Body to be laid to rest close to Cathedral & grave of Fr. Otto Hopfenmüller
SHILLONG: The mortal remains of Archbishop of Shillong Archdiocese Dominic Jala will be laid to rest on Wednesday in a grave close to the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, Laitumkhrah and the burial ground of Fr. Otto Hopfenmüller, the first Salvatorian Missionary and the Apostle of Catholic faith to the North East.
Jala’s burial outside the Cathedral will be a departure from the past tradition of mortal remains of Archbishops and Bishops being interned inside.
The bodies of Archbishops Hubert D’Rosario and Tarcisius Resto Phanrang were interned inside the church.
Jala had earlier indicated that he did not want to be interned inside the Cathedral. “He was a simple person and hence desired to be buried on the premises of the Cathedral”, a church leader said.
He added that another reason may be that as per the Khasi custom, nobody walks over the tombs of the departed.
Jala is also blessed to be buried near the grave of Fr. Hopfenmüller, the pioneering Catholic missionary to Khasi Hills whose bust still stands as a memorial.
Pro tem Chancellor from the Archbishop’s House, Fr. Jimmy Marngar on Tuesday informed that the funeral will start from 1 pm.
After the concelebrated requiem mass and condolence messages, the casket will be taken to the grave.
While Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will speak during the condolence meeting, Shillong MP Vincent Pala will give his report regarding the journey of mortal remains from the USA to Shillong.
It is learnt that around 15 Bishops from different parts of the country and the region will attend the funeral.
As a lot of faithful will make their way to the Cathedral to bid their adieu to Archbishop, the Shillong Traffic Police have made special traffic arrangements for the day.
According to sources from the Archbishop’s House, more than 30,000 faithful are expected to take part in the funeral. LED screens will be placed in at least three locations.
Besides the faithful from Jaintia Hills, South and West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, East Khasi Hills, those from Garo Hills and the rest of the North East are also expected to participate in the funeral.
The Archbishop’s House and the Police have urged the faithful from the city to walk to attend the funeral so as to ease traffic congestion.
Jala passed away in a road accident in the Colusa County, Oakland, California on October 10 (2:30 am on October 11 IST).
He was travelling with two other priests – Fr. Mathew Vellankal and Fr. Joseph Parekatt. While the Archbishop and Fr. Mathew died on the spot, Fr. Joseph was admitted in the hospital with serious injuries but his condition is stable.