The beginning of Catholic mission of Peren can be traced back to 1964. A zealous missionary Fr. Felix who had been working as the assistant priest of Kohima visited Peren in the year 1964. In the same year Rt. Rev Hubert Rosario, the bishop of Dibrugarh also made a visit to the place. At the request of the public leaders later in 1965 a school named “All Saints’ School”, was opened, but looked after from Jalukie. Once Bishop Abraham Alengimattathil and Fr. George Kunnel, while returning from a tour of Nchan, Nchauna villages in Tening area, paid a courtesy visit to the then ADC of Peren as he was a friend and known to both. Bishop was so impressed at the request he made for the presence of fathers and sisters (he was a past student of St. Anthony’s College, Shillong) and the support he offered, that it was an almost an on-the-spot decision to open a centre in Peren. Hence in November 1980, Fr. KurienPattimackal was appointed as the first parish priest of Peren and Fr. Sebastian Kuzhuppil (Sr.) assisted him. The fathers used the government quarters as the residence till a new presbytery was ready.

At the beginning of the parish it had two trained catechists in the persons of Mr Rachi Richard and Michael Athong. They, along with the Fathers and Sisters, toured the area and contacted many new villages. As a result, the Catholic population grew considerably. The growth of the church was so fast that in 1987 Peren parish was divided and a new parish was formed with Tening as the centre. It was entrusted to the MSFS.

The number of Catholics in Peren town was few in the initial years. Slowly Catholics from Peren village and other villages came and settled in the town and the outcome was increase in the number of Catholic families. In 1988 the election to the Church Council was held for the first time and Mr Reletlu Andrew was elected as the local catechist.

Though Peren became a Parish in 1980, it had its religious services in the school building. In 1990 the construction of a parish church began and was completed in 1994. On Novemebr 6, 1994, the parish church was blessed and inaugurated by late Bishop Abraham.

Catholic mission in Peren has been a beacon of light to the people of Peren from its very inception. Several programs were initiated to improve the condition of the people and education women and children. The tailoring centre, hostels for girls and boys are all telling examples of missionary dynamism of all who worked there. The Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) is the collaborators in this parish.

Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) Sisters

The Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) who joined the mission on July 14,1980, is the collaborators of the MSFS in the parish and school, Srs Jenette (Superior) Srs Bernard and Sr Maria James as the pioneering members at Peren. The sisters contribute to the all-round development of the parish community by their visits to the families and villages.