Cathedral catholic Church

The Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians is a Cathedral in Shillong, Meghalaya. It is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shillong and serves as the seat of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Shillong. It covers the districts of East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi. The Cathedral is the principal place of worship of the over 300,000 strong Catholics of the Shillong Archdiocese which covers RI Bhoi and East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. In all, there are 33 church district's or "Parishes" in the Shillong Archdiocese.

The Cathedral Church was built over 50 years ago. This place of worship stands on the very site of the first Church built by the German fathers. The earlier 1913 building – the Church of the Divine Saviour – was a wooden structure. It was destroyed by the Good Friday fire of April 10, 1936. Built by the first Catholic missionaries to arrive at these hills, the Salvatorian Fathers from Germany, it was the first Catholic cathedral church in what was then the Apostolic Prefecture of Assam.

Dedicated to mother Mary, the Cathedral Church of Mary Help of Christians was built by the Germans in 1913. According to history, the construction of the present shrine was built after the first church got destroyed due to a fire accident in 1936. It got the status of a shrine in 1980, on completion of the Catholic Church's 100 years in North East India. This church falls under Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shillong and is the principal place of worship of about 300,000 strong Catholics of Ri Bhoi and East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.

Situated atop an emerald-colored hill, the church was constructed in Gothic style of architecture. The church is quiet a big one and probably the largest in Meghalaya. The interiors comprise terracotta cross stands, a bronze monument of the cavalry, stained glass windows and houses the grave of Hubert D'Rosario, Shillong's first archbishop. A number of artwork displaying chapters and scenes from Holy Scriptures and the life stories of several saints can be seen inside the church. It also has an underground grotto church carved out of a hill, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes.