On October 4, 2023 a brightly burning light in the tribal heartlands of Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal was extinguished just a few days before October 15 when he would have completed eighty-four years on this earth. A man who has been looked upon by myriads of Oraon, Munda, Kharia and the Santhal tribal men and women as a symbol of grace and elegance. He has given identity to the Church of Chotanagapur particularly and the entire tribal belt spread out in several states. Chotanagpur is the region of Jharkhand where the tribes are in large population. As the Archbishop of Ranchi, His Eminence Cardinal Telesphore Toppo made known his people and their sensibilities to the Church of the entire country and the whole world.
Chotanagpur Church
In 1868 Fr. Agustus Stockman S. J., set out on an arduous bullock cart journey from Midnapore to Chaibasa in Jharkhand at the direction of Archbishop Walter Stein, S.J., of Kolkata. He established a station there in 1869 and after four years of intense efforts of Fr. Stockman, Archbishop Stein on his first pastoral visit baptized 28 Munda men, women, and children. Eventually these zealous missionaries ascended the highlands of the Chotanagpur plateau establishing several mission stations. Among the fervent Jesuit missionaries from Belgium and Germany, Servant of God Fr. Constant Lievens, S. J., stands out as one whose ministry lasted just seven years, but with the greatest output. His motto was, ‘The Fire Must Burn.’ He realized that “the whole country groaned under the weight of the most shocking forms of injustice”, land alienation, zamindari, exorbitant interest rates, and such ills. He worked for their emancipation and thousands of ‘Adivasis’ who found solace to their misery in the good news brought by these men of God. Since then, hundreds and thousands accepted the Catholic Faith and today the faithful among these tribes are spread in several dioceses across several states of the country.
Son of the Soil
Born on October 15, 1939 in an Oraon Catholic family in the remote village of Jhargaon in the present diocese of Gumla Cardinal Toppo’s journey has been a remarkable one. As a kid he walked around 5km daily to attend the Primary School and later even a greater distance to attend the High School, at Barway, Chainpur. He was ordained a priest on 8 May, 1969. Nine years later, on 7 October, 1978 he was consecrated as the Bishop of Dumka. On 8 November, 1984 he was appointed the Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi and one year later he took charge as the Archbishop of Ranchi. On 21 October, 2003 Archbishop Toppo was elevated to the status of a Cardinal, the first Asian tribal bishop to receive this honour.
Fr Manoj Abraham TOR
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