The poor Indian diocese with a surplus of Catholic priests

Aid to the Church in Need is inviting all charitably inclined Catholics to consider supporting the many vocations of a poor Northeastern Indian diocese.

Aid to the Church in Need, the international Catholic pastoral aid organization, is calling on the faithful to lend a hand in support of seminarians in Northeastern India. There, the faith is still budding, with some Catholic communities only dating back a couple of decades, but they have been blessed with an abundance of young men discerning vocations as Catholic priests.

Catholicism in Northeastern India is still relatively new, with even the oldest Catholic communities only tracing their religious origins to the 19th century. One of the youngest is the Diocese of Bongaigaon, which was only established in 2000.

Despite not even being around for a quarter of a century yet, this diocese has already garnered a population of some 74,000 Catholics. The majority of parishioners are Indigenous Bodo tribal people, but there’s such diversity in this diocese that its 37 parishes and 650 additional outstations cater to over a dozen languages.

Perhaps it is due to the youthful vigor of this fledgling diocese, but Bongaigaon has been blessed with vocations that make them the envy of the West. With 94 active priests and another 22 young men studying at the seminary, the term “budding” may not fit the diocese as well as “flourishing” does. While the spirit is willing, however, the wallet is weak; there are a lot of seminarians, but not a lot of funds to go around.

That’s where Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) comes in. For years, ACN has been working with the Diocese of Bongaigaon to ensure that their seminarians receive what they need in order to continue pursuing their vocation. Bishop Thomas Pulloppillil, of the Diocese of Bongaigaon, explained how vital ACN’s help has been:

“Our diocese is deeply indebted to ACN. The training of our seminarians is our most pressing concern, and we are hoping that we can continue to count on your friendship and support,” the bishop told ACN.

ACN has already pledged to continue to help the Diocese of Bongaigaon fund their seminarians again in 2024. For this, they have allotted $9,716 that will all be put towards the continuing education of the diocese’s 22 seminarians. ACN has invited all those inclined to support young priests through their education to donate to the cause.

Learn more about this worthy cause at the ACN website.