B.C.C.M. REMEMBERS DON CONSTANTINE VENDRAME

Fr. Constantine Vendrame, reached Shillong on December 25, 1924. He was the 'Francis Xavier of the Khasis.' The Khasis fondly called him Phadar Bendra. Phadar Bendra worked as the parish priest of Shillong and was assigned to begin the festive oratory at the center. He was invaded by the holy impatience of 'Francis Xavier' and was determined to make a breakthrough in evangelization. He seldom waited for the Non-Catholics to come to him, he instead went in search of them. He would sit with the families at the fireplace and engaged in missionary talks. His courage was heroic and he approached everybody, Protestants and Non-Christians alike. Phadar Bendra carried with him a walking stick and a notebook during his house to house visits. he has a notebook for every village. 

His triple programme of evangelisation was organising 1. Catholic lay groups, 2. Catechist and 3.  Eucharistic Congresses. His style of evangelization was individual persuasion. Fr. Gutierrez called Phadar Bendra 'Agood pastor who know his sheep.'Fr. Rivalco, a pioneer companion of Phadar bendra says, 'For all of us Fr. Vendrame is a great pioneer: an inspiror of apostolic conquest, an ideal of true Salesian missionary.' As the Khasi and Jaintia hills joyfully awaits the canonization of the Phadar Bendra they so loved, I pray to the almighty that he chooses more Phadar Bendras from amongst the Khasis and Jaintias who will be fishers of men and his agents of peace love and sacrifice.

Fr Henrie Warbah and Fr. Augustin Warbah in Bangalore

B.C.C.M. Pays A Trubute To Don Bosco In Bangalore

As part of the world wide pilgrimage to mark the 150th anniversary of the Salesians of Don Bosco, an order Don Bosco founded, the Holy Relic (Right Hand) of the saint started its 130-country pilgrimage from Turin, headquarters of the Salesians of Don Bosco on January 31, 2009 and arrived in Bangalore on 27th August 2011.

The Holy Relic of Don Bosco at the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, Bangalore

It was an opportunity of a lifetime for the Bangalore Christian Community of Meghalaya to be  present at the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, Bangalore  to pay a tribute with their melodious voices to the patron, friend and educator of the youth. People present in the Cathedral were full of praise for our boys and girls. The beautiful khasi girls swathed in colorful and elegant silk 'dharas' (a two piece cloth worn by Khasi women) were the biggest attraction of the day. As they entered the gate of the Cathedral, all eyes were on them. There was not a single individual  present on that day who was not awe-struck by the colors of Meghalaya. It was a day when every single member of the B.C.C.M. was filed with a deep sense of accomplishment and immense pride, after all they showcased the rich, vibrant and colorful culture of  Meghalaya.

B.C.C.M at the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, Bangalore with Fr. T. C. George

Faithfuls waiting for the Holy Relic of Don Bosco

When the caravan carrying the Relic of Don Bosco reached the gate of the Cathedral,  the joyous drumbeats and the jubilant sound of the bugle filled the air. As the relic progressed towards the Cathedral, the heavens sprinkled light shower. Oh! showers of blessings from the heavens up above indeed. Girls and boys in their colorful school uniform, young and old cared less about the rain. Such was the enthusiasm. 

The Holy Relic of Don Bosco enters the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, Bangalore

The Relic was place just before the altar. As it entered the doors of the cathedral, a wave of silence swept the hearts and soul of every faithful present. Talks were delivered on the life of the great saint and hymns were sung in his honor.  The Salesian brothers sang beautifully well, their hymns blended perfectly with the mood of the people walking in a queue to have a close look at the relic and to pray for their special intentions. Believers left the place with a deep feeling of contentment. Faith can move mountains indeed. 

The Drumbeats, the bugles and showers from heaven welcomed the great Saint

The boys and girls of the B.C.C.M sang, Fr. Barnes Mawrie's "Give Peace A Chance," a song that calls mankind to embrace peace and shun violence. Throughout his lifetime, Don Bosco espoused peace and the Salesian Community till today continues to build peace through their numerous and dedicated service to the youth across the globe. The song was applauded by the people present

"Ngi long Ka Mluh Bad ka Jingshai" written by Anthony Khongsit and  Kyrshan Khongwir gave a perfect and melodious  tune to the song. The song speaks of the powerful youth power that Don Bosco believed, preached and practised. The song elicited positive energy and a radiance of youthfulness that was admired by all. 

