By John T Lyngdoh
My family was originally Calvinistic Presbyterians. It was through the wisdom of one of our aunts that we switched over to Catholicism. My two elder brothers received first holy communion on entering the Don Bosco Technical School, Shillong. While Peter took up printing, Paul pursued tailoring respectively. After Christmas 1956 our rector Fr Virgilio Alberra, Sdb led all the boarders, who didn’t go home, for winter vacation to Mawkyndeng, Parish (Raliang), Jaintia Hills.
Those days, the road after Mawryngkneng check gate to Jowai and beyond was still muddy and unpebbled; with both sides covered by thick forests where wild animals including ferocious ones like bears, jackals, leopards and Bengal tigers roamed freely. The Jowai- Silchar Road was still nonexistent, except via Umrangshu (Garampani) to Haflong. The NEEPCO and coal mining sectors have not operated and the whole environmental surrounding was still in pristine beauty.
It was one week before the parish’s annual procession, by the beginning of January 1957, that Bishop Ferrando, arrived with his assistants. To tour the different interiors he used his round bonnet green coloured American jeep, piloted by his faithful driver Samuel Sangma. The vehicle was gifted by the US Catholic community. A similar yellow coloured model belonged to Rev S D Perry, pastor Church of Christ, Mawlai Motsyiar, Shillong. The moment he arrived I joined with the village children to welcome our old Bishop (Bishop tymmen); since I was the youngest of boarders. For the whole week he would visit the outflank villages to meet his flocks and take stocks of their problems.
That same year Fr Dino Colussi, Sdb our counsellor prepared all those who were to receive baptism, first communion and confirmation during Easter, from Bishop Ferrando’s own hands.
Bishop Ferrando was born on 23 September 1895 at Rossiglione to Augustine Ferrando and Josephine Salvi; they were two brothers and one sister. He was second among them and came from a pious Catholic family. His education in and frequent contacts with the Salesians of Don Bosco inspired him to enter in this congregation. By 23 December 1923 he arrived Shillong with a group of novices, to join the eleven pioneers who came on 23 January 1922 led by Fr Louis Mathias, Sdb. Fr Ferrando was immediately appointed Asst Novice Master to Fr John De Ponti, Sdb a pioneer of the first batch, at the Our Lady’s noviciate and interim theologate.
He learnt Khasi very fast to facilitate missionary tours, in addition to his duty as professor. When Fr De Ponti left for Italy due to ailment, Fr Ferrando replaced him.
The outbreak of World War II (1939-45) adversely affected the missionary activities of the Church. This time Germany, Italy and Japan formed the Axis powers fighting against other allied nations. All Italian and German missionaries were arrested and interned at the temporary detention camp of Sacred Heart Theological College, Mawlai, Shillong. Even one adjacent locality of Mawlai Mawroh was made as makeshift military cantonment for the Indian Sikhs and American Soldiers (GIs) regiments.
The war casualties overburdened the FMA sisters or Daughters Mary Help of Christians, running the St Mary’s Convent, Gauhati. Some Adivasi convent girls involved in social works with their superiors of St Mary’s Gauhati, were moved by the spirit of dedication and service rendered by the sisters on humanitarian grounds.
During a routine visit to the mission centres in the plains, Bishop Ferrando stopped over at St Mary’s Convent Gauhati, in which he met the girls who offered themselves to become sisters. He acceded to their request and initially they were kept in the same convent. Fr Colussi was instructed to build additional two rooms adjacent to the convent for keeping the aspirants separately to pursue their studies in the convent. Within a short time the rooms were ready and all the ten novices shifted to their own house. Those lacking in educational standard were given special coaching, while intensive training on the Salesian pattern was also imparted in other fields of religious life. During training two left the noviciate for personal reasons, including a lone Khasi girl Edwina Dohling, brought by Fr C Vendrame, Sdb. After completion of rigorous orientation course, eight novices who persevered were inducted into the newly founded congregation on October 24, 1942, taking the name of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (MSMHC) or Ferrandinis—the Holy Rosary month and date when monthly Marian Novena ends in Salesian houses. Virgin Mary was mandated as the Patroness and interimly adopted the rules and habits of the FMAs.
By 1965 the Mother house was shifted to Peachland Laitumkhrah, Shillong which became the noviciate and later the first Provincial house. Fr N J Kenny, Sdb was their spiritual director and confessor till he died. More centres came up in the north-eastern region and outside, some on their own others belonging to the parishes concerned. The new Generalate at Hatigaon, Gauhati was blessed in1993, side by side with the Little Flower Higher Secondary School. During these past 75 years the MSMHC now grew into seven Provinces at Shillong, Tinsukia, Tezpur, Gauhati, Siliguri, Bangalore and Turin (Italy) — a station preparing its sisters for posting in foreign missions. From the six pioneers the number rose to 1200, spread over mission centres in India and abroad; touching the shores of Africa and Hawaii an island of lepers where St Fr Damien of Molokai worked and died.
The sisters constantly receive requests from many dioceses to work in their areas. Pontifical recognition was granted to the congregation on March 21, 1977, and by July 8, 1986, assimilated into the Salesian family.
Bishop Ferrando whenever he administered the religious vows to his sisters would always insist that “you should observe the rules strictly because you’ll be answerable in the end”.
(The author is national councillor, DBPPA Shillong Province)
(To be continued)
