St. Clare

St. Clare

Contact Details:

St. Clare’s Church
Dakaita
P.O. Lalmatia Colliery,
Dt. Godda – 814 154,
Jharkhand,
PHONE : 06437-251097, 09431134148.

Parish Priest – Rev. Fr. John Marandi.
Asst. Parish Priest – Fr. Augustine Hansda.
Fr. Xavier Hembrom- Headmaster.
Church Established – 1950.

Brief History:

Dakaita was a sub-station of Gokhla. Fr. Alex Bombera TOR was the first resident priest in the early 1950’s. The present church was blessed on October 28, 1977. The priests’ house was built by the late Fr. Jacob Kollamparampil. The Parish Priests as per record: Fr. Alex Bomberra TOR (1960); Fr. Peter Busch TOR (1963-68), Fr. Placid Vazhappally TOR (1966), Fr. Theodore Baa TOR (1966-70) Fr. Conrad Kunnappally TOR (1968); Fr. Anthony Xalxo TOR (1969-72); FR. Ferdinand Nediadeth TOR (1972) Fr. Thomas Kozhimala (1972-79) Fr. Anthony Xalxo (1979-80), Fr. Jacob Kollamparampil (1980-82); Fr. Joseph Cheruchilampil (1982-83); Fr. Joseph Vetticad (1983-85); Fr. Simon Kujur (1985-88); Fr. Gregory Kuttickal (1988-92); Fr. Thomas Marandi 1992; Fr. Gregory Kuttickal (1996-98); Fr. James Valiapura (1999-2000); Fr. Alphonse F. (2000-02); Fr. Celestine Murmu (2003- ). Number of Catholics 4000; families 525; villages 100. Sub-station: Taljhari, Jhirli, Simra, Mohanpur. (Sunday Mass every 2 weeks) It may be noted that Sri. Peter Marandi of Simra was an M.P. at the time of Nehru. Dakaita had many vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The Lalmatia Colliery of Raj Mahal Hills is the biggest coal mine in Asia. By luck they did not detect any coal where the church and convent and the school buildings are situated!