St. Francis de Sales Parish – Umwahalang

St. Francis de Sales Parish, Umwahlang, is the first MSFS mission in the Diocese of Nongstoin, Meghalaya. The majority of the people in this region belong to the Maram tribe, a sub-tribe of the Khasi community. The area remains largely underdeveloped due to limited transport and communication facilities. Since several villages are located along the Assam–Meghalaya border, occasional disputes arise, affecting the normal life of the people.

The parish was bifurcated from St. Peter’s Parish, Nongstoin, and officially opened on May 4, 2008, by Most Rev. Victor Lyngdoh, Bishop of Nongstoin. Fr. Nicholas Bara, MSFS, was appointed as the first Parish Priest, assisted by Fr. Santosh Chavarnal, MSFS. Initially, the priests stayed in a rented village house until a temporary presbytery was completed in November 2008.

At the time of its establishment, the parish had an Upper Primary School and a village church. Over the years, the parish has steadily grown. As of 2016, it consists of 31 village substations with about 3,500 Catholics from 450 families.

The pastoral vision of the parish is “to transmit Fransalian optimism and cheerfulness while catering to the spiritual needs of the people.” The priests actively engage in pastoral ministry, education, village visits, and faith formation programmes.

Visitation Sisters of Don Bosco (VSDB)

The Visitation Sisters of Don Bosco (VSDB) initially opened a convent at Nonglang village under the parish. In 2006, the convent was shifted to Ktiehthawiar village and was blessed by Bishop Victor Lyngdoh. The sisters run a dispensary and are actively involved in education and village apostolate.

Society of the Sisters of St. Ann, Luzern (SAL)

On September 10, 2013, the first community of the Sisters of St. Ann of Luzern (SAL) of the Central Province was established at Umwahlang Parish. The sisters assist in pastoral ministry, manage a dispensary, and support the educational activities of the parish school.