In 1877, on St. Thomas' Day at Westminster Abbey, London, Rev Thomas Valpy French was appointed the first Anglican Bishop of Lahore, a large diocese which included all of the Punjab, then under British colonial rule, and remained so until 1887; during this period he also opened the Divinity College, Lahore in 1870.Rev Thomas Patrick Hughes served as a Church Missionary Society missionary at Peshawar (1864–84), and became an oriental scholar, and compiled a 'Dictionary of Islam' (1885).Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore Missionaries accompanied colonizing forces from Portugal, France, and Great Britain. Jesuit missionaries sent from their Portuguese-held Goa built a Catholic church in Lahore, the first in Punjab, around 1597, two years after being granted permission by emperor Akbar, who had called them to his court in Fatehpur Sikri for religious discussions. This church was later demolished, perhaps during Aurangzeb times. Later on, Christianity was mainly brought by the British rulers of India in the later 18th and 19th century. This is evidenced in cities established by the British, such as the port city of Karachi, where the majestic St. Patrick's Cathedral, one of Pakistan's largest church, stands, and the churches in the city of Rawalpindi, where the British established a major military cantonment.
Saint Thomas the Apostle (also known as Judas Thomas or Didymus, meaning "Twin") was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus who is best known for doubting the resurrection of Jesus and demanding to feel Jesus' wounds before being convinced (John 20:24-29). This story is the origin of the term "Doubting Thomas." After seeing Jesus alive, Thomas professed his faith in Jesus, exclaiming "My Lord and my God!" presenting one of the first clear declarations of Christ's divinity. Christianity in Asia has its roots in the very inception of Christianity, which originated from the life and teachings of Jesus in 1st century Roman Palestine. Christianity then spread through the missionary work of his apostles, first in the Levant and taking roots in the major cities such as Jerusalem and Antioch. According to tradition, further eastward expansion occurred via the preaching of Thomas the Apostle, who established Christianity in the Parthian Empire (Iran) and India. The first Caucasus nations to adopt Christianity as a state religion were Armenia in 301 and Georgia in 327.St. Thomas the Apostle is a Roman Catholic Parish in the Diocese of Lansing. Our mission is rooted in the life of our patron saint. When Saint Thomas encountered the Risen Christ, his faith was encouraged and his heart was enlivened to become an apostle, spreading the Gospel.
The Catholic Church in Pakistan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. Pope John Paul II visited Pakistan on 16 February 1981. There are over one million Catholics in Pakistan, which represents less than 1% of the total population. There are 7 ecclesiastical units in Pakistan comprising 2 archdioceses, 4 dioceses, and one Apostolic Vicariate, all Latin Rite. The Catholic Church in Pakistan is also active in education managing leading schools like Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi, health and other social aspects of daily life in addition to its spiritual work. The Catholic Church runs 534 schools, 53 hostels, 8 colleges, 7 technical institutes and 8 catechetical centers, according to 2008 statistics.Joseph Cordeiro, Archbishop of Karachi, became the first (and thus far only) Pakistani Cardinal elevated to the position by Pope Paul VI on 5 March 1973.Pope John Paul II received the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf in a private audience in the Vatican on 30 September 2004. In 2004 President Pervez Musharraf began hosting an annual Christmas dinner as an expression of seasonal goodwill.
The Europeans won small numbers of converts to Anglicanism, Methodism, the Lutheran Church and Catholicism from the native populations. Islam was very strong in the provinces of Punjab, Balochistan and the North West Frontier Province, but small native communities of converts to Christianity were formed. The largest numbers came from resident officers of the British Army and the government.Church of Pakistan, denomination inaugurated in Pakistan in 1970 and comprising former Anglican, Methodist, Scottish Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches and mission bodies. It is the only church in the world joining Lutherans with Anglicans, Methodists, and Presbyterians and one of three in which Anglicans and Methodists unite, the others being the churches of North and South India.Protestants are a minority of less than 2% of the population of Pakistan.The Protestant Church of Pakistan is the only one in the world where Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian Christians unite to pray.The Church of Pakistan is the largest of the Protestant faith. Others include The United Presbyterian Church, Baptists, Seventh-Day Adventists, and the Pentecostal Church with many other smaller churches.
The Mass that he led at the National Stadium in Karachi was shown on state-owned television that enabled the people at large to witness symbolic Catholic rites and listen to recitation from the Bible in Urdu alongside the millions of Christians who had gathered to greet the Pope in the city.It is indeed a pleasure for me to welcome Your Excellency as I accept the Letters accrediting you as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. My satisfaction in extending this greeting derives, in great part, from my firm belief that the cordial diplomatic relations between your country and the Holy See enable us to join in a cooperative spirit of dialogue which, I feel, fosters deeper understanding and a genuine sense of esteem for one another.I ask you to reciprocate the good wishes of His Excellency President Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, whom I assure of my high regard for all the people of Pakistan.I am grateful for your reference to my visit to your nation in February 1981. While admittedly my stay was brief, it nevertheless provided an excellent opportunity for me to experience the warm hospitality and animated vigour of your people. Having been in their midst, I am all the more conscious of their hopes and aspirations for the betterment of human life.
