A priest who reached out to the underserved

God’s ways are strange. This is evident in the case of Rev Fr Faustine Corti — a Jesuit missionary from Italy. He had arrived at Mangalore in 1884 and later decided to start his missionary work in Naravi, then known as Narol, about 70 km from Mangalore. Born on November 5, 1856 at Curio in Switzerland, Corti was the youngest son of the nine children. After his initial schooling, he joined the Society of Jesus (SJ) in 1878. However in 1884, he decided to move out of his country and landed in Mangalore. In the first two years, he stayed in Jeppu, taught in St Aloysius school and learnt Tulu and Konkani languages. After he was ordained a priest in 1891, he taught Mathematics for 10 years in St Aloysius college in Mangalore.

Though he was teaching in the college, his heart was yearning for the poor. As a result, he moved to Naravi in 1905. Most of the residents of Naravi — a small, remote town located in the foothills of Western Ghats — were very poor, backward and illiterate, and access to good facilities was difficult.

Despite the poor responses from a few well-to-do residents, the poor and Dalits extended their full support to the young priest. In fact, Fr Corti invited the wrath of landlords after he supported the poor and Dalits and helped them in their freedom from slavery. Soon, the poor saw a god in Fr Corti. Quite interestingly, besides rich landlords, Fr Corti was disliked by Christians too, as a few Dalits voluntarily converted to Christianity after the priest helped them in various ways including providing them education. The very fact that many Dalits  becoming equal to Christians was hard to digest for many.

Though he was based in Naravi, he used to visit several surrounding areas like Moodukodi, Peradi and Shirthadi to extend his missionary work. He was also known to lend a helping hand, especially in times of need. This can be seen when Ramara Guttu, where the present church exists, was hit by the outbreak of smallpox. Several Dalit families were impacted and they feared for their lives. Not only did Fr Corti treat them, he also stayed with them in their huts. The then British government recognised the service of Fr Corti and awarded him the title ‘Kaisar-E-Hind’ in 1918.

One of his closest friend was his horse, which he named Kempi. Said to be very smart, Kempi took Fr Corti to all the places he visited. It is said that Kempi saved Fr Corti from dangers on several occasions. A life size statue of Kempi also greets visitors at his memorial.

In 1920, he went to Switzerland and managed to collect funds for the people of Naravi. He returned to Naravi in 1923 and started building a church (St Antony’s Church) for the people. However, he could not complete the project due to a shortage of funds.

During his 21 years of service at Naravi, he worked extensively for the poor. For this, many people fondly called him as the Living God. In 1926, during his work, he fell ill and was admitted at a hospital in Mangalore. He passed away on October 9, 1926. The cottage where he lived in Naravi has been preserved as a monument. Two years ago, a life size statue of Fr Corti was installed in his memorial house by Bishop of Mangalore, Rev Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza.

Apart from running a school and college, St Antony’s Chruch also has an orphanage that was started in 1946. Today, it houses over 270 students who come from all over Karnataka, informs Rev Fr Arun Lobo, the college’s principal. The missionary work that Fr Corti started 112 years ago is still continued by the church.