The Diocese of Northampton rejoiced on Saturday 20 June as Deacon Chris Colaco was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood at Northampton Cathedral.
The Ordination Mass, celebrated at 11.30am, marked a significant moment not only for the Diocese of Northampton but also for the wider Church in the United Kingdom, as Fr Chris becomes the first priest in the UK ordained for the Jesus Youth Movement.
Family, friends, clergy, religious and members of the Jesus Youth community gathered from across the country and beyond to witness this joyful occasion. Reflecting the international character of both the Diocese and the Movement, the celebration was described by Bishop Emeritus Peter Doyle as “truly a celebration of the universal Church.”
Born in Mangalore, India, Chris spent his early years in Dubai before his family settled in the United Kingdom. Although raised in a faithful Catholic family, his teenage years were marked by questions about faith and periods of distance from the Church. During this time, he experienced significant personal challenges, including the tragic loss of his best friend to gang violence, while becoming increasingly immersed in music production, sound engineering and DJing.
A providential invitation at the age of seventeen led him to a Jesus Youth gathering. What began as an unexpected encounter would eventually transform his life. A year later, during a retreat organised by the Movement, Chris experienced a profound encounter with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. This moment became the turning point of his faith journey and awakened a deep desire to follow the Lord more closely.
While studying Philosophy and Psychology in Birmingham and working at St Joseph’s Hospice, Chris first sensed a call to the priesthood. Although he had imagined a future centred on marriage and family life, the call persisted and gradually became clearer through prayer, discernment and spiritual direction.
His vocation continued to mature through missionary experiences with Jesus Youth, including a year serving in Uganda in 2016 and a subsequent mission experience in Haiti. Both opportunities strengthened his faith and deepened his conviction that God was calling him to priestly ministry.
In 2018, Chris formally began formation for the priesthood with the Jesus Youth Movement. Following a propaedeutic year in Kochi, India, he studied Philosophy at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram in Bangalore before returning to England for pastoral placements at St Mary’s on the Mount, Walsall, and later at Northampton Cathedral.
He subsequently completed four years of theological formation at St Mary’s College, Oscott. Ordained to the diaconate on 20 December 2025, he has now been ordained a priest for the Jesus Youth Movement and is incardinated into the Diocese of Northampton.
In preparation for his ordination and future ministry, Fr Chris recently made a retreat in Ars, France, home of St John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests.
Preaching the homily at the Ordination Mass, Bishop Emeritus Peter Doyle reflected on the beauty and mystery of vocation, saying: “What a profound and deep vocation each one of us has, lived individually and uniquely in communion with the Holy Spirit.”
Addressing the ordinand directly, Bishop Peter spoke movingly of the joy of priestly life, saying: “Chris, I know that you will be as happy in your priesthood as I have been for 54 years.”
As Fr Chris begins his priestly ministry, the Diocese of Northampton gives thanks to God for his generous response to the Lord’s call and asks the faithful to keep him in their prayers.
Ad multos annos, Fr Chris.
