North East Catholic Research Forum

The North East Catholic Research Forum intends to publish a book, compiling articles by different writers on the broad theme of "Christian contribution to nation-building." Interested contributors may please contact editor@necarf.org

Latest from us

CHRISTMAS: A Celebration of Sharing

Opinion | Articles | Joseph M Thohrii |

Christmas is a yearly festival celebrated to mark the birthday of Jesus Christ. Edna Ferber, an American novelist, once said, “Christmas isn’t a season; it’s a feeling," a feeling that encourages oneness and harmony. It is a season to wish one another pea.....

Rev. Sister Aloysia Lotha, MSMHC: The First Catholic Nun from Nagaland

Opinion | Articles | Yanrenthung J Humtsoe |

Sister Aloysia Lotha was born in Lakhuti Village, Wokha, Nagaland, to Lt. Shenponthung Ambrose Yanthan and Lt. Ratseno Monica Yanthan. She received her Baptism at the age of 9, on 28th November, 1953. Her family embraced the Catholic faith in 1951. She m.....

No Merry Christmas for Christians of Manipur!

Opinion | Poem | Anthony Dias |

In the scenic hill-state of Manipur, all seems deceptively quiet As among the silent, yet restless people, there is a sense of disquiet The scent of blood and of bodies burnt, still emanates from the soil No visible signs yet to indicate the end of thi.....

Christmas Rubble

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

On Sunday 10th December I heard the first reading from Isaiah (40:1-5, 9-11) on freedom from the Babylonian exile. The reference to Babylon reminded me of the foot-tapping Boney M. song “By the Rivers of Babylon”. The music is pulsating, though I’m pretty.....

Time Catholic laity woke up

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan |

In the month of June this year, I had an opportunity to interact with a few members of a Mahila Sangh (Women’s Association), Catholic Sabha (Men’s Association) and the Youth Associations in one of the dioceses in North India. During the interaction the me.....

Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil receives World Peace Award 2023

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Archbishop Menamparampil receiving the award

Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, whose name is synonymous with a crusader of ‘Peace and Reconciliation’, has been awarded the prestigious Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam World Peace Award 2023 on the occasion of the United Nations International H.....

If Jesus re-visits the world

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan |

These days there is a lot of discussion, debate and writings on the types of liturgies – which one to follow and which one not to follow – all quoting the life and sayings of Jesus of Nazareth and referring to various traditions of the church. In this con.....

Synodal myopia in the light of Synodality in the family and apostolates

Current Updates | Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Recent statements by prominent ecclesiastics raise important questions about certain assumptions that isolate synodality from theological, ecclesiological, canonical, and practical realities.(The Catholic World Report) This essay is occasioned by (1) the.....

Coastal Collateral

Opinion | Articles | Chhotebhai |

Coastal Collateral In war, and even out of it, those who resort to aerial bombardment use the term “collateral damage” to explain away the loss of innocent lives, or destruction of non-military targets; as is now happening in Gaza. It is a convenient j.....

Indian Catholic Forum organised a meeting

Current Updates | Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

A one-day meeting was organised by the Indian Catholic Forum in Bengaluru on October 28, 2023. It was held at Nava Spoorthi Kendra. The theme of the meeting was Synodal Church and Secular Society. This was a follow up of the national meeting held in V.....

Christian Mission: Holding up the Mirror of Truth

Opinion | People's Edit | Ladislaus Louis D'Souza |

"Missionary work is not something that is reserved for a select few individuals. It is the vocation of all Christians,” says Father Ambrose Pichaimuthu, National Director, Pontifical Mission Organizations. If one could cite a single concrete example of th.....

Journalists need to be credible and courageous

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan |

The arrest of News Click founder and editor Prabir Purkayastha, the human resources chief Amit Chakravarty and a few other journalists associated with News Click on October 04, 2023 has sent a shock wave throughout the country. Amid growing restrictions o.....

Chaplain Embraces Native American Spirituality

Current Updates | Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Chaplain Embraces Native American Spirituality Susann Estle God is not a Christian, God is not a Jew, or a Muslim, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist. All of those are systems which human beings have created to help us walk into the mystery of God. I honor my t.....

Sportsmanship Transcends over Ethnic division

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

On September 10, 2023, the Indian under -16 football team lifted the glittering Trophy in Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan. The team, affectionately referred to as the "Blue Colts", trounced neighbour Bangladesh by two goals to emerge Champions. Apart from.....

Editorial

We hope the Church Hierarchy is listening

According to the media report, the son of a pastor, Ramesh Baghel, has been prevented from burying the dead body of his late father in the village cemetery because some Hindutva activists from his village did not allow the burial to take place. He appeale.....

The Twin Pillars of the Catholic Church

Dealing with the differences between the laity and clergy, the two pillars of the church, is a perpetual problem for the Catholic Church. Though the problem is real and sometimes threatens to tear apart the cohesiveness of the synodal church, it has alway.....

