Agartala, May 25, 2026:
The Diocese of Agartala concludes the Pearl Jubilee celebrations of its erection and the Episcopal Ordination of its first Bishop, Lumen Monteiro, on May 24, marking three decades of ecclesial journey and episcopal ministry.
As part of the Jubilee celebrations, in a gesture reminiscent of historic papal ceremonial processions, the Pearl Jubilarian, Bishop Lumen Monteiro was ceremonially carried in a chair mounted on bamboo poles and borne on the shoulders of the Diocesan vibrant youth, symbolising honour, affection, and gratitude towards their shepherd.
The two-day celebrations, held on May 23–24, brought together 12 Bishops, including four Archbishops, along with the Secretary General of the CBCI, Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto of Delhi.
The diocesan clergy, religious, and faithful from across the Northeast, together with members of the Diocese of Agartala, joined the celebrations to thank God for three decades of pastoral growth, evangelisation, and committed service in the local Church.
Bishop Lumen Monteiro, 74, a native of Goa and a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross (CSC), was ordained a priest on October 28, 1980. He was appointed the first Bishop of Agartala on January 11, 1996, and received Episcopal Consecration on May 26, 1996.
The Diocese of Agartala, comprising the entire State of Tripura under the Ecclesiastical Province of Shillong, was erected on January 11, 1996. The Diocese was bifurcated from the Diocese of Silchar to respond to the growing pastoral needs of the region.
The Pearl Jubilee celebrations reaffirmed the Diocese’s commitment to the mission of the Church as clergy, religious, and laity gathered in thanksgiving and looked ahead with renewed hope as the Diocese enters its fourth decade.