National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Centre (NBCLC) is a theological and pastoral formation institute under the auspices of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of India
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) is the permanent association of the Catholic Church, Catholic Bishop (Catholic Church), bishops of India. It was established in September 1944, in Chennai. The CBCI Secretariat was located in Ban ...
(CBCI). It is located in
Bengaluru
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
,
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, and serves the Catholic Church in India with a focus on biblical studies, catechetics, and liturgical renewal.
History
NBCLC was founded in the context of the reforms and renewal initiated by the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
. The initiative was led by
D. S. Amalorpavadass, who became the first director in October 1966.
The current director of the centre is
Antony John Baptist
Antony John Baptist is an Indian Catholic priest, biblical scholar and theologian. He serves as the director of the National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Centre (NBCLC) in Bangalore. His academic and pastoral work is focused on contex ...
.
The centre was created to respond to the spiritual, liturgical, and catechetical needs of the Indian Church and continues to serve the
Latin Church
The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...
,
Syro-Malabar Church
The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a '' sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Cathol ...
, and
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church that employs the West Syriac Rite and is in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church posse ...
.
The centre seeks to contextualize the ministry of the Word of God through inculturation and dialogue with Indian religions, cultures, and social realities. It promotes theological education, biblical literacy, and the inculturation of liturgy and catechesis.
Programs and activities
NBCLC organizes retreats, seminars, training courses, and workshops for clergy, religious, and laity across India.
[{{Cite web , last=Report , first=Mangalorean News , date=2024-11-26 , title=Priesthood Candidates National Seminar at NBCLC, Bangalore , url=https://www.mangalorean.com/priesthood-candidates-national-seminar-at-nbclc-bangalore/ , access-date=2025-05-24 , website=Mangalorean.com , language=en-US]
References
Catholic Church in India