Guwahati: On the joyful occasion of the feast of the Presentation on 2 February 2022 at Archbishop’s House Guwahati, a long-awaited Assamese Bible was released.
It was indeed a historic moment for the people of goodwill in Assam. Most. Rev. John Moolachira, the Archbishop of Guwahati, released the Assamese Bible and handed over the first copy of the Bible to Most. Rev. Thomas Menamparampil and a copy to the Vicar General of Bongaigaon Diocese Fr. Michael Elango.
In his address to the audience, Archbishop John Moolachira placed on record with gratitude the arduous task of translating the Bible into Assamese undertaken by Fr. Lukose Cheruvalel SDB and his team for over two decades. He also expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil for supporting and motivating the project. Archbishop John Moolachira thanked the Bible Society of India for collaborating the printing and exhorted the audience to read the Bible and render every effort possible to make it available to people so that all may profit from the “Word of God”.
Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil highlighted the importance of having the Bible and Christian literature in the local language. They promote the preservation of identity, language and race. The Christian missionaries have contributed immensely to the preservation of Assamese language in the past too. The availability of the “Word of God” in Assamese language will further the spread of God’s Message and the people will be able to live by its rich values.
The promotion and the dissemination of Sacred Scripture is indeed a sacred duty. Thanks to Fr. Lukose SDB and his team with the Bible Society of India, the new Assamese Bible is now available.
“Our mission,” says Fr Lukose, “has always been rooted in the translation of Bible texts into Assamese, one of the state languages of Assam and a prominent language of North-East India.”
The translation of the Bible was truly the fruit of a community process, the work involved many people from different churches, an excellent example of ecumenical life and praxis from in North East India.
The Assamese Bible is available at Archbishop’s House, Guwahati.