It is time Christians learn to read things between the lines

The recent statement from the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, proposing a regulatory body to oversee church properties akin to temple boards and waqf boards for Hindus and Muslims, undoubtedly raises concerns. However, given the number of controve.....

Look within, before gazing afar

Pope Francis has already announced the names of 21 new Cardinals who will officially assume the new role on December 8th, 2024. Following their appointment as cardinal-elects, the Holy Father wrote a short but powerful letter to all these men, who would s.....

The AICU needs to explore beyond its current boundaries.

The All India Catholic Union, which is the apex body of lay Catholics in India, was born well ahead of India's independence. It is a union with inclusive representation, upholding the Catholic faithful's mandate from all three rites of the Catholic family.....

Wayanad: Another wakeup calls for Mankind

Wayanad in Kerala is considered to be one of the rural districts in the state that has many attractions: a wildlife sanctuary, lush green forest cover, high altitude comfort, home to animals including Asian elephants, tigers, and leopards, and mesmerizing.....

Democracy has finally triumphed

The Parliamentary Elections 2024 have been one hell of an epic exercise, not because they were conducted in a country known as the world’s largest democracy, but simply because of the manner in which the entire exercise was carried out. Between the first.....

Unleashing Unity: A Synodal Mandate for the Catholic Church in Northeast India

As India engages herself in a general election since April 19th and braces for results on June 4, 2024, the air is thick with anxiety. The potential return of the Modi-led BJP, with its fascist undertones and anti-minority stance, threatens the very fabri.....

Is the CBCI admitting that Catholic Schools are indeed converting people?

Provoked by series of wild allegations on Christian institutes converting students from other religions, the NECARF Review ran an editorial as early as October 2022 under the caption “Forced Conversions: Christian Response to the Allegations." The editori.....

The Silence is deafening

The year 2023 ended somewhat on an unpleasant note for the Catholic Church, as there was a huge controversy over Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops attending a Christmas gathering on an invitation extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Ch.....

A clarion call to Consecrated Men and Women

Since 1997, the Catholic Church has commemorated World Day for Consecrated Life on every 2nd of February, an observation instituted by Saint Paul John II. On this day, the Church prays and encourages the world’s religious men and women to always be open t.....

Upholding Democracy to safeguard SC and ST Interest in the region

The question today is, ‘How can we strategically leverage community engagement, media partnerships, and national and international solidarities and alliances to elevate the visibility of the Supreme Court directive on SC and ST representation in the North.....

Previous Articles

Bishop Victor Lyngdoh is the New Archbishop of Shillong

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

As per a communiqué issued by the Diocesan Administrator of Shillong Archdiocese Rev. Father John Madur on December 28, 2020, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, appointed Bishop Victor Lyngdoh as the Archbishop of Shillong. Most Rev. Victor Lyngdoh (64) was t.....

Living the Faith amidst the COVID Pandemic

Opinion | People's Edit | Joseph M Thohrii

“Many Christians grow up in Church, but never grow in Christ. They know Hymns but they don’t know ‘HIM’.” (Anonymous) It’s been a year since the global pandemic corona virus has brought the world to a standstill. Apart from loss of lives due to the vi.....

U Sier Lapalang and His Beloved Mother: A Khasi Folk Tale

Current Updates | Culture | Philip Lyngdoh

In the days of long ago, when the Sun and the Moon were still young and the trees and stones still speak the language of the humans, at the foot of the hills beyond the Khasi country, lay the placid plains of the Ri Dkhar (Bangla plains). Rivers and strea.....

Diocese of Agartala Celebrates Silver Jubilee

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

The Diocese of Agartala on December 4, 2021, celebrated its Silver Jubilee, alongside the Silver Jubilee of Bishop Lumen Montero, who is the first Bishop of Agartala. The glittering ceremony which was held at the Holy Cross ground at Agartala was attended.....

NECCOD brings out a Calendar for 2021

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

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.....

John Yesong: Tuensang’s First Catechist

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang

John Yesong: Tuensang’s First Catechist. John Yesong was born on May 1, 1949, at Phelungre Village. He was born to very humble, non-Christian parents, Lt. Mr. Yutsalo and Lt. Mrs. Kiuthsangchi. At the young age of ten, he and his younger brother, Moses T.....

All Saints Day’ and ‘All Souls Day’

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang

Catholic Church observes ‘All Saints Day’ on November 1 as a day to honor all the saints in heaven and ‘All Souls Day’ November 2 to pray for the souls in purgatory. ‘All Saints Day’ is intended to honour the memory of countless unknown and uncanonized s.....

