Pope Leo XIV Recognises Pioneer Missionary to Northeast India as Venerable

Guwahati, October 25, 2026: Pope Leo XIV has declared Salesian missionary Bishop Oreste Marengo Venerable, recognising his heroic Christian virtues and decades of service among indigenous communities in Northeast India, where he helped establish and nurture the local Catholic Church.

Marengo served as the first Bishop of Dibrugarh and Tezpur and the first Apostolic Administrator of Tura, playing a significant role in the growth of Catholic communities across parts of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.

The declaration followed an audience on October 24, during which the Pope authorised Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, to promulgate the decree recognising Marengo’s heroic virtues.

Bishop Jose, auxiliary bishop of Tura, who knew Marengo personally, welcomed the recognition as an important moment for the Church in Northeast India, recalling his simplicity, prayerfulness and commitment to pastoral ministry.

“I personally knew him because he selected me for the Diocese in 1976,” Bishop Jose told Catholic Connect. He spent three years in the seminary under Marengo’s guidance and remained associated with him after his ordination.

“He was very simple, a man of much prayer and deeply involved in pastoral work,” the bishop said.

Learning local languages, building communities

Born on August 29, 1906, into a farming family in Diano d’Alba, Italy, Marengo joined the Salesian Congregation at the age of 13. In 1923, he arrived in Northeast India with eight other novices, beginning a missionary journey that would last more than seven decades. He was ordained a priest on April 2, 1932.

Marengo became the first Bishop of Dibrugarh in 1951 and the first Bishop of Tezpur in 1964. His ministry extended across a vast and culturally diverse region, where linguistic and geographical barriers posed significant challenges to pastoral work.

Bishop Jose said Marengo reportedly learned around 20 languages spoken by local communities, enabling him to communicate with people in their own languages and engage more closely with their cultures.

“He was very keen on learning the tribal languages,” Bishop Jose recalled, highlighting the importance Marengo attached to understanding the communities he served.

Marengo established mission centres, strengthened Catholic communities and encouraged local vocations to the priesthood. He also promoted the involvement of laypeople in the Church’s mission and assisted people displaced during the India-Pakistan conflict.

His missionary approach reflected an emphasis on personal contact, local languages and sustained engagement with communities in a region where the Church was gradually expanding its presence.

A lasting commitment to Northeast India

Marengo’s service continued after his appointments as bishop. In 1972, he became the first Apostolic Administrator of Tura. Following the formal establishment of the Diocese of Tura in 1973, he continued in the role until 1979, when Bishop George Mammalassery was appointed its first resident bishop.

Rather than leave the region after relinquishing his administrative responsibilities, Marengo remained in Tura and continued to assist in pastoral ministry. He also sought financial assistance from benefactors in Italy to support the growing mission.

Bishop Jose said Marengo maintained close ties with the diocese until his death on July 30, 1998.

Marengo is buried in the Cathedral Church of Tura, where his memory remains closely associated with the early development of the local Church.

Another step towards sainthood

The Diocese of Tura initiated Marengo’s cause for canonisation in 2007, and the diocesan phase of the inquiry concluded in 2013.

The title Venerable recognises that a candidate lived Christian virtues to a heroic degree. Beatification, the next stage towards canonisation, ordinarily requires the recognition of a miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession.

Bishop Jose said the diocese was considering celebrations in the coming months to mark the declaration.

Marengo is the third Salesian missionary associated with Northeast India to be declared Venerable. Pope Francis recognised the heroic virtues of Stephen Ferrando, former Bishop of Shillong, in 2016. In May 2026, Pope Leo XIV recognised the heroic virtues of Constantine Vendrame, known as the “Apostle of Shillong”.

Marengo’s recognition highlights the contribution of missionary pioneers to the development of the Catholic Church in Northeast India. His legacy is reflected in the dioceses he helped establish, the communities he served and his efforts to bridge cultural and linguistic differences through sustained pastoral engagement.

By Catholic Connect Reporter