PRABHU PRAKASH CHURCH BOANAIGARH

PRABHU PRAKASH CHURCH BOANAIGARH

BONAIGARH (D. ROURKELA)

Fr. Rashmikant Nayak Parish Priest

Fr. Joseph Nandigama Assistant Parish Priest

Prabhu Prakash Church

Bonaigarh – 770 038

Sundargarh Dist.

Odisha Tel: 06626/244505

BONAIGARH:

1984: Bonaigarh Parish, Rourkela Diocese was started.

It was in 1884 that the bishop of Rourkela invited the Pallottines to work in the diocese. Subsequently Fr. John Baliar Singh was assigned to the proposed parish at Bonaigarh but they stayed at the neighboring Kantapali for a while as Kantapali was the main parish centre. He made a survey of the whole Bonai subdivision. Following this the contract was signed in July 1985 between the Society and the diocese entrusting the Pallottines with the pastoral care of Bonaigarh. Initially Fr. John B. Singh and Bro. Benjamin Kujur were assigned to the parish. In the subsequesnt years Fr. Thomas Lakra and Fr. Oscar Panna, Fr. Arthur Sequeira and Fr. John Konrad Barla succeeded.

Bonaigarh is also one of the four civil blocks of Bonai, which is a sub-division of the district of Sundargarh. Being the headquarters of the Bonai subdivision there were already a good number of Government offices, a small hospital, a sub-post office, a bank, a high school and a college. It had a Catholic population of about 2,000 belonging to different tribes spread over a number of villages. The new residence of priests was blessed on November 05, 1985. On May 13, 1986 the Bishop of Rourkela, Rt. Rev. Alphonse Bilung SVD, blessed a newly built community hall. Bishop Bilung also blessed the foundation stone for the new Church on November 16, 1986. Two years later the new Church was blessed by him and inaugurated by the Provincial of the Pallottines in India, Rev. Fr. Joseph Tharakunnel. The Church is dedicated to “Prabhu Prakash” (Epiphany of our Lord) and the feast is celebrated during Diwali festival.