P.O., Surlakhapa – 480222, Tah – Harrai, Dt. – Chhindwara, M.P. Ph: 07167287343
Established
|
1978
|
Patron
|
St. John the Baptist
|
Families
|
4
|
Parish Priest
|
Fr. Thomas Therattil CMI, 7024178833
|
Religious House (Men)
|
CMI Fathers
|
Surlakhapa is about 185 kms distant from Nagpur and 56 kms from Chhindwara parish in Chhindwara district
head-quarters. It is a remotest area of the Archdiocese of Nagpur. It is a tribal belt in the Satpura
Ranges, surrounded by hills and mountains. The people are mostly Hindus. There are only 5 Catholic
families for whom the church is catering to their spiritual needs through Sunday Liturgy, family visits
and administering holy sacraments. The prime objective of the Institution in the area is to look after
welfare of all the people without looking at their caste and creed.
Rev. Fr.Stephen Moniz and Bro. Bernard Furtado took residence at Agragami in Surlakhapa in 1976. The
pioneers, struggled to initiate the mission in Surlakhapa staying in a rented house. They successfully
created rapport with the people and established the center by purchasing land property and constructing
an ordinary building attuned with the local style . This took about two years. On 24th June 1978,
Archbishop of Nagpur, Dr. Leobard D'Souza blessed the Agragami mission station. The center was named
after St. John the Baptist, Agragami i.e. Precursor, fitting the name to the nature of the mission of
St. John who announced the coming of the Kingdom of God, being in the wilderness.
Objectives of the Mission:
a. Build up communities which will be aware, responsible, involved and committed to the welfare of all.
b. to create a society of equality and freedom.
c. To establish a witnessing community at the center,
d. Help the people to help themselves
e. Work towards wholeness of man, society and cosmos
f. To guide the people to realize their power and their potential
Methodology :
a. Individual and family based contacts and rapport creation
b. Participation in socio-cultural and religious events.
c. Need based approach to solve the problems of the people.
d. Finally ending up the pursuits in building up people's organizations.
e. Emphasis on Ecological development and community health.
Following the formulation of new vision and strategy, the communities of sisters began to have intensive
contact in villages and involved in social action together with the youth and elders.
Activities Realized :
a. Organized .Nirman samiti, Yova Mandal, bal mandals and women's SHGs
b. Organic cultivation was promoted in the center to motivate the people through replication.
c. Plantation of trees in villages.
d. Several Income Generation Activities like knitting, tailoring etc. were started in the centers.
e. Drinking water facilities were created in villages especially in Surli and Khapa where there was adverse
problem of scarcity of water.
f. Collective action towards electrification of many villages.
g. A check dam was constructed at Surli village
h. Health programs were initiated in Surli and Basuriya sub-centers where the two communities of sister resided.
i. Non-formal education was started in two sub-centers
j. The neighboring villages were contacted by the sisters.
k. Tuition center was made available in the Agragami when the OMIs came to Surlakhapa.
Bottle-necks and Obstacles :
A report is available at the Center; it is mentioned that there were several problems due to the
circumstances, the lack of familiarity with people and rumors triggered by the trouble-shooters.
The ELC church members had initiated several missionary attempts through direct preaching and created a
bad image of Church, by forced conversion and coercion to accept the Christian faith without having
proper rapport with the people and their consent. It took more than two years to create sufficient
contact with the people and families residing in the remote villages.
The Agragami Center was entrusted to the CMI St. Paul Bhopal Province on June 24th 2006 on the basis of
the contract signed between both the Diocese and the CMI Province.