GEORGE KIZHUKARAKAT PRAKASH SDS
RIP: 21/03/2025 - Nagaon, IN
Fr. G. K. Prakash was born 27 August 1934 at Kallanickal in Thodupuzha Kerala. In 1943 his family migrated to Malabar where his four siblings were born. After higher secondary in 1954, he became an assistant teacher at his village school. In the 1950’s the fear of Chinese invasion made the government request foreign missionaries to leave the country. Consequently, the Church in Kerala encouraged young men and women to become missionaries for various parts of India. A priest came to the parish preaching about the missionary life and the opportunity of serving the Lord in a particular way. Inspired, he joined St. Joseph’s Mission Home in 1955.
He joined the Society of St. Paul In 1956, he was sent to Allahabad where he found a new dimension to his vocation to master languages and venture into apostolate. In 1962 he began theology in Rome but could not complete his course. However, there he began to use the motto: “Do not be overcome by evil. Overcome evil by doing good works.” (Rom 12:21). In 1964 he came to Tezpur diocese in Northeast India where for a year he studied the culture and context of the diocese. It gave an opportunity to bind himself to the locals. The following year he went to Sacred Heart Seminary, Poonamallee, Madras and was ordained a priest in December 1967.
Fr. Prakash’s missionary spirit was set ablaze during his ministry at Mangaldoi. He began the Christ Jyoti School with a hostel, Christ Jyoti press, and Christ Jyoti training school. It was here the first Catholic magazine “Moinar Napoon” emerged. He established the current mission of Nagaon in 1979. He translated the Ecumenical New Testament Bible in Assamese, composed Assamese devotional songs and released cassettes for evangelisation. Fr. Prakash missionary zeal led him to join the Society of the Divine Saviour in 1993, professing vows in 1994. He continued his apostolate with great vigour and bought land at Tokobari where the new Philosophate of the Archdiocese, Salvatorian minor seminary and Salvatorian Sisters convent are situated. He retired in 2010 yet even in his last days he visited different Catholic centres and met new people to make known the Saviour. Like some of the SDS pioneers who came to Northeast India, he was full of zeal for the Church and its mission. He died on 21 March 2025, at 90 years old, professed for 30 years, and ordained for 57 years, a true spiritual son of Bl. Francis Jordan.
