Christ the King Seminary (Pakistan)

Christ the King Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary in Karachi. It is located adjacent to the Portiuncula Friary. In its early years most of the faculty were provided by the Franciscans.

The current rector is Father Augustine Soares who is an alumnus of the seminary, as is the present Archbishop of Karachi Evarist Pinto.^[1]

The high-water mark of the seminary's 50 year existence was the recruitment of 98 seminarians for the class that entered in 1990.

When the seminary started in 1956 it had only four students. Among them was Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore, who later went on to become its Rector. Other alumni include Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad, Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan, and the late Bishop John Joseph of Faisalabad and Bishop Patras Yusaf of Multan.

Fifty years on, the seminary has graduated 780 students from Pakistan and abroad, some coming from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Italy, the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. It also expanded over the decades, adding a grassy field for soccer and cricket, a basketball court, a pavilion, a retreat center and a Marian grotto with a fountain.

The National Catholic Institute of Theology (NCIT) was established at the seminary in September 1997, offering academic courses leading to a diploma in theology, as well as programs for laypeople and Religious involved in Church ministries. At the Institute students can now obtain a Bachelor of Theology degree from Melbourne University due to the efforts of Yarra Theological Union and the Melbourne College of Divinity.^[2]

In 1994 the philosophy studies program for seminarians was separated from the theology program and moved to the St. Francis Xavier Seminary in the Lahore archdiocese.

In addition to dwindling vocations, the seminary has had to deal with a shortage of drinking water over the last 10 years, exacerbated by local authorities appropriation, without compensation, of its old well in November 2005 for the Lyari Expressway project.

The expressway project is part of Karachi's "Cleaning the City" drive, which the Asian Human Rights Commission says has rendered thousands homeless. It adds that 11,000 houses and 3,100 commercial buildings outside the path of the expressway have been evacuated and demolished.

Since 2008 the seminary has been hosting the Cardinal Cordeiro Cricket tournament to promote religious vocations and remember Pakistan’s first cardinal. In 2010 there are 43 students from all six dioceses and the Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta.^[3]

In 2010, a grant from Aid to the Church in Need was made to the Seminary where it will be used for library books and new air conditioning units.^[4]

Rectors

Fr. Innocent Laurensse OFM - - 1971^[5]

Fr. Anslem Moons OFM - 1971 - 1974

Fr. Lawrence Saldanha - 1974 - 1979^[6]

Fr. Emmanuel Asi- 1979 - 1988^[7]

Fr. Arnold Heredia – 1988 - 1993^[8]

Fr. Inayat Bernard- 1993 - 2004^[9]

Fr. Rufin Anthony- 2004 - 2005^[10]

Fr. Augustine Soares- 2005 -^[11]

Alumni

Bishop John Joseph [12] Lawrence Saldanha Terence D'Souza [13] Derek Misquita [14] Anthony Theodore Lobo Archie D’Souza [15] Adrian Pereira [16] Patras Yusaf Arnold Heredia Augustine Soares Anjou Soares Joseph Paul [17] Joe D’ Mello [18] Evarist Pinto Edwin Mathias Anthony Martis Charles D'Souza John D'Cruz Rufin Anthony[19] P A Varkey [20] John Crasto Daud Gois ofm Felix Allahditta

Richard D'Souza [21] Andrew Francis[22] Joseph Coutts Raymond Saeed Theophilus D'Souza [23] Emmanual Asi Augustine Rodrigues OP Dominic Sequiera Martin Pereira Diego Ferro Mukhtar Alam Thomas Gulfam[24] Ayub Francis Nasar Javed Nazar Joseph Perera Arthur Charles Sebastian Francis Shah Zacharia Ghouri [25] Khalid Yusaf [26] Francis Tanveer Anthony D'Cruz James Channan[27] Nobert Mendonca Peter John

