Tura: In a great loss to the Catholic community and the Garo Hills region, Tura’s first Bishop, Rev. Fr. George Mamalaserry, who was responsible for many development initiatives in the region, especially in education and health, has passed away in Tura, Meghalaya.
Rev. Fr. Mamalaserry passed away at the age of 92 while being treated at the Holy Cross Hospital in Tura.
Prior to his passing, he had a pacemaker inserted to regulate his heartbeat but developed a fungal infection in his lungs and was undergoing treatment. In April this year, he developed severe breathing problems and had to be supported with oxygen. As his condition worsened, he was shifted to the ICU of the Holy Cross Hospital on Sunday, June 23. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, he died at 2:20 AM on Friday.
Varkey (Bishop George) was born on April 23, 1932, as the youngest of three children of Kurian and Elizabeth Mamalassery, at Kalathoor in Kerala. He began his early education at the age of 4 in the traditional school. In 1950, after his school studies, young George left his home for Madras to join the Sacred Heart seminary at Poonamallee under the Diocese of Madras-Mylapore. While studying at Poonamallee, he opted to work in the North East, in the archdiocese of then Shillong-Guwahati. He was ordained a priest by Most Rev. Louis Mathias DD, Archbishop of Madras Mylapore, on April 24, 1960.
After his ordination, he was sent to work as a missionary in the Archdiocese of Shillong-Guwahati. On arrival at Shillong, he was told to join the pioneer work of evangelization in the Garo Hills: a remote, hazardous, hilly terrain of Assam infested with malaria and wild animals. On his arrival at Tura on August 14, 1960, Fr. George was appointed as an Assistant Priest to Fr. Anthony Buccieri SDB with the special charge of the boarding and touring the villages.
In 1965, Fr. George was transferred to Baghmara as the Assistant Priest to Fr. Matthew Elanjipuram, the first Indian Missionary to the Garos. From there, he was transferred to Dalu as the Parish Priest in 1970. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, he played a commendable role in taking care of the hundreds of refugees from East Pakistan who had taken shelter in his parish territory.
It was Pope John Paul II who appointed Fr. George Mamalaserry as the first Bishop of Tura on February 8, 1979. He was consecrated Bishop on March 18, 1979, in the presence of the Bishops of North East India and about a 10,000-strong gathering of people. As Bishop, Bishop George worked for the overall development of the people of Garo Hills. Finding that Garo Hills was lagging behind in education, healthcare, and development, especially in the villages, he set up 24 more Parish Centres in the interiors of the three districts.
In all these new centers and in the existing ones, he set up schools, dispensaries, and hostels for both boys and girls. He has to his credit 57 L.P. schools, 35 M.E. Schools, 16 Secondary Schools, 2 Higher Secondary Schools, 24 Girls’ hostels, and 23 boys’ hostels. Knowing fully well that one of the urgent needs of Garo Hills was to have an excellent college, in 1988 he invited the Salesians to open the Don Bosco College at Tura. Later in his Episcopal ministry, he extended an invitation to the Jesuits to open a college at Williamnagar, obtained land for the college, and even built the Higher Secondary school building on the college land. His concern for the sick and the suffering prompted him to establish 20 more dispensaries in the village parishes and the 150-bed Holy Cross Hospital at Tura.
During his tenure as Bishop, he financed the training of dozens of nurses in Garo Hills so that these, in turn, could enhance the health of the people living in villages. The establishment of the Rino Simonetti Nursing School for General Nursing was a major step in improving healthcare in Garo Hills. Rev. Fr. Mamalaserry was also responsible for establishing many other facilities in the region, such as the Montfort Centre at Danakgre, Tura, and the KGBV School at Jengjal, among others.
Dear Reader,
Every day, our team at EastMojo travels through rain, rough roads, and remote hills to bring you stories that matter – stories from your town, your people, your Northeast.
We do this because we believe in truthful, independent journalism. No big corporate backing, no government pressure – just honest reporting by local journalists who live and breathe the same air you do.
But to keep doing this work, we need you. Your small contribution helps us pay our reporters fairly, reach places others ignore, and keep asking the tough questions.
If you believe the Northeast deserves its own fearless voice, stand with us.
Support independent journalism. Be a Member.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
As a mark of recognition for his services to Garo Hills, the government of Meghalaya recommended his name for Padma Awards in 2018. He was awarded the Pa Togan Nengminza Award this year for his contribution to the people of Garo Hills in the socio-economic fields. For his contribution in the field of education, healthcare, and socio-economic development in Meghalaya, Bishop George was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya in 2019.
Rev. Fr. Mamalaserry’s funeral is to take place on Monday, July 8, at 1 PM at the Sacred Heart Shrine in Tura. His remains will be laid to rest in a tomb at the Cathedral Church at R.C. Road in Tura.
Also Read | Meghalaya students seek relief as Garo Hills faces flood threat