ST. FRANCIS XAVIER PARISH

 Location

Naharkatia is situated 50 km east of Dibrugarh in the civil district of Dibrugarh. The town is sandwiched between Namrup and Duliajan. Tinsukia, the biggest business center of upper Assam, is just 28 kms away. The parish campus is just in the town itself, on the road to Nilmoni and Moranhat. 

History of the parish 

Priests from Guwahati used to visit Naharkatia since 1923. The visits became more frequent when fathers established the Dibrugarh parish in 1931. An Italian priest, Fr. Boscardin Hermangild sdb, started the parish of Naharkatia in the year 1950. He landed at Naharkatia on 9th March 1950 and worked here for about 4 years. At first he dismantled the old Khasia house in which he was living and made a bigger one by the end of the year 1952. In the same year he opened an Assamese medium primary school and also a boarding for boys. Every year he selected some 20 –22 interested young men and conducted Catechists’ Training programme in the parish. Mr. John Kerketta and Mr. Stanislaus Bage extended great assistance in the pioneering work of the parish. 

The presbytery of Naharkatia was made in 1952 by Fr. Boscardin sdb. The blessing of the primary school (Don Bosco) building and the boarding building took place on 24th March 1953 by Bishop Orestes Marengo. The work of the parish church  started in 1954. The new church was blessed on 29th June 1955 by  Bishop Marengo. The new church was dedicated to St. Francis Xavier. Fr. Paul Taverna sdb worked hard to build the church. Bishop also opened St. Mary’s Convent (Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians), School and Girls’ boarding at Naharkatia on 16th February 1958.  During Fr. Joy Pallikunnel’s time (1984), Don Bosco School was amalgamated with St. Mary’s School and all the children of this school started to go to St. Mary’s School from 3rd May 1984. Fr. Job Kallarackal sdb, residing in Naharkatia, started visiting Borduria area from 1979. 

Naharkatia is the mother parish of  Jorhat ( 1966); Moranhat (1972);Sonari (1976);  Nilmoni (1980); Tinsukia (1981);  Duliajan (1987);  Bimalapur (1988) and  Deomali (1997) (Arunachal Pradesh).  Naharkatia Don Bosco Boarding School helped many boys to become priests. Those who studied there and  later on became priests are the following:  Bishop Joseph Aind, sdb (Sonari), Fr. Benjamin Toppo sdb (Nilmoni), Fr. Leander Kerketta (Duliajan), Fr. Nicholas Kerketta (Nilmoni), Fr. Pascal Dungdung sdb (Bimalapur), Fr. Edward Soymurum (Duliajan), Fr. Boniface Ekka (Nilmoni) Fr. Hilarius Minj (Bimalapur), Fr. Victor Toppo (Naharkatia) and Fr. Tarcisius Toppo sdb (Bimalapur). 

The Missionary  Sisters also run a School at Namrup (15 km from Naharkatia). The School belongs to the Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation , a Govt. of India undertaking. 

Presently Naharkatia parish has a Catholic population of 6900 spread over in 29 substations of which 11 are Tea Estates. They are:

Catholic Church
Naharkatia P.O.-  786 610
Dist. Dibrugarh, Assam, India
Tel. 0374/ 2570118