Catalysts of Change

Opinion | Articles | M L Satyan

Even after so many years of independence, India’s youth is facing a lot of challenges like unemployment, human trafficking, drug abuse, psychological pressures due to broken family systems and stress at work place etc. Is the situation different for the C.....

Bridging the Gap through Sports

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

In an initiative that could go a long way in bridging the gap between Priests and young Catholics, a Basketball match was organized at the St. Paul’s School Campus, in Manipur’s Chandel district, between young priests of the Archdiocese of Imphal and the .....

A brief history of St. Thomas Church, Phelungre village, Kiphire District.

Opinion | Articles | Benjamin Chang

Phelungreans were the first to receive the Catholic Faith in 1975, under Tuensang district (Present ENPO Area). The Church is dedicated to St Thomas the apostle, who in A.D. 52 brought the Christian Faith to the Southernmost part of the country. The Catho.....

CAN Hosts an Impressive Convention at Jakhama

Current Updates | NE Brief | NECARF Rep

The 39th – year convention of the Catholic Association of Nagaland (CAN) was hosted at the St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama, wherein over one thousand participants from 36 Parishes and 21 quasi Parishes took part. The four-day event was graced by Most Rev (D.....

Current Updates

Statement of Concerned Catholics

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

On Thursday 4 April 2024, Pope Francis in a very incisive message to the participants in the First Colloquium between the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in the Vatican said, “We n.....

Pope Francis says he is frightened by escalation in war

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Pope Francis in an interview

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.....

Our Baptism made us children of God: Pope Francis

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Pope Francis during Sunday Angelus

During his Sunday Angelus on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Pope Francis reminds faithful that the day they were baptized, we became children of God forever, and this date of great grace must be remembered and celebrated. At our Baptism, we became.....

Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil receives World Peace Award 2023

NE Brief | NECARF Rep |

Archbishop Menamparampil receiving the award

Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati, whose name is synonymous with a crusader of ‘Peace and Reconciliation’, has been awarded the prestigious Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam World Peace Award 2023 on the occasion of the United Nations International H.....

Synodal myopia in the light of Synodality in the family and apostolates

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

Recent statements by prominent ecclesiastics raise important questions about certain assumptions that isolate synodality from theological, ecclesiological, canonical, and practical realities.(The Catholic World Report) This essay is occasioned by (1) the.....

Indian Catholic Forum organised a meeting

Editorial Pick | Editorial team |

A one-day meeting was organised by the Indian Catholic Forum in Bengaluru on October 28, 2023. It was held at Nava Spoorthi Kendra. The theme of the meeting was Synodal Church and Secular Society. This was a follow up of the national meeting held in V.....

Education

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 |

aa

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

NICORT Media College Announces Short Courses in Media fields

College | NECARF Rep |

Annoucment

NICORT Media College Announces Short Courses in Media fields.....

For those interested to make a Career in Mass Media and Journalism, NISCORT provides the opportunity

College | NECARF Rep |

NISCORT opens Admissions for Course in Mass Media and Journalism

NISCORT opens Admissions for Course in Mass Media and Journalism.....

NISCORT Online Course

College | NECARF Rep |

Online Media Course Details

NISCORT is conducting an Online Certificate Course in Media for Grauates. Those interested to join may contact the Institute.....

Opinion

We hope the Church Hierarchy is listening

Editorial | John S. Shilshi |

According to the media report, the son of a pastor, Ramesh Baghel, has been prevented from burying the dead body of his late father in the village cemetery because some Hindutva activists from his village did not allow the burial to take place. He appeale.....

Walking Our Sacred Land: Renewing Indigenous Catholic Identity Amid Crisis

Articles | James Pochury |

As excavators churn up the sacred soil of our ancestral lands, the stakes grow clearer: this is not just about losing territory but about the erasure of identity, culture, and faith. In the Northeast of India, where the earth carries the stories of our an.....

Celebrate Diversity

Articles | Cedric Prakash |

It is late evening, the day after Uttarayan (15 January), traditionally called ‘vasi uttarayan’. It has been a dull, cloudy day; the wind has been fairly good though. Since yesterday thousands have been on building –tops, flying their kites and many other.....

Corporate Greed is not Nation building

Articles | M L Satyan |

Today two industrialists have become the talk among the social media, both in India and in abroad. One person is Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys and the other person is Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan of Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Months after Infosys co-founder N.....

The heat is now on Christians in Northeast India

Articles | John Dayal |

India’s bishops, as much as its civil society, possibly missed an ominous warning in a report in the Kathmandu-based portal Himal Southasian about the growing support within tribal communities in the northeastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for .....

School drop-out rate is a serious concern

Articles | M L Satyan |

I had an opportunity to work with Functional Vocational Training and Research Society (FVTRS) from 2008 to 2014. The focus group of FVTRS was always school dropout students. Local NGOs became partners of FVTRS to provide skill training to school dropout s.....

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