NSDMA Joint CEO Johnny Ruangmei (left), Chancellor of Kohima Diocese Rev Fr Dr Jacob Charalel (second from left), NCWA president Ruokuoheu Roselyn Minchieo (third from left), CAN President Jonas Yanthan (second from right) and others on the second day of the RCPDN silver jubilee on October 2, in Mhainamtsi village, Peren. (Morung Photo)
• Women as agents of peace and forgiveness
• Shunning corruption
• Backing prayer with work
Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 2
Pointing to the role of mothers as the bedrock of family and spiritual life, leaders of the Catholic community in Nagaland called upon believers to transcend tribal divisions and anchor their daily lives in moral integrity, prayer, and doctrinal conviction. The call was made during the silver jubilee celebration of the Rongmei Catholic Women Association of Nagaland/Rongmei Catholic Pui Dimphuan Nagaland (RCPDN) at St Thomas Church, Mhainamtsi village, in Peren district on October 2.
The three-day celebration, which began on October 1, is being held under the theme— A mother is clothed with strength and dignity, with wisdom and kindness in her heart, based on Proverbs 31:25–26. The 25th anniversary brought together clergy, religious sisters, community leaders and members.
The second day had Johnny Ruangmmei, Joint CEO, Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority as a special guest alongwith Catholic Association of Nagaland (CAN) President Jonas Yanthan, and Nagaland Catholic Women Association (NCWA) President Ruokuoheü Roselyn Minchieo as special invitees.
In his address, Ruangmei, who is also a former CAN President, said the Catholic Church does not belong to any single tribe. “There is no Rongmei Catholic Church, Angami Catholic Church, or Lotha Catholic Church,” he said, adding that it should not be divided along tribal lines. He called upon the community to remain grateful to God and preserve the faith handed down by earlier generations. Drawing from Leviticus and Psalm 23, he told the gathering that a jubilee calls for gratitude regardless of hardships.
In her address, NCWA president Ruokuoheu Roselyn Minchieo described mothers as pillars that bind the home together. While stating that biblical jubilee represents release, debt forgiveness, and reconciliation, she called on women to live out the Gospel by acting as agents of forgiveness and building bridges of peace in their communities. She described the silver jubilee as both a celebration and a new beginning.
CAN President Jonas Yanthan emphasised the need to understand Catholic teachings rather than identifying as Catholic merely by name. While highlighting the centrality of the Eucharist, he dwelt on the four pillars of Catholic life— profession of faith, sacraments, moral life and prayer. He spoke against corruption, stating that those who hold public office to loot public wealth will face divine judgment.
Prayer, he said, should not be treated as a demand for material aid. Reminding the congregation that God gave human beings limbs and minds to labor, Yanthan said Christian prayer must follow the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer and be backed by honest work.
The RCPDN was formed in 2001. It traces its roots to March 21, 1992, when the Rongmei Catholic Chap-Riak/Cultural Dimphuam (RCCD) was formed at St Thomas Church, Mhainamtsi, to preserve Rongmei language, songs, dances and traditional attire within the Catholic faith. The organisation later expanded to Manipur and Assam as Rongmei Catholic Dimphuam (RCD) and took up translation of the Bible, hymn books and prayer books into Rongmei. It received formal recognition within the state Catholic women’s body at the Nagaland Catholic Women Association conference held from June 25-27, 2016 at Mt Tabor Retreat Centre, Kohima.
According to the jubilee journal, Rongmei Catholic women felt the need for their own platform to pray, serve and grow in fellowship. It branched out from its parent body, Rongmei Catholic Dimphuam Nagaland, at the encouragement of senior leader late PL Thomas and others. “Its mission is to help Rongmei Catholic women actively participate in Church life, preserve cultural identity, strengthen Christian families, serve society and grow in faith,” it said.
The jubilee journal said that the Catholic faith reached the Rongmei community in the 1970s through the Diocese of Dibrugarh, before Kohima Diocese was formed in 1973. It named Rev Fr PC Mani and the late Pou Mathew Chandi as pioneering figures.
The RCPDN constitution and jubilee souvenir were released by Rev Fr Jacob Charakel, Chancellor of the Diocese of Kohima, during the programme.
