Guwahati, August 23, 2026: When Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma’s father lost his own father, he was only seven or eight years old. It was Christian missionaries who, Sangma recalled, cared for him, educated him and instilled in him values that shaped his life.
“My late father was a product of the Christian mission,” Sangma said, recalling the childhood of his late father, former Meghalaya Chief Minister P. A. Sangma.
“They taught him the different principles, different aspects of not just being a Christian or a Catholic but of how to be a good human being,” he said.
Sangma shared this deeply personal family memory while addressing the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the episcopal ministry of His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, held in Thiruvananthapuram on August 22.
For Sangma, his father’s story was not merely a personal family memory; it reflected the wider missionary experience that shaped communities across Meghalaya and the Northeast.
“Before governments came in, it was the Christian missionaries who started to serve our people,” he said.
He recalled that missionaries established schools and provided education in communities before government institutions reached many parts of the region.
“It was our Christian missionaries who opened the school and started providing education,” Sangma said.
He also highlighted their contribution to healthcare, saying missionaries served people selflessly even before government health departments could establish primary health centres and hospitals.
“In the entire Northeast, the Church has a very, very important role to play,”
“In the entire Northeast, the Church has a very, very important role to play,” he said, adding that governments continue to work closely with the Church “to take things forward.”
From Formation to Service
Mr. Sangma said the values his father received through the Christian mission shaped his understanding of public service.
“He always taught us and he always told us that service to man is maybe the greatest thing that anyone can do,” he said.
Whether one serves as a priest, religious sister or public figure, Sangma said, the fundamental responsibility remains the same.
“We are here to serve God’s people. We are here to serve the public of our nation,” he said.
Referring to Matthew 7:12 the Chief minister of Meghalaya highlighted the Golden Rule: “So in everything do to others what you would expect them to do to you.”
This principle continues to guide governance and public service in Meghalaya, particularly during challenging times, affirmed the Meghalaya CM.
Personal Tribute to Cardinal Cleemis
Congratulating Cardinal Cleemis on his episcopal jubilee, Sangma recalled his friendship with the Cardinal of more than a decade, which began when they met in the Vatican during the canonisation of St Mother Teresa.
He also recalled Cardinal Cleemis’ friendship with his late father, saying their longstanding bond added a personal significance to his presence at the jubilee celebration.
Sangma thanked God for Cardinal Cleemis’ life and contribution to the Catholic Christian community and society.
He praised Cardinal Cleemis’ contributions to education, healthcare and service to the poor and prayed for his continued good health.
The celebration was attended by Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan, Union Minister Suresh Gopi, Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, Most Rev. Dr Varghese Chakkalakal, President of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, leaders of various Churches, and His Beatitude Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church in Lebanon.