A pastoral centre for the Diocese of Diphu
The Diocese of Diphu lies in the state of Assam in the far northeast of India. This is a region of great poverty, where a variety of Indigenous tribes traditionally live. Most of them still adhere to their traditional tribal religions.
The number of Catholic faithful in the diocese is around 70,000—a minority accounting for just a little over 5% of the total population. Most of the Catholic families have only embraced Christianity in recent decades, so there is still a great need to deepen and strengthen their Catholic faith.
The diocese has therefore made plans to introduce more training courses and spiritual exercises for priests, religious, and laity, as well as retreat days and a range of different conferences, meetings, and other events, all aimed at strengthening the life of the Church here. One challenge, however, was the lack of suitable space to hold all these gatherings or to accommodate the visiting participants. The diocese urgently needed a pastoral centre with the appropriate meeting rooms, as well as overnight accommodation for visitors. But this was not possible, given that the area is very poor and the financial demands, especially due to the pandemic and general economic crisis, have only grown greater. This is why Bishop Paul Mattekatt turned to ACN for help.
As always, our benefactors responded generously, and we were able to contribute over $102,000. As a result, to the great joy of the diocese, the pastoral centre in Diphu has now been built and solemnly consecrated. And still greater was the joy of the priests, religious, and laity who have already been able to benefit from the various events on offer to better serve their parishes!
Our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have helped make this possible!
