- Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad
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Diocese of Faisalabad
Dioecesis FaisalabadensisLocation Country Pakistan Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore Statistics Area 35,300 km2 (13,600 sq mi) Population
- Catholics
189,000Information Rite Latin Rite Cathedral Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul Current leadership Bishop Joseph Coutts The Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad (Lat: Dioecesis Faisalabadensis) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan.
Erected in 1960, as the Diocese of Lyallpur, the diocese was created from the Diocese of Multan. The new diocese comprised the civil districts of Faisalabad (Lyallpur ), Sahiwal and Jhang.
In 1977, the name of the diocese was changed to the diocese of Faisalabad. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lahore. The Diocese of Faisalabad now comprises the following civil boundaries' The whole of the Faisalabad division with the districts of Faisalahad. Jhang and Toba Tek Singh. In the Multan division, the districts of Sahiwal, Pak Pattan and Okara. The Diocese of Faisalabad now comprises the following civil boundaries' The whole of the Faisalabad division with the districts of Faisalahad. Jhang and Toba Tek Singh. In the Multan division, the districts of Sahiwal, Pak Pattan and Okara. The diocese of Faisalabad covers a 35,300 km2 area and is home to about 189,000 Catholics in 28 parishes.[1] [2]
The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul is the main church of the diocese.[3]
The Focolare Movement was introduced into Pakistan in 1968 via the Faisalabad diocese by Father Juliano Ricchiardi, an Italian priest serving at the National Catechists' Training Centre in Khushpur. Today, according to local sources, the movement in Pakistan counts 18 Focolarinas, 11 Focolarinos and about 400 other affiliated members including lay people, nuns and priests. Focolare is a Catholic lay movement whose name means "family hearth" present today in more than 180 countries and involves more than 2 million people. The movement was recognized by the Catholic Church under the official name "Work of Mary."[4]
The St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary of the Diocese.[5]
The current bishop is Joseph Coutts, appointed in 1998.
The biggest Catholic village in Pakistan, Khushpur, is also located in the diocese. It launched its centenary celebrations with an open-air Mass on 5 January 2001. Father Parvez Emmanuel was the parish priest at the time. The village has about 7,000 Catholics and has produced one bishop, the late Bishop John Joseph of Faisalabad, 20 priests and more than 100 nuns.[6]
On New Year’s Day 2008, the diocese inaugurated a Quit Drugs Treatment Center, which offers free treatment and residential facilities to heroin users. Twenty recovering addicts currently reside at the center, located beside Holy Rosary Church in Faisalabad. It is the only Church-affiliated drug treatment center in Faisalabad diocese. The center employs 15 people full- or part-time including the doctor, a physical therapist, two nurses, and clerical and maintenance staff.[7]
The Universal Living Rosary Association of St. Philomena USA (ULRA) is also located in the diocese. Rosaries, Medals, Scapulars, Holy Oil, St. Philomena Cord and other printed material are given free of cost. A three monthly newsletter is also published by ULRA Pakistan. Afzaal Anwar Khokhar is the ULRA representative for Pakistan. The head office in Pakistan is in Barkatpura, Faisalabad.
On July 30, 2009, tensions arose in the Christian village of Korian after pages containing Islamic inscriptions were found in front of a Christian home. Muslims then accused a family there of blasphemy against Islam.
On Aug. 1, 2009, a Muslim mob raided a Christian settlement in Gojra vandalizing and looting houses and causing the deaths of eight people and injuries to many others. Fifty Christian homes were destroyed.
Pope Benedict XVI has expressed profound sorrow at recent anti-Christian riots in Pakistan and appealed to everyone to renounce violence and take up again the path of peace. He communicated this message in a telegram to Bishop Coutts.[8]
On August 4, 2009, Fr. Rufin Anthony, the former vicar general of Faisalabad diocese, was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi.[9]
On April 17, 2010 the Diocese organized a special ceremony to celebrate its Golden Jubilee. Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan, Bishop Joseph Coutts (Faisalabad), Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha (Lahore), and Bishop Andrew Francis (Multan) spoke on the occasion.[10]
On 29 April 2010 Pope Benedict XVI elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta to the rank of apostolic vicariate. He appointed Fr. Victor Gnanapragasam OMI as apostolic vicar of the new ecclesiastical circumscription and the titular bishop of Timida.[11] Fr. Victor was parish priest in Toba Tek Singh in this Diocese from 1978-1980, 1982-1986 and 1992-1993.
In 2011 Faisalabad diocese had 40 priests and three deacons, one of them permanent.[12]
Contents
Educational Institutions in the Diocese
The Diocese has over 2,000 teachers working in 62 educational Institutions.
La Salle High School Faisalabad
St. Catherine's High School, Faisalabad[13]
St. Peter's High School
St. Albert's High School, Gojra[14]
Convent of Jesus and Mary
St. Joseph's Technical Institute, Faisalabad
Rosary Christian Hospital School, Okara
Ordinaries
- Francesco Benedetto Cialeo, O.P. † (13 Apr 1960 Appointed - 8 Sep 1976 Retired)
- Paolo Vieri Andreotti, O.P. † (8 Sep 1976 Appointed - 9 Jan 1984 Resigned)
- John Joseph † (9 Jan 1984 Appointed - 6 May 1998 Died)
- Joseph Coutts (27 Jun 1998 Appointed - ).[15]
See also
- Catholic Church in Pakistan
References
- ^ "AsiaNews.it 16 September 2004". http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=1492.
- ^ "AsiaNews.it 29 October 2009". http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=1492.
- ^ "Church to highlight importance of priests". http://www.ucanews.com/2009/06/23/church-to-highlight-importance-of-priests/?key=pakistan+priest.
- ^ "Local Focolare Members Bid Farewell To Movement Founder". http://www.ucanews.com/2008/05/06/local-ifocolarei-members-bid-farewell-to-movement-founder/?key=pakistan+priest.
- ^ "The Three Pakistani Seminarians". Archived from the original on 2009-10-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20091027091819/http://geocities.com/camillianupdate/0570506/news08.htm.
- ^ "UCANews.com January 13, 2001". http://www.ucanews.com/2001/01/13/largest-catholic-village-begins-centenary-celebrations/?key=faisalabad.
- ^ "Former heroin addict starts center to help others UCANews.com February 9, 2009". http://www.ucanews.com/2009/02/09/former-heroin-addict-starts-center-to-help-others/.
- ^ UCANews August 4, 2009
- ^ "UCANews.com August 5, 2009". http://www.ucanews.com/2009/08/05/northern-diocese-gets-new-coadjutor-bishop/?key=karachi.
- ^ "Pakistan Christian tv April 17, 2010". http://pakistanchristian.tv/news/2010-04-17_Catholic_Diocese_of_Faisalabad_organized_a_special_ceremony_to_celebrate_th.cfm.
- ^ EWTN TV
- ^ Cath News India 31 October 2011
- ^ "UCANews.com 24 June 2005". http://www.ucanews.com/category/asia-notes/Pakistan.
- ^ "UCANews.com July 11, 2002". http://www.ucanews.com/2002/07/11/catholic-church-wins-back-school-after-long-struggle/?key=faisalabad.
- ^ "Catholic Hierarchy". http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dfais.htm.
External links
Categories:- Faisalabad
- Roman Catholic dioceses in Pakistan
- Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan
- Religious organizations established in 1960
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