North East Catholic Research Forum

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Inpui Community’s first Catholic Church in Yurembam

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Mary Immaculate Catholic Church, Yurembam

When Mary Immaculate Catholic Church is inaugurated on the 15th of January 2021 at Yurembam by Most Rev. Dominic Lumon, Archbishop of Imphal, it will be the first Catholic Church for this particular community. Catholic presence amongst the Inpui community.....

Catholic Church in Meghalaya: Foundation and Growth

Opinion | Articles | David R. Syiemlieh |

Catholics missionaries were the first among the Christian Missions to have entered the North East region. Their attention through the 18th and early 19th centuries was the pastoral care of three Portuguese settlements of Rangamati, located on the easternm.....

Woman and Child

Opinion | Articles | Desmond L. Kharmawphlang |

The trudge from her hovel to the corner by the bus-stop would be covered in the time it took her to have her first mouthful of betel nut of the day, about say, 10 minutes. With her bag of bidis and cigarettes, plastic jars of shaved and pieced betel nuts .....

Enhancing life Skills & effective communication for Teachers

Opinion | Articles | Sunny Jacob SJ |

“Life skills is a term used to describe a set of basic skills acquired through learning and/or direct life experience that enable individuals and groups to effectively handle issues and problems commonly encountered in daily life” In other words, Life Ski.....

Entrepreneurs: The Wealthy Unemployed

Opinion | People's Edit | Kh.Siile Anthony |

An entrepreneur is a person who can take calculative risks with innovative ideas for profit. To be an entrepreneur is a dream that many professionals aspire, but those with real guts achieve it. Getting entrepreneurship ideas is not a hard thing but to co.....

Hermeneutics of Love, and its Intriguing Nuances

Opinion | People's Edit | Victor Ferrao |

We love our life and we are trying hard to preserve it against the novel coronavirus. Our life is no stranger to death but when it comes to pandemic deaths becoming omnipresent, we have to fight for life. This is why we try to police the virus and prese.....

He called it a Day finally

Opinion | People's Edit | Khansu Vialo Zingkhai |

Rev. Fr. MC John

He called it a day on the 18th of November 2020, in the Archdiocese of Imphal, Manipur, a place he had chosen as his turf to be a Pencil in the hands of God, so that his Creator could write through him. That was Rev. Fr. MC John, born on 8th February 1940.....

NECCOD celebrates 30th Anniversary

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Group Photo on 30th Anniversary

The North East Catholic Community of Delhi, on December 6th 2020, celebrated the 30th year of their existence in the National capital at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, New Delhi. The occasion was combined with the usual Pre-Christmas celebration the organisa.....

Being Aatmanirbar and the Demand and Supply sides of our Economy

Opinion | Articles | Victor Ferrao |

Indian economy was already struggling before being hit by the global pandemic. Like every other country, India is fighting its war against covid-19. Social distancing, use of masks and sanitizers have become the new normal for us all. Severe lockdown im.....

Brief History of the Catholic Missionaries in Manipur

Opinion | Articles | Irene Salam |

The Tangkhul Nagas were the early Christians in Manipur since Rev. William Pettigrew first landed in Ukhrul after he was disallowed spaced in the valley. By 1946 however, there were confusions due to emergence of the Revival and the Seventh Day Adventist .....

Contributions of the Catholic Church towards Education in the Brahmaputra Valley

Opinion | Articles | Luke Daimari |

Introduction The credit for introduction and growth of a regular system of education in India goes to the British. In 1781, the East India Company for the first time set up a Madrassa at Calcutta and later opened similar institutions for the Hindus at.....

Our Culture and the Gospel Encounter

Opinion | People's Edit | Joseph M Thohrii |

Introduction Since early human civilisations, there has always been feeling of awe towards the supernatural being, and human beings had always been curious and interested to understand this phenomenon and wanted to relate life to this reality or being. I.....

