Ecclesiastical Details - Catholics India

Archdiocese of Imphal

Rite:

Latin

Population:

2700000

Status:

Archdiocese

Catholics:

90785

Founded:

00:00.0

Diocesan Priests:

Total area:

51120 Sq km

Religious Priests:

Province:

Imphal

Religious Sisters:

112

Region:

North Eastern

Seminarians:

Patron:

St Joseph

Languages:

Over 35 (main) Anal English Manipuri Hmar Mao Maram Mayon Mizo Monsang Maring Paite Poumai Rongmei Tangkhul Thadou Zou?

Civil States:

Manipur: entire state

Contact Archdiocese Office :

Archbishops House Post Box No 35 Imphal - 795 001 MANIPUR

Telephone 1:

0385-24 27 620 / 24 27 628

Fax:

24 27 628

E-Mail Office:

Website:

dioceseimphal.org

Most Rev Linus Neli, Archbishop of Imphal

Name:

Most Rev Linus Neli

Designation:

Archbishop

Canonical Possession:

2023-

Telephone (P):

E-mail (P):

Other Present & Retired Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Imphal

Bishops Name	Designation	Period
	Retired	2006-2023

Pilgrim Centres in theArchdiocese of Imphal

Ecclesiastical Institutions

Social / Charitable Institutions / Care Centres

Educational Institutions

Parishes:

Hospitals:

Degree Colleges:

Major Seminaries:

Orphanages:

Technical Training Centres:

Minor Seminaries:

Special Schools:

High Schools:

Monastries:

Crèches:

Lower Primary Schools:

Convents:

Counselling Centres:

Presses & Media Centres:

Formation Houses:

Social Centres:

Professional Colleges:

Retreat Centres:

Dispensaries / Clinics:

Parallel Colleges:

Physically Challenged:

Higher Secondary :

Boarding Houses:

Upper Primary Schools:

HIV / AIDS Centres:

Nurseries/Pre-Primary :

De-addiction Centres:

Aged & Destitute:

History of the Archdiocese of Imphal

The Archdiocese of Imphal covers the entire State of Manipur which is bounded by Nagaland in the North Mizoram in the South Upper Myanmar in the East and Cachar district of Assam in the West

The American Baptists began a successful mission in Manipur in 1908 among the hill tribes of Manipur and the missionaries had no permission from the Maharajah of Manipur to work among the Meiteis One of the outstanding pioneer missionary was William Pettigrew The first Catholic priest Rev Fr Angsgar Koenigsbaver sds a German Salvatorian missionary looking after Assam Mission came to Manipur in the year 1912 He found 19 Catholics 17 of whom belong to the band of the regiment which was stationed here The Maharajah of Manipur told Fr Angsgar that he had no objection to the opening of a Catholic Mission in Imphal the capital of the princely State Due to the limited resources and personnel the opportunity to evangelize Manipur could not be realized

Thirty six years later two Salesian missionaries Fr O Marengo sdb and Fr Attilio Colussi sdb who were working in Guwahati Assam visited Imphal On meeting the Maharajah they were told: "You (missionaries) are welcome to Manipur I am a former pupil of St Edmundƒ--s School Shillongƒ- He gave them permission to enter Manipur and operate their mission in the hills of Manipur This implied that they were not to work in the Valley which had been dominated by the Hindu Vaishnavites and some pockets of Muslims The Missionaries visited Ukhrul a hill station in the east on that occasion

The organized work of evangelization in Manipur actually began with the erection of the Diocese of Dibrugarh in 1951 with Bishop O Marengo sdb as Manipur was drawn within his ecclesiastical jurisdiction Every year Bishop Marengo visited Manipur and pushed the work ahead with the co-operation of the burning zeal of the laity

The Catholic faith among the Tangkhuls one of the first hill tribes to accept the faith was brought by Mr Dominic Shomi former pupil if St Anthonyƒ--s School Shillong and Mr George Hongrei former student of Don Bosco School Guwahati In 1952 Fr Marocchino chaplain of the Kohima Hospital was invited to Hundung a village near Ukhrul Mr Shomi had prepared 350 persons ready to embrace the faith Fr Marocchino gave them more instructions and received them into the Church

The best way to promote the work of evangelization as Bishop Marengo saw it was to have resident priests in the area Losing no time he sent Fr A Ravalico sdb and Fr Peter Bianchi sdb as the first resident priests who reached Imphal on March 5 1956 Initially they lived in a rented house in Imphal The following year on May 7 1957 they acquired a new house (the present site of the ƒ--Nirmalabasƒ-) in the heart of the town Towards the end of that year Fr Felix sdb and Fr Venturoli sdb joined them in the mission The Church in Manipur began to take its roots gradually and firmly

The vastness of the Lord's vineyard demanded more workers to the harvest In 1958 Fr Joseph Kachiramattam the first diocesan priest to step into Manipur soil arrived in Imphal and joined the community of the Salesian missionaries Later two other diocesan priests Fr Mathew Planthottam and Fr Mani Parenkulangara reached Manipur in 1959 and 1961 respectively Since then more priests and religious have strengthened the promotion of the evangelization work in Manipur Among the pioneering Women Religious Congregations the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) the Congregation of Mother of Carmel (CMC) Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) and Sisters of the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (SABS) are also worth mentioning

The Diocese of Kohima - Imphal which included the two states of Nagaland and Manipur was erected on January 29 1973 by Pope Paul VI with Rt Rev Abraham Alangimattathil sdb as its first Bishop

Bifurcating the Diocese of Kohima - Imphal the Diocese of Imphal comprising of the entire State of Manipur was erected by Pope John Paul II on April 21 1980 with Rt Rev Joseph Mittathany then bishop of Tezpur as its first Bishop Later on August 1 1995 His Holiness John Paul II raised the Diocese to the status of an Archdiocese with Most Rev Joseph Mittathany as the Archbishop

The Holy Father appointed Very Rev Fr Dominic Lumon as Coadjutor Archbishop of Imphal on January 18 2002 and he was ordained a Coadjutor Archbishop of Imphal by Most Rev Joseph Mittathany on April 7 2002

Prelates of the Archdiocese of Imphal

Bishops Name	Prelate's Status	Period	Bishops Name	Prelate's Status	Period
	Archbishop	1995-2006