The parish of Christ the King in Damanpur is situated in the state of West Bengal in eastern India.
The parish is very active, especially in its work with children and young people. There is a Sunday school for the different age ranges and numerous other youth groups. And a particular effort is made to foster love for Eucharistic adoration and devotion to our Blessed Lady. There are many altar servers, and the liturgies are lovingly celebrated in song – an important aspect of the culture of the Santal people – and using traditional musical instruments. The women organise themselves in shared prayer groups, Bible readings, visiting the sick and helping all those with problems, and the men likewise play an active role in the life of the Church, placing themselves at the service of the community.
One of the outstations of the parish is the village of Sambalpur. Most of the faithful here belong to the Santal tribe. They are very poor and live in a remote area. Formerly hunter gatherers, most of them today live by working the land, though many continue to cultivate their traditional woodcarving skills.
In the past the priests would regularly visit the village and celebrate Holy Mass there, but for many years they did so in the open, since there was no village chapel. And although there was one elderly man who, around a decade ago, gave a plot of land for the construction of a small church, the community was always too poor to embark on such an undertaking.
Finally, back in 2019, the faithful turned once again to the parish priest, but all he could offer them was the battered corrugated sheets that had been torn off the primary school roof some time earlier during a heavy tropical storm. But the people were happy to accept, and with their own modest resources managed to buy more tin sheets and so build a temporary chapel. But this was already too small to accommodate all the faithful, and so their bishop, Clement Tirkey of Jalpaiguri diocese, appealed to ACN to help the community to build a „proper“ church. Once again, our benefactors came up trumps and so we were able to contribute 24,000 Euros..
Priests and people alike were overjoyed when, on October 30, 2023, their bishop was finally able to solemnly consecrate the new chapel, in the presence of many of the priests and a huge throng of the faithful. Amid singing and traditional dancing, the great procession moved towards the little church, where Holy Mass was celebrated for the very first time.
„On behalf of all those who attended the solemn consecration of the church in Sambalpur and of all the faithful of the diocese of Jalpaiguri, I want to thank you for the generous help you gave us for this church. We were so happy to have your support“, writes Father Marcel Fernandez, the episcopal vicar of the diocese. He is in no doubt that this church, dedicated to Saint Joseph, who is regularly invoked in so many a difficulty, will soon draw pilgrims from other parts of the diocese as well.
From us too, heartfelt thanks to all who contributed with their generous donations. May God reward you all!
Code: 317-01-19