Bishop Tirkey ‘s main apostolate is evangelization and education

(June 14, 2011) Bishop Clement Tirkey of Jalpaiguri in eastern India’s West Bengal State, wants to reach the remotest villages in his diocese to urge priests and nuns to play an active role in evangelization and develop the educational sector. The prelate told Asia News on Monday that his mission is to bring the message of Christ door-to-door, to all Christians in the diocese.”
Bishop Tirkey’s diocese covers an area of 6,000 square kms and includes the districts of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar. Out of a total population of 10 million, some 145,000 are Catholics, mostly from Adivasi groups, whose work is closely tied to some 200 tea plantations spread across the area. Located between Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, and close to China, the diocese of Jalpaiguri “is a special place with a strategic position,” said Bishop Tirkey He noted that the “30-year Communist administration has in a certain sense maintained a certain degree of religious freedom in the state. He said “In order to maintain the secular nature of the state, the Communist-Marxist Party did not allow any religious fundamentalism to spread. This has led to cordial relations between Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists.
For Bishop Tirkey, one of the most important goals is to get economic help to improve the educational system and provide a higher level of education for the children. In the diocese, there are few Church-run private schools. Many facilities are in vernacular that do not go beyond an elementary education. The prelate stressed that if a person is educated, he or she can go anywhere, therefore education is his main apostolate.