Benjamin Shehzad [28] Nazar Nawab[29] Edward Joseph [30] Younan Shahzad [31] Saleh Diego [32] Mathew Sebastian John Murad Mario Rodrigues[33] Jacob Dogra Abid Habib Francis Nadeem Andrew Nisari [34] John Mendonca George Ibrahim [35] James Paul Samson Dilawar[36] Munawar Bhatti Aftab James Paul[37] Yousaf Amanat Emmanuel Yousaf Mani[38] George Daniel[39] Inayat Patras [40] Khalid Rashid [41] Pervez Khalid [42]

External links

The Indian Catholic

Catholic Hierarchy

Newsline, August 2002

Express and elevated Dawn, April 08, 2007

Pontificia Universitàs Urbaniana

References

1. ^ "New rector appointed for Christ the King major seminary in Karachi". http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=5473&lan=eng. 
2. ^ "Growing Living Stones". http://www.adelaide.catholic.org.au/sites/CatholicMission/mission-stories. 
3. ^ UCANews September 17, 2010
4. ^ Catholic News Agency December 22, 2010
5. ^ Camps, Arnulf. Studies in Asian mission history, 1956-1998. Brill, The Netherlands, 2000
6. ^ "PASTORAL LETTER". http://www.archdioceselahore.org/plcatcen.htm. 
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9. ^ "Ecumenical Graduate Fellowship Helps Students". http://www.ucanews.com/1995/02/08/ecumenical-graduate-fellowship-helps-students-honors-service/?key=christ+the+king+seminary+pakistan. 
10. ^ "Dominican Friars Celebrate 75 Years". http://www.ucanews.com/2006/10/26/dominican-friars-celebrate-75-years-of-presence/?key=christ+the+king+seminary. 
11. ^ "Major seminary celebrates golden jubilee". http://www.ahrchk.net/ahrc-in-news/mainfile.php/2006ahrcinnews/987/. 
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13. ^ "Same-Sex Marriages In Canada". http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_marb46.htm. 
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15. ^ "6 killed in attack". http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020926/main7.htm. 
16. ^ "Rev. Adrian Pereira Remembered". http://www.archdioceselahore.org/fradrian.htm. 
17. ^ "Time has not changed Advani's alma mater". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 5 June 2005. http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/05/stories/2005060514950800.htm. 
18. ^ "Christmas festivities begin tonight". http://www.dawn.com/2001/12/24/local12.htm. 
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26. ^ "New rector for St. Francis Xavier Seminary". http://www.sfxs-pk.urbaniana.edu/news/09_09_05.htm. 
27. ^ "UCANews.com April 25, 2008". http://www.ucanews.com/2008/04/25/church-groups-celebrate-earth-day-with-green-awareness-programs/?key=karachi. 
28. ^ "UCANEWS 18 April 2008". http://www.ucanews.com/2008/04/14/growing-vocations-boost-plan-to-switch-minor-seminary/. 
29. ^ "UCANews.com January 28, 2009". http://www.ucanews.com/2009/01/28/two-churches-continue-services-after-break-ins/?key=karachi. 
30. ^ "More than one thousand Catholics in Karachi prepare for Christmas together". http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=10986. 
31. ^ "The Eucharist at the centre of life and faith in Pakistan". http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=4102. 
32. ^ "Caritas". http://www.caritas.org/jumpNews.asp?idChannel=3&idLang=ENG&idUser=0&idNews=4108. 
33. ^ "Call for Peace and Prayer in Pakistan". http://www.catholicmission.org.au/media_releases.asp?id=212&currentPage=1. 
34. ^ "Pastoral Letter Of Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha". http://www.archdioceselahore.org/plcatcen.htm. 
35. ^ "29 Catholic Missionaries Killed This Year". http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=15261&sec=23&con=56. 
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39. ^ "'Railway Church' Extension Blessed Associated Press 7 October 2007". http://www.ucanews.com/2007/07/10/railway-church-extension-blessed/?key=anthony's+church+lahore+. 
40. ^ "Discriminated against Christians at the forefront of Kashmir quake aid". http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=4580. 
41. ^ "A missionary Advent for the Pakistani Church". http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=13917. 
42. ^ "Taliban attack Christians in Karachi". http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/8424.