The superior general of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal, SJ, visited the Kohima Jesuit Mission in Northeast India to celebrate their Golden Jubilee as a Mission. Fr. Sosa observed their works in Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya.

The highlight of his visit was the blessing of a commemorative plaque on a traditional rock obelisk, and a Jubilee Mass in a large tent for over 2,700 villagers who welcomed and supported the Jesuits over the last five decades. It was held on the large campus of Loyola College in Phesama, Kohima.

 Impressive for me was the way the mass was about thanking the many men and women by “wrapping” them with a shawl, presenting them with a framed certificate, and a gift for their decades of service.  Fr. Hector D’Souza, SJ, one of the original mission founders, thanked one of the families and their late father, he choked up with emotion – a visible testimony to his love and care for them.

 In 2002, I had the privilege of joining the Wisconsin Province team visiting Kohima to discuss the the terms of the “twinning” relationship between the Mission and the Wisconsin Province suggested by Fr. General Kolvenbach, SJ.  To show the province what we were getting into, I produced a short video, entitled, More than Men and Money. https://vimeo.com/167381828

At that time, we were shown the urban college campus that the Jesuits had built and returned to the Kohima diocese to free up resources to work with the poorest indigenous tribes. This finally happened with founding of Wm. Nagar College in southern Meghalaya, and Xavier College, Umoid, in northern Meghalaya, with Fr. Sunny Augustine, SJ, and Fr. Paul Coelho, SJ, respectively as presidents.

Fr. Walter Fernandes, SJ, who wrote 70 books over the last 5 decades has recently returned as director of the North-East Social Research Center. http://www.nesrc.org/staff.html

Walter wrote a short history of the Kohima Mission: Recall the Past to Write the Future.  He describes how the Jesuits always choose to work with the rural poor indigenous tribes.

Hopefully, he’ll make it available for sale on the research center’s website above.

Don Doll, SJ

View Paul Coelho, SJ’s Kohima Mission Beginnings