Golaghat Parish Celebrates Historic Ordination of First Salesian Priest After 84 Years

Golaghat, Assam: Dr. Albert Hemrom, the Bishop of the Diocese of Dibrugarh, ordained Deacon Gregory Kerketta from Haldibari Gaon in Golaghat district as the first Salesian priest of St. Teresa of Child Jesus Parish, Golaghat, on January 19. This significant event marks a milestone after 84 years of the parish's existence. The mission, established in 1942 by Fr. Peter Jean Neyens SDB, a foreign missionary, is under the care of the Salesian Province of Dimapur, Nagaland. The parish serves a large community of approximately 8,000 Catholic faithful across 34 sub-centers, with Fr. Kamil Horo SDB currently serving as the parish priest.

During Deacon Gregory's ordination ceremony, an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 8,000 gathered in front of an open stage set up for the event on a football field within the Golaghat parish premises. Around 100 priests participated in the Eucharistic celebration that marked the occasion. In his homily, the ordaining prelate, Bishop Hemrom, remarked, "Fr. Gregory is a gift from God to the Church, the parish, and his family." Acknowledging the significance of the event, he added, "We may say we are receiving a priest after 84 long years, but God's timing is always perfect. In the fullness of time, He (God) has blessed the parish with a priest." Notably, two of Fr. Gregory's elder sisters are religious nuns serving in the local congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (MSMHC).

Along with Fr. Gregory, the Dimapur Province got eight more new priests this year. They are Binoy Toppo sdb and Binoy Kujur sdb, both from Dibrugarh, Assam, Fr, Daikho Mathew sdb and Fr. Kapeo Timothy sdb from Manipur, Fr. George Wangshu sdb from Miao., Arunachal Pradesh, Fr. Zopha Charles sdb from Nagaland, Fr. Eliazar Kujur sdb from Jharkhand and Fr. Amal Raj Susai sdb from Chennai. 

By Fr. William Horo