Pics: Stanley Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network – Davangere (EP)
Davangere, Apr 27: 55 years old Fr K C Chacko well known for being kind hearted, supportive, holy and able leader completed 25 years of priestly life on April 23.
Fr K C Chacko has been loved by the people wherever he served as a priest. Fr K C Chacko was born a fourth child to humble couple of Chacko and Elizabeth on December 28, 1959. He completed his basic education in his hometown and at Naravi boarding school. He got the vocation to be a priest after his SSLC. He gave up the love of his parents, sisters,brothers and the beauty of Coorg and joined the Madurai seminary in 1978.
Fr Chacko joined Christ College in Bengaluru for PUC. February 20, 1990 was the unforgettable day in the life of Fr Chacko as he was ordained priest on that day.
He was the Assistant parish priest in Siddapura church for one year from 1990 to 91. He looked after the financial affairs of students in the seminary during 1991-93. He later came as the assistant parish priest at Karahalli mission of Devanahalli taluk in 1993. He built a church in Vijayapura, a prayer hall at Devanahalli, grottos in Karahalli and Doddasagara.He guided small children towards education and laid a strong foundation for the careers of youth.
He comforted the sick people and sent the village children to convent schools. He took several sick people regardless of their religions to Bengaluru and got them cured.
He faced hardship between 1998 and 2001 as a priest of Vijayapura. He stayed in cement godowns as there were no houses and built houses for orphaned children of the church and the priests.
He later got transferred to Athani in Belagavi in 2001. There he started an organization known as 'Snehajyothi' for the blind, physically handicapped, destitute and poor. He gave shelter to them, trained and provided them jobs. He built Balayesu shrine, a house for the priests, mother Mary's grotto, St Antony's cave, twenty houses for the blind, conducted weddings of 17 blind couples, provided training for 120 blind and handicapped, training in tailoring for 1300 village women especially Devadasis, tuitions for 90 poor students in 12 villages, training in driving and licenses for 130 people in Honnali, built 4 houses for the poor, provided funds for education of 20 children, constructed building for boarding etc.
On the whole during the 25 years of priestly life, he has been the eyes of the blind, walking stick for the lame, father of the orphans, guide of the youth, spotlight of the elderly and a true representative of Christ.