Nohkalikai Falls of Sohra: The Tragic Tale of a Mother who ate her Daughter

Current Updates | Culture | Philip Lyngdoh |

In these days of gadget-driven world, it is hard to imagine youngsters huddling around a master storyteller to listen to tales that spellbound listeners. Adding to this change is the fast diminishing number of storytellers, although not so long ago, we ch.....

NECCOD brings out a Calendar for 2021

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Rev. Fr. Vijay Baretto, NECCOD President, and General Secretary

In a simple ceremony following the NECCOD monthly Mass on November 1, 2020, a Calendar for 2021 was released on by Rev. Fr. Vijay Baretto, Chaplin of NECCOD, in the Archdiocese of Delhi, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. The attractive Calendar, with select.....

Editorial

Thank you Kerala, for keeping the Spirit of India alive

The most notable bright spot of the 2026 assembly elections is clearly the manner in which voters in Kerala exercised their franchise; Not because they voted any particular party to power, but because they avoided voting along communal lines. The victorie.....

Some Accountability for Social Media platforms

In March, a Los Angeles court hearing a petition filed by a 20-year-old woman, Kaley, who was a minor at the time of filing the case, held Meta and Google guilty of coming up with attention-grabbing applications, resulting in minor addiction to YouTube an.....

Sanju Samson's Silent Prayer was the Loudest Thanks giving

In a country where cricket is not just a game but considered next only to religion, a spectacle unfolded on March 1 inside the mammoth and iconic Eden Gardens cricket stadium in Kolkata, where the Indian and West Indies teams played the last of the Super.....

Stooping Beyond a Limit

When Himanta Biswa Sarma exited his parent party, the Indian National Congress, in 2015 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, not too many eyebrows were raised since such leapfrogging from one political party to the other was nothing new in Indian politi.....

The Culture of othering is an unhealthy trend

A German Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemöller, was against the Communist ideology and also against Semitism. His distaste for them made him a natural ally and supporter of Rudolf Hitler. When Hitler ultimately assumed power and insisted on the supremacy of t.....

Persecutions in the land of Tagore, Vivekananda, and Gandhi

India is fortunate to have given birth to three outstanding sons, Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, and Mahatma Gandhi, who inspired generations not only in India but across the world. Apart from their liberal thinking, their thoughts on religious f.....

The determination was written on every Indian player’s face

On the intervening night of November 2nd and 3rd, the Indian women’s cricket team created history by winning the ICC Women’s World Cup for the first time at the DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai. They defeated South Africa, a team dubbed by many cricketing.....

Zubeen Garg unites people even in his death

Many ordinary people who are not connected to music and art might not have even heard of Zubeen Garg, despite being an iconic artist and a person who cared for others. However, after his unfortunate and untimely demise on September 19, 2025, social media.....

How serious are educational Institutions about the mental health of young people?

During the monsoon session of the Parliament in July 2025, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar informed the house that student suicide cases accounted for 7.6 per cent of all suicide cases reported across India in 2022, showing a slight.....

Religious Persecutions in the Land of Vivekananda and Gandhi

The dictionary meaning of ‘persecution’ reads as ‘unfair or cruel treatment based on race, religion, or political belief’. Therefore, persecution can occur through racial discrimination or political exploitation and is not necessarily limited to the relig.....

From a Murderer to a Pilgrim of Faith

Prior to June 27, 2025, not many people in this country and elsewhere would have heard of Chengu@Sudharsan@Chandu Hansda, who at the age of 13 turned into a murderer when he joined the mob that brutally burnt alive an Australian missionary, Graham Stewart.....

Ominous Signs and the Catholic response

India is a country that boasts staggering diversity—a colourful mix few in the world have the privilege of sharing. Since independence and the enactment of the constitution, freedom, liberty, and equality before the law has always been our treasured right.....

