A new Missal in the Assamese language
Presented at the Northeast India Regional Pastoral Conference currently underway in Guwahati, the Assamese Missal is the brainchild of Bishop Albert Hermon of Dibrugarh. Assamese is the mother tongue of some 15 million people. This is a fundamental step in the process of inculturation to reach the faithful more effectively.
Guwahati (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Millions of people speak Assamese in northeastern India. Now the Missal to celebrate the liturgy will be available in their language.
In this Jubilee Year, Bishop Albert Hemrom of Dibrugarh (Assam) unveiled this ray of hope at this year’s annual Northeast India Regional Pastoral Conference, currently underway in Guwahati on the theme "Pilgrims of Hope."
The initiative, explains the Indian Catholic website Catholic Connect, is aimed at addressing the need to use the local language in celebrations, a fundamental step in the process of inculturating the faith, and to reach the faithful more effectively.
The Assamese Missal, initially prepared by a group of priests, has been carefully revised and refined in collaboration with several language experts, supervised by Fr Timothy Saldanha.
To promote its use, Bishop Hemrom has introduced a liturgical celebration twice a month, which he already does. He also encourages all priests in Assam to adopt this initiative and integrate the Missal into their liturgical practice.
Dibrugarh is the second-oldest Catholic diocese in the state, officially established in 1951 after it was split from the Diocese of Shillong, the capital of the small state of Meghalaya.
Bishop Hemrom is the first local diocesan priest to be elevated to the episcopate and the sixth bishop to head this diocese. In addition to Dibrugarh, Assam includes the dioceses of Tezpur, Diphu, and Bongaigaon, as well as the Archdiocese of Guwahati.
During the presentation, Bishop Hemrom invited Archbishop John Moolachira, president of the local Bishops' Conference, to present the first copy of the Assamese Missal to his predecessor, Bishop Thomas Menamparampil, who served as bishop of Dibrugarh before becoming Archbishop of Guwahati.
Assamese is the official language of Assam, but it also serves as a lingua franca in other parts of northeastern India. It is the native language of approximately 15 million people, but another 8.3 million use it as a second language.
It has its own alphabet and its roots are ancient; linguists believe it was spoken as early as the 7th century AD. And last year, the Union government in New Delhi recognised it as a classical Indian language by virtue of its antiquity and literary traditions.
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24/10/2019 15:36
