When Prayer Brought Healing and Eight Families Found Faith in Assam

October 24, 2026: In the tea gardens of Assam, illness is a constant worry for many families. In Kopati Farm Line, a small Catholic community began praying for the sick. Their simple response led to healing, growing trust, and eight families joining the Church.

A Community of Many Tribes

Kopati Farm Line is one of the mandles (Catholic communities of villages and tea estates) under Rowta Parish in the Diocese of Tezpur. It lies in Udalguri district, Assam, amid tea plantations stretching across several kilometres.

About 350 families live in the Farm Line, the labour hutment area built by the tea company. They belong to different Adivasi tribes, including Munda, Oraon, Sobor, Saora, Khari, Kurmi and Uria. Of these, 36 are Catholic families, about 15 belong to the GEL church, and around 300 follow the Sarna faith or other traditions.

BEC Takes Root

BEC came to Rowta Parish in 2017, introduced by Fr. Christoraj Lakra, the Parish Priest, and Fr. Jesse Bhengra, the Assistant Parish Priest. Active and devout leaders were sent to a three-day training in Tezpur led by Diocesan Coordinator Fr. Hippoletus Toppo.

Suman Purty, catechist of Bangaligaon, along with Emilia Hemrom, Veronica Dhanwar and Rufena Kandulna, returned and began BEC in Kopati Farm Line. The early days were not easy, as the community needed time to understand the process.

Fr. Jesse, who had completed a one-month BEC Theology Course at the Pallottine Animation Centre in Nagpur, joined the leaders and Head Catechist Patras Soy to form three BEC units. Every Sunday, the units gathered for Gospel Sharing in Catholic homes in rotation. They also visited other families, prayed with them, helped those in need and cared for the sick.

Prayer for the Sick

Illness is more common in tea garden lines than outside, often because of poor sanitation, drainage, water supply and health care.

Before the pandemic, children in two non-Christian families kept falling ill. The parents took them to doctors several times, then turned to village healers, but there was no relief.

One of the families asked the BEC to pray for the children. After a few days of prayer, the children recovered. Seeing this, other non-Christian families invited the BEC to pray in their homes too. More families began joining the Gospel Sharing and spending time with the groups.

A Day of Great Joy

The greatest moment came on 10 February 2021, when the community blessed its new church. During the blessing Mass, Bishop Michael Akasius Toppo of Tezpur baptised eight families who had accepted the Catholic faith. The entire Christian community welcomed them.

Growing Together in Faith

The peace and joy of Gospel Sharing drew the new members closer to the Word. Preety Singh, a middle-aged woman among them, said, "I used to observe the BEC meetings and the Bible reading and I started liking them so much that I decided to join."

Today, the new members are growing in faith and in social life, with better education and higher family incomes.

Kopati Farm Line shows how small communities that pray, listen to the Word and care for their neighbours can change hearts. Across the Diocese of Tezpur, many more such changes are taking place as a direct result of Gospel Sharing.

By Catholic Connect Reporter

Read More Stories Of Hope:

When One Widow's Story Stirred a Parish in Assam

When Learning to Read Became a Journey of Faith in Khonoma

From Prayer to Potholes: How a Catholic Community Transformed a Village in Assam