Previous Articles

A Tribute to Lt. Rev Sr. Toms Maria SABS (1947–2025)

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang

“Well done, good and faithful servants… enter into the joy of your Master.” – (Mt. 25:23) The Diocese of Kohima mourns the passing of Rev. Sr. Toms Maria SABS, who was called to her eternal reward on 15th August 2025, at the age of 78. A member of the .....

Emergency, Surrogacy, Suffocation

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

Trains and aircraft have emergency exits. Not so with politics. I vividly recall this day 50 years ago. I was attending a Youth Animators’ Training Programme in Allahabad, the epicentre of the Emergency earthquake. It was promulgated by Prime Minister Ind.....

May They All be one

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

A person’s dying wish is sacred. Jesus’ last desire, when “he raised his eyes to heaven” (Jn 17:1), was “that they may be one like us” (v11) and again “May they all be one” (v21). Jesus’ call to oneness (unity) of his disciples was based on his own deep r.....

The Season of Lent

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang

Ash Wednesday marks the onset of the Lent, the 40-day period of fasting and abstinence. Ash Wednesday is so called because of the imposition of ashes on the foreheads of the faithful, marked with the shape of a cross, which serve as a reminder of the call.....

Electoral Bonds: Intimidate, Induce and Collect

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

As per the Supreme Court’s order, the Election Commission uploaded the list of the donors of electoral bonds. Many political analysts and journalists studied the list and revealed the truth that most of the donors purchased electoral bonds for two major r.....

Caring Our Mother Earth: Pathways to Conservation

Opinion | Articles | Vincent T Darlong

When God created the earth “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:18). After he created man, God has put him in the Garden of Eden to care for it (Genesis 2:15). But today, we seem to be doing just opposite to what God had intended. Instead of caring for t.....

Pope Francis says he is frightened by escalation in war

Current Updates | Editorial Pick | Editorial team

In an interview on an Italian TV program, Pope Francis laments the risk of escalation in war, says he has no plans to resign, announces Apostolic Journeys to Polynesia and to Argentina, and reflects on ‘Fiducia supplicans’, saying “the Lord blesses everyo.....

North East Catholic Community of Delhi puts up a Glittering show

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

The North East Catholic Committee of Delhi (NECCOD) accorded a warm welcome to their new members who had joined them in the Delhi NCR region with spiritual and a social gathering worthy of the colours mix of the region they come from. This was the 33rd oc.....

Step in to the World of Journalism and Mass Media

Education | College | NECARF Rep

For those who aspire for the world of Mass media.....

Grand Parents Rejoice

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai

Though a creature of the day, I am not particularly enthused by various “Days” like Father’s, Mother’s, Doctor’s, Constipation etc. I suspect that in the era of greeting cards (now extinct) they were invented by manufacturers like Archies, to promote thei.....

A Journey to a Catholic School

Opinion | Articles | John S. Shilshi

I was not born in a Christian family, but in a pagan family that believed in animistic and the supernatural gods. My father was a Thimpu, in Lamkang dialect, which loosely means a pagan priest. Lamkang Khunthak, the village where I was born being a small .....

Current Updates

History and Spread of Christianity in Arunachal Pradesh

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Map of Arunachal Pradesh

• Home • About Us • Education • Opinion • Current Updates • Reports • Photo Gallery • Archives • Contributors • Contact Us History and Spread of Christianity in Arunachal Pradesh **//** Easter: The Beginning of a New Story **//.....

ICF Writes to the President of India

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Hon’ble Smt Draupadi Murmu, PRESIDENT OF INDIA Rashtrapati Bhawan New Delhi presidentofindia@rb.nic.in 31st December 2025 Respected Rashtrapatiji, Sub: Christmas attacks on Christians Namaskar! I respectfully place before you some of the.....

Attacks aginst Christians increased by 500% since 2014: Rights Groups

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Attacks Against Christians Increased by 500% Since 2014: Rights Groups New Delhi: On November 4, Christian rights activists assembled at the Press Club of India to release a report about an alarming and sustained annual surge in incidents of violence a.....

