Welcome to our special program on the Year of Faith, THE FAITHFUL WITNESS, a series
on the lives of Inspiring People and Witnesses of faith in the Catholic Church from
around the world. These are people who lived their ordinary lives in extraordinary
ways. Their unique stories inspire us to be rooted in our faith. God calls each one
of us to inspire our brothers and sisters and to be witnesses of our faith. The
Faithful Witness of this week is Fr Saju Chakkalakal, a CMI priest and President of
Dharmaram Vidhya Shetram in Bangalore, South India. Incidentally Dharmaram trains
over 1000 students in theology, philosophy, Cannon Law, Spirituality and counseling.
Fr Saju was born and brought up in a traditional Catholic family in the Southern Indian
state of Kerala. In the first part of this interview he speaks about his life, faith
experiences, and his mission. xxx Our Faithful Witness of today, Carmelite
Father Saju Chakklakal of Bangalore, India shares with us his faith experiences, his
vocation to priesthood, and more. Father Saju a hearty welcome to Vatican Radio. Listen:
Tell us briefly
about you. Who inspired you to become a priest? What kind of faith enhancing
activities you witnessed at home? You are born and brought up in a Christian community,
but surrounded by people of other faith. What was your experience? After joining
the Carmelite congregation, what happened to the spirituality you received at home
and in your village?
Thank you Father Saju. That was Father Saju Chakklakal,
a Carmelite priest from Bangalore, India, sharing faith us his faith experiences and
his mission. xxx You have been listening to THE FAITHFUL WITNESS our
weekly series based on the lives of Inspiring People and Witnesses of faith in the
Catholic Church from around the world. Our Faithful Witness today has been Carmelite
Father Saju Chakklakal from India. If you have a faith experience to share with us,
let us know. Visit our website radiovaticana.va. This program is brought to you by
Vatican Radio’s English Service for South Asia. By P.J. Joseph SJ FRIDAY,
18 October 2013