Shillong Oct 23: A live concert, musical drama on Fr. Constantine Vendrame, the first missionary of the Salesian of Don Bosco (SDB) to the Northeast India was staged for three days at Sacred Heart Theological College (SHTC), Mawlai, here.
The concert concluded on Sunday where over 1,500 audience witnessed the historical musical drama.
Parish priest of Mawlai, Fr. Marius Thongnibah, and Minister for Urban Affairs, R.V. Lyngdoh were the chief guests.
“We cannot explain much about this missionary within few hours and the new generation may not know much about this man. But through this play, we surely hope to learn something about him,” Lyngdoh said.
The original script and music of Dr. Barnes Mawrie, the College President brought life in the musical drama on the Italian missionary ‘Vendrame’, who came to Shillong in 1924.
He is known as the ‘Apostle of Shillong’ and the pioneer of Catholicism in the region. Besides, the artistic direction of Br. Jomon Augustine, has brought reality in the acting.
The director of the play acknowledged, “It’s a great pleasure to direct and stage this drama on great missionary like Fr. Vendrame, whom people appreciated so much, especially in areas where he has evangelized.”
Mr. Sylvester Kurbah, headman of Mawlai Phudmuri, exalted Fr. Vendrame in his speech on the second day of the event for the legacy he left behind in uplifting the Khasis in Shillong. “He has contributed a lot for Khasi people here in Shillong both spiritually and intellectually. In the beginning, he built a small Chapel at Mawlai but now it has turned into a Holy Shrine. We need to pray for the speedy canonization of Fr. Vendrame to the sainthood. He left his home and family for the betterment of Khasi People in here,” he added.
The SHTC has been successfully bringing out the musical drama once in every two years. The next musical drama will be staged in 2019.
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