GUWAHATI, 28 Aug: The Catholic Church in North East India set the preparation for the Jubilee year 2025 in motion by revisiting ‘Ecclesia in Asia,’ an apostolic exhortation issued by Saint Pope John Paul II in 1999, at the annual regional Pastoral conference in Jubilee Memorial Hall of North East Diocesan Social Service Society here on 26 August.
Welcoming all the delegates from 15 dioceses of North East India, the President of North East India Regional Bishops’ Council (NEIRBC) Archbishop Moolachira said, “As the people of the Asia, where Jesus Christ was born, the people of North East India are thirsting for the living water that Jesus alone can give. May our revisiting of the ‘Ecclesia in Asia’ help us with stronger resolve to be unstinting in our efforts so that all the people of North East India have life, and have it in abundance.”
The three-day event was attended by 150 delegates from the region, including Archbishops, Bishops, Provincial Superiors, Secretaries of various commissions, special invitees and resource persons from across North East India.
Addressing the delegates on the occasion, Bishop George Pallipparambil SDB of Miao diocese and the Chairman of the Commission for Evangelization of NEIRBC, echoed the words of Saint Pope John Paul II. “Just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe, and in the second on that of the Americas, we pray that in the Third Millenium, our revisiting of the Ecclesia in Asia will lead us to a great harvest of faith in this vast and vital continent of Asia,” he said.
The three-day conference had panel discussion on evangelization in the post covid present scenario, catechesis in North East India from the past to the present from different perspectives, group discussions on synodal way of being Church, general discussion on effective ways of evangelization in the light of ‘Ecclesia in Asia’ and use of AI tools for work of evangelization and its ethical concerns in the present-day context.
Setting the tone of the Jubilee 2033, the greatest of all the jubilees as it marks the 2000th anniversary of Jesus’ Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church, the conference also saw a paper presentation on ‘Year 2033′ by Manoj Sunny, Secretary for the office of Evangelization of Federation of Asian Bishops’ conferences.
