Holy Family

Holy Family

Contact Details:

Holy Family Church
Mangra
P.O. Boarijore,
Dt. Godda-813 230,
Jharkhand,
Phone: 06437-255157, 09431409726.

Parish Priest – Fr. Celestine Murmu.
Church Established – 1963.

Brief History:

There were catholics at Meghi(Mahlees) and Daharlangi at the time of the Patna Jesuits in the 1930’s. There was a village chapel at Daharlangi before the church was built by Fr. Alex Bombera TOR in 1962. Fr. Abraham Kadanthott was the first diocesan priest to reside at Mangra from 1963-68. During the Bihar famine (1968-69) an article written in the Herald, Calcutta and The Examiner (Bombay) entitled “God in the Godown” brought donation of Rs. 10,000/-(ten thousand only) from the CRS to build a godown because Fr. Abraham had removed the Blessed Sacrament from the church to a small room to put four truck loads of CRS wheat on the church for distribution among the famine affected. Mangra got 85 decimals of land for the church through the good offices of one Mr. Hoda, an ex-student of St. Xavier’s, Patna. The land was barren full of gravel. Fr. Abraham enclosed the place and planted mangoes and other fruit trees in the compound. Now it is a beautiful mango garden for generations to come. Fr. Scaria Kollerette expanded and renovated the church and built the school, convent and the priests’ house. Baptismal Records show Fr. J. A. Creane S.J. (1931); who baptized many Paharias, all fallen away. Fr. Abraham Kadanthott (1966-69); Fr. Theodore Baa TOR (1967-68); Fr. Mathew A.C. (1969-72); Fr. James Alumkal (1972-75); Fr. Joseph Vetticad (1975); Fr. Scaria Kollerette (1979-85); Fr. James Valiapura (1984-87); Fr. John Hembrom (1987-90); Fr. Joachim Viegas (1991-96); Fr. Daniel Soren (2000-2001); Fr. Vijay Murmu (2001-2002); Fr. John Marandi (2003- ). Total number of Catholics 800; families 160; villages 22.Distance from Bhagalpur Via. Mirzachowki 95 k.m., Via Godda 110 k.m.