Nepal, an enchanting country, is one of the 13 poorest countries in Asia. Pokhara, where the Pilar Society has a mission, is Nepal’s second-largest city about 200 kms from Kathmandu, known as ‘The City of Lakes.’
ORIGIN OF THE MISSION
In 1996, former Superior General of the Society of Pilar Fr Tiburcio Ferrão interacted with Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples (now named as Dicastery for Evangelisation). Cardinal Tomko was delighted to hear about the Society of Pilar and its missionary activities and officially invited the Society of Pilar to launch a Mission in Nepal for evangelisation.
The General Chapter of the Pilar Society in 1997 welcomed the proposal and Bishop Anthony Sharma of Nepal Vicariate invited the Pilar Fathers to work in his Vicariate. He officially granted permission on March 26, 2000, to establish a Mission at Pokhara, the Western part of Nepal. In 2000, the Society of Pilar launched a Mission in Pokhara.
MISSION IN POKHARA
The first Pilar missionaries to land in this land-locked country in 2000 were Fr Walter Miranda and Fr Herald Mathias. At the outset, the Fathers opened an English medium school in a rented house and began catering spiritually to a small Catholic community. This was a humble beginning. After they did the spade work, they were replaced by Pilar missionaries Fr Anthony D’ Cruz and Fr Deonis Dang from Kolkata Province.
Later in 2005, Fr Anthony Manuel Fernandes and I from Delhi Province joined the Mission Centre. Teaching the simple, charming and poor Nepali students in the school was an edifying experience. After our departure, Fr Binod Baa, Fr Vitorino Fernandes and Fr Elric Guria offered their committed services to this Mission. The Mission is now manned by Fr Leonardo Fernandes, principal of St Francis School, which has 810 students; Fr Sydroy Gonsalves, parish priest of Our Lady of Pilar Church which was blessed on May 4, 2019, and Fr Ashim Minj. The parish has 17 families. The Fathers are fulfilling the pastoral needs of 57 Catholics and preparing four Catechumens for the sacrament of baptism. They also run an English medium school from LKG to Class XII and a hostel for boys.
BHIMAD & DHADING MISSIONS
The Fathers take care of parishioners at Bhimad Mission, about 37 km from Pokhara under the jurisdiction of Pokhara Parish. There are five Catholic families and four catechumens. The Mission of Dhading was entrusted to Pilar Fathers in 2020 by the Vicariate of Nepal, which lies at a distance of about 171 km from Pokhara.
Earlier, Fr Stephen Pouchena and Fr Sydroy Gonsalves, the pioneering duo, served in this Mission for two years. Later, Fr Ashim Minj worked there for a year. There are seven Catholic families and about 25 catechumens taken care of by Fr Xavier Soreng, who is involved in the faith formation program of the Catholics and preparing the catechumens for the sacrament of baptism.
There is a plan to open a Computer Centre and a Tuition Centre for the local students. Fr Cletus D’ Souza will be joining the Mission Centre soon.
PASTORAL & SOCIAL WORK
The Fathers animate the Catholic community in Pokhara providing spiritual nourishment through sacraments. They celebrate daily Mass in the convent of the Sisters of the Congregation of Jesus and both convents of the Missionaries of Charity Sisters (Active & Contemplative).
In October and May, the recitation of the Holy Rosary takes place in the homes of families. The Fathers help inmates in the Old Age Home by providing blankets and other items. The school provides scholarships to 110 poor students and the Nepal Pilar Society (registered body) provides medical help to the needy and gives financial help to the clubs.
Every year, the parish organises carolling in the Catholic families and also in the homes of people of other faiths on the eve of Christmas and a Christmas tree celebration on the premises of the school. Under the leadership of Fr Anthony Manuel Fernandes, social work was launched. The poor boys who were victims of the civil war fought between the revolutionary group, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the royal government were taken care of by the Fathers. He also opened tuition centres for poor students.
Fr Menino Gomes and Fr Albert Fernandes, the then Provincial Superiors of Delhi Province in their capacities as the Central Delegate Superiors to Nepal at different periods, monitored the Mission of Pokhara with their administrative skills.
Now, the Mission in Nepal is under the administration of Kolkata Province. Considering that the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli to India and Nepal had exhorted the Society of Pilar to strengthen the Nepal Mission, Fr Jude Antao, the Provincial Superior of Kolkata Province is shouldering the responsibility of advancing the Mission in Nepal. The Society of Pilar is committed to its mission of evangelisation in Nepal, the Himalayan country.
[The writer is Director of Apostolic School & Assistant Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier Church, Hisar, Haryana]
