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Parochial Vicar
Hello friends,
I am Father Cleetus,
I am the 9th out of 10 children. I was born in Alleppey, Kerala, India where my mother, siblings, and family currently live, one of my nephew is a priest! I originally ordained in the Diocese of Alleppey. Alleppey, the city, is in the southwestern part of India between the sea and the beautiful backwaters of Kerala. It is a very green and tropical region.
After grade school, I joined the Diocese of Alleppey's Minor Seminary. Upon graduation from the minor seminary, I was called to St Joseph’s Pontifical Major Seminary in Kerala where I did my Philosophy studies. After which I went to Bangalore where I studied Theology at St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute of Theology.
I was ordained a priest on January 1, 2000, and I served in the Diocese of Alleppey for 12 years. After which God called me to serve the Diocese ofSacramento in 2012. I was first stationed at St. Vincent FerrerChurch in Vallejo, then to Sacred Heart in Sacramento. From there I moved to Weaverville and served at St. Patick's where I was the only priest in the whole county! Before coming to St. John's I was Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Mercy in Redding. With all that said, it’s my pleasure to be here to serve you at St. John the Baptist.