An MSMHC Nun from Mizoram did the North East Proud

NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Sr Rose Paite

October 14, 2025: Sr Rose Paite, an MSMHC nun from Mizoram, received the prestigious National Award from the Catholic Mental Health Ministry (CMHM) at the World Mental Health Day Conference in Kerala. The prestigious award was handed over to the recipie.....

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez’s address

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Synodality: Why No, and Why Yes Some have hoped that our new pope would ease up a little on this matter of synodality. Instead, Pope Leo has expressed a strong desire to continue along the path of synodality. For example: “Synodality becomes a mindset, .....

North East Catholic Community of Delhi puts up a Glittering show

NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Mr Lalduhoma and Archbishop Anil J T Couto, with other dignataries

The North East Catholic Committee of Delhi (NECCOD) accorded a warm welcome to their new members who had joined them in the Delhi NCR region with spiritual and a social gathering worthy of the colours mix of the region they come from. This was the 33rd oc.....

Education

Don Bosco University Assam

University | NECARF Rep |

Where Quest for Excellence is a Mission

In search of Excellence.....

In the Serene Crest of Green Chandel

School | NECARF Rep |

St. Peter's Higher Secondary School

In the serene crest of Chandel stands St. Peter's Higher School where every hidden qualities of students is turned into excelence.....

Job Fair in Don Bosco Kohima

College | NECARF Rep |

Job Fair Notice

For kind attention of young boys and girls who are interested in getting recruited in different Comnpaies......

Step in to the World of Journalism and Mass Media

College | NECARF Rep |

Niscort Media College

For those who aspire for the world of Mass media.....

Avail Early Bird Discount in Media Studies

College | NECARF Rep |

Admission Notice

NISCORT, one of the Premier Media Colleges in the National Capital area, announces admission for several graduate and post-graduate level courses in Media studies. Interested students may visit www.niscort.com for details......

NISCORT Announces three different courses in Journalism and Mass Communication

College | NECARF Rep |

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For those Interested in Journalism studies, the above affordable courses comes as a boon.....

Opinion

Communications must be Human

Articles | Cedric Prakash |

The Catholic Church observed the 60th World Day of Social Communications on 17 May 2025. In his first message for this significant day, Pope Leo XIV focussed on the need and importance of 'Preserving Human Voices and Faces'. The message which was written .....

Amazing (F)acts

Articles | Chhotebhai |

During Eastertide, till the Ascension, the daily Mass readings are invariably taken from the Acts of the Apostles. Some of these acts are amazing. This is how biblical scholars describe this compilation. It is usually attributed to Luke, a non-Jewish S.....

Poverty and Caste: Two Unseen Weights Crushing Young Lives

Articles | John Dayal |

Rohith Vemula was a 26-year-old Dalit PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad whose suicide on January 17, 2016, sparked national protests against caste discrimination in Indian academia amidst demands for the resignation of the then Human Resources mi.....

A Clarion Call for Repeal of APFRA 1978

Articles | Yumri Taipodia |

In every society, there comes a moment when laws must be re-examined—not out of rebellion, but out of responsibility. A moment when people pause and ask whether the legal frameworks that once seemed necessary still serve justice, freedom, and human dignit.....

From Prosperity to Austerity

Articles | Chhotebhai |

Not so long ago we were talking of a trillion dollar and the fastest growing economy; about Amritkal and achche din. Our vishwaguru had growing locks and global ambitions. Then the bubble burst on 28th February when Dada Donald and Bibi Netanyahu launc.....

Thank you Kerala, for keeping the Spirit of India alive

Editorial | John S. Shilshi |

The most notable bright spot of the 2026 assembly elections is clearly the manner in which voters in Kerala exercised their franchise; Not because they voted any particular party to power, but because they avoided voting along communal lines. The victorie.....

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