Catholic Mission Telam was started in the year 1982 by Rev. Fr. Mathew Puthumana who was then the assistant parish priest of Jonai parish. An English medium school under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales was opened on 28th August 1982 with 12 students which is now a high school. In the initial years, a good number of people joined Catholic faith from Arunachal Pradesh. Later many Mishing families too joined the faith. At present Catholic Mission, Telam, has got 54 Catholic families. As of the record of ‘Baptism Register’, around 3000 baptisms took place: 450 of which have come during the last 15 years. The mission centre at Telam has one Adi Village, Namai, with 22 families and a Mishing Village with 10 families. In the years between 2011-2012, Namai village in Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated the Silver Jubilee of the Catholic faith in the village. The celebrations were presided over by the Most Rev. John Thomas, Bishop of Itanagar. In the centre there are 25 families belonging to different tribes. The missionaries working in this parish are engaged in pastoral service, family visits, social care and education to the people of Telam.

Telam mission has 24 bighas of land, a parish church, school building, hostel building for boys, convent building and a newly built presbytery. Prominent leaders of the Parish are Mr John Bosco Dabi of Galo Tribe, Mr Mathias (Suresh) Xalxo of Adivasi and Mr Jacob Doley of Mishing tribe.

Congregation of the Mother Carmel (CMC) Sisters

The year 2002 saw the arrival of CMC sisters to Telam Mission. The pioneering team consisted of Srs Josephine (Superior) and Claret. They associate with all the activities of the mission in the parish and school, and they run a girl’s hostel.