Centenary of Aligonda Parish Draws Thousands to Honour Servant of God Fr. Valeriano Gumes

Aligonda, Odisha, December 15, 2025 — Nearly 15,000 faithful, along with over 45 priests and 35 religious sisters, gathered at Immaculate Conception Parish, Aligonda, on December 8 to mark 100 years of Christian faith in the parish and to honour Servant of God Fr. Valeriano Guemes Rodríguez, CM, whose missionary work laid the foundation of the local Church.

The centenary celebration was held on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak of Berhampur presided over the solemn Eucharistic celebration. Addressing the gathering, he described the occasion as a moment of “double joy,” marking both the parish centenary and its patronal feast, and recalled the pioneering mission of Fr. Gumes in establishing Christian faith in the region.

Parish priest Fr. Ashok Kumar Nayak highlighted the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the patroness of the parish and invoked her intercession for the faith and unity of the community.

Fr. Valeriano Guemes Rodríguez arrived in India on January 10, 1922, with three other Spanish Vincentian missionaries—Fr. José Maria Fernández, Fr. Ramón Ferrer and Fr. Manuel Coello Rey. Based in Mohana, Fr. Gumes played a key role in the evangelisation of the Aligonda area through extensive pastoral outreach in the Gajapati region.

Fr. Gumes died on December 12, 1978, and was buried in Mohana. His tomb has since become a place of pilgrimage. In May 2023, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints granted the Nihil Obstat, officially declaring him a Servant of God and initiating the process towards possible beatification.

The centenary Mass was preceded by a traditional entrance dance and arati, accompanied by choral singing, reflecting local cultural expressions of faith.

By Fr. Purushottam Nayak