My Loving Greetings to All,
My attitude of gratitude and deeper trust in the Lord: On 10 January 1998 at 8.30 p.m. Fr. Provincial John Kerketta asked me to give the message to the Manresa House Community before I leave for Assam to work with Kohima Jesuits. Within me there was a lot of fear, uncertainty and I did not know where I will be in Assam and what responsibilities will be entrusted to me. At that time my thoughts went to La Storta and I remembered what the Lord has said to St. Ignatius, “I will be gracious to you in Rome.” Therefore, on 10 January 1998 evening this was my short message to Manresa Community: “Dear brothers, deep within me there is a lot of fear and anxiety but trusting in the Lord I am going to Assam and I feel that Lord will be gracious to me also and bless our efforts among our Adivasi people who are working in the tea gardens as the bonded labourers. Therefore, kindly pray for me and for Fr. Gabriel and for our target group people.”
Since 14 January 1998 till 3 December 2006 we had worked together with the Kohima Region under the leadership of Frs. Hector D’ Souza SJ and Fr. Gregory Coelho SJ. I felt both the Regional Superiors trusted me and gave the full freedom to take the initiative and put those ideas into concrete action for the good of the people among whom we were working. I learned to use freedom with greater responsibility. All the beginnings are tough and hard. In Balipara, I learned to adjust myself to live in a rented house with bare minimum facilities - without electricity and phone. We were 3 priests, one kitchen girl and a driver. For all of us there was only one toilet and one bath room. Yet we managed to live for three years in that Eragaon and continued to develop the Balipara parish.
In April 2002, I was transferred to Phillobari in search of a suitable place for Mission of the Jesuits of Kohima Region. For 7 months Fr. Dominic Topno and I stayed at Phillobari parish and were continually visiting the areas which would eventually be the Jesuit parish. For another 9 months we stayed with one of the families of Mr. Ignatius Tirkey, the former Catechists of Doomdooma Parish in Kathalguri Village. Then we shifted to Pengaree and stayed for 2 months in the family of Mr. Robert Soreng, who was the catechist of the Ranchi Line. Then in the property of Mr. Mashih Topno we built the bamboo walled 4 rooms and stayed for nearly 3 years. Twice due to whirlwind our tin roof was carried away and whole night we were without roof. In 2005, on Good Friday night once again our tin roof was blown away but on Holy Saturday the village people repaired the roof and put up the tin roof again. Then the Bishop of Dibrugarh Bp. Joseph Aind SBD DD had given us financial support to put up the good roof.
By now there was a talk going on that soon Kohima Region will be divided and part of it would be given to Ranchi Province for better administration and development. Fr. Ranjit Pascal Toppo the Provincial has come for the visitation to Pengaree towards the end of November 2006. And during the visitation Fr. Provincial told me that Kohima Region will be divided on 3 December 2006 and I am appointing you the Delegate of the Provincial of Ranchi for new Assam Mission. I tried to put up my arguments to Fr. Ranjit saying that I would not be able to handle the responsibility but he told me that he trusts me and is confident that I will be able to guide the Jesuits of Assam Mission and lead them and make the Assam Mission more fruitful in the service of the Lord.
As I was appointed the Delegate of the Provincial for Assam Mission on 3 December 2006, I felt within me a sense of unworthiness and helplessness to guide the Jesuits of Assam Mission. Then an inner voice very strongly began to speak to me. “Xavier, do not be afraid, I will be with you to shoulder this responsibility.” From that day onward the trust in God started to grow much deeper. I surrender myself fully to the Lord and every day the spirit of prayer and surrender deepen within me. I did not know how to write projects to raise funds for the development of the Assam Mission. Fr. Hector D’ Souza helped me. Within these 12 years I felt the strong hand of the Lord was with me, guiding and leading me. Most of my projects were accepted by the funding agencies and I got the required fund for the development of the infra-structures in all our 7 centres. I still continue to trust in the Lord and gratitude is my every day prayer for the innumerable blessings which God is pouring in my life for the service of His people. Lord you are great and wonderful.
Now I am the Superior of St. Xavier’s College community for two years. We are 7 members in the community. Besides this responsibility I continue to be the PDD (Province Development Director) of Assam Mission. Project writing and keeping the correspondence with the Funding agencies, friends and donors is one of my big responsibilities besides counseling the students of our college.
