More than 115 priests con-celebrated the mass with Father Angel Fernandez Artime to mark the centenary of the arrival of the first missionaries to Assam in 1922. The first group of 11 missionaries led by Father Louis Mathias (later Monsignor Louis Mathias) arrived at Guwahati on 12th January 1922. On 13th January they reached Shillong, which would become the centre of the Salesian Missions in the Northeast for a long time. The eleven pioneering missionaries were – Mgr. Louis Mathias as the leader, Fr. Giovanni Deponti, Fr. Emmanuel Bars, Fr. Giuseppe Gill, Fr. Giuseppe Hauber, Fr. Paolo Bonardi, Bro. Pietro Aprile, Bro. Mario Calzi, Bro. Agostino Conti, Bro. Laureano Santana and Bro. Gumersindo Cid. They hailed from four different European countries namely, Italy, France, Spain and San Marino. These missionaries through their hard work and dedicated service to the Church and society laid a solid foundation for the years to come.

The leader of the pioneering group, Fr Louis Mathias, with his motto “Dare and Hope” and his ten valiant companions, initiated an unprecedented missionary activity in the Northeast which continues even today. At present, there are three Provinces in the Northeast: Guwahati (1959), Dimapur (1981), and Shillong (2012): all of them equally missionary. Thanks to the early missionaries who dared and hoped, and it is their enthusiasm and inspiration that we have been able to emulate in our limited ways.

“Today is a day to thank God for the presence of the charism of Don Bosco in India, in the Northeast, and in Guwahati. The most important word that I want to leave especially to my fellow Salesians is that today’s celebration is to thank God in humility. This is because we are celebrating today, not on our own.” He further added, “We need to remember that the achievements that we have are the gift of the Spirit, not our own. The celebration is even more meaningful as it comes from the action of God. God wants to count on the humble service of human mediation for Him to achieve great things accomplished in these hundred years.” We need to remember that God wants to count on us for everything, yet we do not play the leading role in the success that is achieved. Father Angel said that it was God’s plan for good to happen for the life of faith and the young people in this region.

The Rector Major thanked everyone who has contributed to the growth and development of the Salesian Missions in the region from the simplest to the most significant personalities, the benefactors in all these years of the mission. He also remembered and called on everyone to thank God for the lives and vocations that have been dedicated to God in these 100 years. “We are not just celebrating the past achievements but are engaging the present and the future that has to be even better,” said the Rector Major.

Father Angel Fernandez continued the homily and addressed the Salesians and the members of the Salesian Family to ‘show fidelity to the Salesian charism as Don Bosco dreamt for the Salesians and the Salesian family; i.e; to the essentials of faith with a preferential option to the poor. “We at no cost should give up on this fidelity and not waver from our charism and the dream of Don Bosco,” he emphasised.

Addressing the people and the young, the Rector Major said, “We have come to thank God, and what is God’s message to the laity, the young, parents, the members of the associates of the Salesians. God’s message for everyone is that you remember, be sure and repeatedly tell yourself in your heart and carry it with you always, God loves you.” He went on to say that God is present among us, is walking with us in our lives personally because He loves us.” Rector Major then posed the question if we were attentive to or are we distracted when God, Jesus speaks to us, or, are we responding to God speaking to us? He gave the example of the first missionaries who exactly did this, - “they loved God, told and showed the people that God loves the people. They proclaimed that God was present among the people. This was the reason for the growth of faith in the region.” The Rector Major ended the homily by imploring God’s strength and blessings so that we too do the same by loving God and by showing the people and the young that God loves them. “Let God touch each of our hearts and may God be the protagonist in the coming years through the gospels and the Salesian charism,” was his prayer.

The holy eucharist had a great participation of the young people and laity coming from different centres of the province. The choir from the Centre for New Learning Tura with their angelic voices added a heavenly touch to the Eucharistic celebration.

The members of the Salesian family, the sisters, the students of theology and Salesians in initial formation, pre-novices, and candidates aspiring to be Salesians were among those who collaborated for the arrangement of the meaningful liturgical celebrations.