Guwahati, February 26, 2026: The Diocese of Tura will receive His Excellency Most Rev. Leopoldo Girelli, Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal, for a pastoral visit from February 28 to March 1, 2026. The visit will include public and liturgical programmes in Mendal and Tura, with participation from clergy, religious and lay faithful.
The Apostolic Nuncio has been declared a State Guest by the Government of Meghalaya. The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K. Sangma, is expected to attend the official functions during the visit.
At 11:00 a.m. on February 28, a public reception will be held at Mendal, attended by parishioners from North Garo Hills. Later in the day, at 4:00 p.m., a concelebrated Holy Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral Parish, Tura.
On Sunday, March 1, a Pontifical Mass is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. at the Sacred Heart Shrine Gate, Tura. The diocese has indicated that regular church services in Tura will be cancelled to enable wider participation. Auxiliary Bishop Jose Chirackal has encouraged the faithful to be present for the celebrations.
The pastoral visit is being received as a significant moment for Catholics in the Garo Hills, where the Church has grown through sustained missionary and local pastoral efforts. The Diocese of Tura was erected on 7 April 1973, with territories detached from the then Archdiocese of Shillong-Guwahati. Catholic mission work among the Garos developed in a more organised manner from 1933, following earlier visits by missionaries in the early decades of the 20th century.
The Church in Garo Hills has continued to expand in parishes, educational and health institutions, and pastoral formation. Diocesan records also note the contribution of women religious, beginning with the arrival of the Missionaries of Christ Jesus (MCJ) in 1948, and the later support of missionaries from South India from the mid-1950s.
The visit comes as the diocese continues its post–Golden Jubilee journey, having marked 50 years of its establishment in 2023. The Diocese of Tura is one of four Latin Church jurisdictions in Meghalaya, alongside the Archdiocese of Shillong and the dioceses of Jowai and Nongstoin.