated with a great feast, which was attended by the bishop, many priests and religious sisters from the diocese, and a huge throng of the Catholic faithful.
The new parish was created from the division of one vast parish, which had comprised 119 villages and over 21,000 faithful. Previously, it was not possible to minister adequately to all the Catholics in the area, which lies in a mountainous region covered in rainforest. Most of the faithful belong to the indigenous Garo tribe and live in great poverty. The priest is the person they turn to in every need, and consequently, he must be accessible. That is why he needed a place to stay in this new parish and why Bishop Andrew Marak turned to ACN for help.
The building had to be solidly constructed, since the region is prone to earth tremors. And it was not easy. The building site is on the edge of the forest, and the building workers were frightened by wild elephants that came onto the site. It was also very difficult to transport the necessary building materials along unmade roads. On a number of occasions, lorries got stuck a few miles away from the village. Finally, the village has no electricity, which, again, added to the difficulty of construction. But the house was finally built, and there was great rejoicing among the people.
“Without your help, we could not have begun, and still less finished, this important project. The new parish house will be a source of so much good. The presence of the priest will be an enormous help for the activities of this new parish. The faithful will always remember ACN in their prayers and pray for all your benefactors, for the many sacrifices they have made so that this project could become reality.”
317-01-19