The Salesians of  Don Bosco (S.D.B) took over the administration of the Assam Mission (which is a large part of the present day Meghalaya) from the Societa Divini Salvatoris (S.D.S.) on January 13th, 1922 after the S.D.S were asked to leave India by the then British Government. Fr. Louis Mathias the leader of pioneer missionaries of the S.D.B. to the Assam Mission before setting sail to Assam, described the  mission as the 'New Pantagonia.' Amid the hardships and the bottlenecks of the time, the SDB missionaries worked laboriously in the hills and the church indeed grew through the ages. The Church in Meghalaya owes it's indomitable position in the society today in the field of education, health and society building to the ceaseless efforts of these missionaries. BCCM could not have paid a better tribute to the Patron Saint of the S.D.B. by singing the "Khynriam, U Pnar, U Bhoi, U War" a Khasi patriotic song that speaks of unity in diversity among the  Khasis. The boys and girls sang with admirable patriotic fervor which is beyond description. The song was sung with a spirit of gratitude to the S.D.B.  missionaries for their dedicated service in the home of the clouds, Meghalaya.

The Holy Relic enters the gate of the Cathedral

Some captured Glimpses of the memorable day:

Khasi girls in their traditional attire (Jainsem) at Bosco house

Cornelius and Richard, the two blind boys with Anthony Khongsit

Boys and Girls capturing the moment of joy with their cameras

The B.C.C.M. boys with Fr. T. C. George, Spiritual Director

The B.C.C.M. Girls with Fr. T. C. George, Spiritual Director

Office Bearers for 2011- 12

Bangalore Christian Community of Meghalaya (B.C.C.M) formerly known as Bangalore Khasi Catholic Community, as the name sugest, is an organisation that binds together Christians youth of Meghalaya, a beautiful state in the North Eastern part of India who are living in Bangalore. The organisation was founded in the year 2004. The group meets from time to time for the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Khasi dialect and many such activities. The gatherings were informal but are always filled with youthful enthusiasm. It finally took the shape of a concrete and definite organisation on 21st  August 2011 when the members met  at Bosco House, Bangalore to elect their first Executive Committee that will steer the organisation to greater heights of glory and to spread the fragrance of Christ's love and peace far and wide.

Bangalore is a City in the southern part of India, popularly known as the Silicon Valley of India . The city has a high presence of young people from across the Country for the purpose of academical fulfillment and employment. Many are of the opinion that Bangalore houses the highest number of Meghalayans than any other city in India. It was Father Edward Stenn who took the first step in erecting the organisation and since then there has been no looking back.

The 21st day of August 2011 will always be remembered by every member of the B.C.C.M. For the first time since inception, a full-fledged Executive Committee was elected by a process of popular voice vote with Fr. T. C. George and Fr. Mark Andy Khongjee as Returning Officers. The following were elected as office bearers of the founding Executive Committee:-

Newly elected office bearers with Fr. Mark Andrew Khongjee and Fr. T. C.  George

President: Mark Syiem
Vice President: Richard Lyngdoh
General Secretary: Anthony Bansuklang Khongsit
Asst. General Secretary: Patrick S Dkhar
Pastoral Secretary: Plielad Khongtiang
Asst pastoral Secretary: Emika Lamare
Treasurer: Patricia Nongbri
Music Secretary: Kyrshan Khongwir
Asst Music Secretary: Emilia Tlang
Publicity Secretary: Valentino Lyngdoh
Asst. Publicity Secretary: Therisia Pohlong
Spritual Advisors-Fr. T. C. George and Fr. Mark Andy Khongjee.

It was an auspicious sunday for B.C.C.M. Apart from electing a vibrant Executive Committee, it also agreed in unison to rechristen the group as Bangalore Christian Comunity of Meghalaya, so as not to be limited by denominational barriers in order to be able to reach out to other Christians youth from Meghalaya. The exuberant organisation has an impressive presence of non Catholics. Along with the Catholic youths they constitute a beautiful diaspora of colors. Co-incidentally, on the same day young people from across the globe met at Madrid, the capital city of Spain to celebrate the World Youth Day with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. The young and energetic khasi boys and girls also celebrated the World Youth Day in a very special manner. A solemn Holy Euchaurist was celebrated by Fr. T. C. George and Fr. Mark Andrew Khongjee. During the homily Fr. Khongjee stressed on the need of young people to be Christ-like and Apostles of the present day. He also emphasized upon spreading the love and peace of Christ in small little ways. Everybody sang and danced to their hearts content. The day was concluded by a humble fellowship tea.

GLIMPSES OF THE MOST MEMORABLE DAY



1st Reading by Lambert Rymbai



2nd Reading

Fr. Mark Andrew Khongjee proclaiming the Gospel

An inspiring homily

Prayer of the faithful

The Holy Euchaurist- The Greatest Love of All
Fr. T. C. George, Fr. Mark Andy Khongjee

The Holy Communion

Singing praises to the Lord

Fr. T. C. George and Fr. Mark Andrew Khongjee conducting the elections

Singing Glory to the Lord

Singing with joy and happiness