National
Mission
Our Missionary venture in India began in 1979 by trying to find a place of work first in the diocese of Bellary, at the invitation of Bishop Ambrose Yeddanapally. Later, due to other factors we shifted our attention to the diocese of Eluru in Andhra Pradesh. Bishop M. John offered us a new parish of Karakkaipetbifurcating it from the existing Amalapuram parish in East Godavari District. We had the pioneering missionaries in the persons of Frs. Mario Belotti and Augusto Carvallho (who changed his name to Anil Kumar just in those days). Later they were assisted by our deacons, seminarians and novices for short periods of time. After having built the parish Church, because of the changed situation of personnel, we had to leave the mission in 1984. It was only in 1989 we could make other attempts to open a new mission stations as we were in a position to do so. We accepted the invitation of the Bishop of Vizakhapatnam to visit the proposed places of work. After visiting various mission stations, the delegation opted for the Saura Mission in the hills on the boarders of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.