The Bible presents salvation history: how God reveals himself and his plan for the redemption of fallen mankind. His Divine plan begins with the creation of the world, passes to the definitive moment in time of the Incarnation, and will be concluded with the Parousia, the Second Coming of the Lord. Promise and prophecy found in Hebrew Scripture, our Old Testament, finds fulfillment in the New Testament: God giving his only son Jesus Christ to save humanity, and sending the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Bible provides direction for a happy life on earth, gives prophecy on the end times, and helps us reach heaven in the after-life. The Old Testament relates God's Creation of the world and his Word to Israel. He reveals his undying love for his creation mankind through the promise of a Redeemer, in spite of man's sin and disobedience. There are a number of Messianic prophecies in Hebrew Scripture, among them Genesis 3:15, Deuteronomy 18:15-18, 2 Samuel 7:14-16, I Chronicles 17:12-14, Psalms 2, 22, and 110, Isaiah 7:14 and 52:13-53:12, Daniel 7:13-14 and 9:24-27, Micah 5:2, and Zechariah 9:9 and 12:10. The New Testament recorded the oral tradition of the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ, his Passion, Death on the Cross, Resurrection and Ascension, and the formation of the early Christian community, the Church.
The Archdiocese of Karachi, originally known as the Diocese of Karachi, was erected on 20 May 1948 under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bombay, India. It was elevated as the Archdiocese of Karachi on 15 July 1950. The seat of the Archdiocese is St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Christ the King Seminary, the major seminary of the country, is located in the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese has contributed to the welfare of the country through its schools, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions. In 1998, the Archdiocese of Karachi owned 17 English- and 46 Urdu-medium schools for some 40,000 students with about 1,700 teachers.The Archdiocese celebrated its Golden Jubilee on 20 May 1998.
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The Archdiocese of Lahore is a major Catholic Church territory in Punjab province and the oldest diocese in the country.In 1880 the Vicariate of the Punjab was erected by separation from the Vicariate of Hindustan, and was placed under the care of the Italian Capuchin Fathers.This Vicariate, with the establishment of the Hierarchy in India in 1886,was elevated to a diocese with the Episcopal See at Lahore and made suffragan to the Archdiocese of Agra.Two years later it was entrusted to the Belgian Province of the Capuchin Order.The largest Catholic Archdiocese in Pakistan is divided into 26 parishes.The Archdiocese is also home to the St. Francis Xavier Seminary.
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The Diocese of Hyderabad was created by the Bulla "Eius in Terris", dated 28 April 1958, and officially erected on 23 August 1958, the diocese was split off from the Archdiocese of Karachi.The diocese comprises parts of the Hyderabad, Larkana and Sukkur Divisions. In the Hyderabad Division: the Districts of Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Badin, Sanghar, Mirpur Khas, Tharparkar, Thatta, Umerkot and Sujawal. In the Larkana Division: the Districts of Jacobabad, Kashmore, Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot and Shikarpur. In the Sukkur Division: the Districts of Sukkur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Shaheed Benazir Abad (formerly Nawabshah) and Naushahro Feroze. The main church is the Cathedral of Hyderabad.
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The diocese has a long history, as it was originally erected in 1887, as the Apostolic Prefecture of Kafiristan and Kashmir. The prefecture was erected from the Diocese of Lahore.In 1947, the Apostolic prefecture was elevated to a full diocese, and renamed the diocese of Rawalpindi.In 1952, Kashmir was lost to the diocese, and a new diocese created from territory in Rawalpindi and Lahore to create the Apostolic Prefecture of Kashmir and Jammu.In 1979, the name was changed to the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lahore. It comprises the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas, Gujrat District of Gujranwala Division, the Rawalpindi Division, and the Sargodha Division.
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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan.The diocese is located in the southern Punjab in a central part of Pakistan. The total population of the diocese is about 7.5 million, out of which Christians are about 200,000.The diocese of Multan covers an area of 100,705 km² and comprises the following civil boundaries.In the Multan Division, the districts of Multan, Vehari, Khanewal and Lodhran.In the Bahawalpur Division, the districts of Bahawalnagar, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan. In the Dera Ghazi Khan Division the districts of Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Rajanpur.The diocese is also home to the Pastoral Institute of Multan which serves the Church at a national level.The Cathedral of the Holy Redeemer is the main church of the Diocese.
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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 (formerly Lyallpur), Sahiwal and Jhang. In 1977, the name of the diocese was changed to the Diocese of Faisalabad.The Diocese of Faisalabad now comprises the following civil boundaries: the whole of the Faisalabad Division with the districts of Faisalahad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh and Chiniot. In the Multan Division, the districts of Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Okara. The Diocese of Faisalabad covers a 35,300 km2 area and is home to about 189,000 Catholics in 28 parishes.The St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary of the diocese.The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul is the main church of the diocese.The biggest Catholic village in Pakistan, Khushpur, is also located in the diocese.
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The Apostolic Vicariate of Quetta originally the Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta, is an apostolic vicariate in Pakistan. It comprises the civil province of Balochistan and the Kachhi region of Punjab, Pakistan.The areas were originally under the jurisdiction of the “Vicariate of the Great Mogul” which was established in 1697. In 1832, the Vicariate formed a part of the Archdiocese of Bombay and in 1878 it passed to the mission of Afghanistan, which had been entrusted to the Mill Hill missionaries. Quetta, in the years to follow would be visited by Jesuits (who left in 1935) and then Franciscans (until 1982). In 1982, the pastoral care of the local community was entrusted to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), later reinforced by Salesians.The Prefecture was established on November 9, 2001, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi. The first Prefect Apostolic has been Fr. Victor Gnanapragasam of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
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The Church of Christ traces its history back to the original organization that was established by Jesus Christ in the first century AD. That original Church had Jesus Christ as its head and twelve Apostles that had the oversight of the Church organization on the earth.
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Church of Pakistan, denomination inaugurated in Pakistan in 1970 and comprising former Anglican, Methodist, Scottish Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches and mission bodies. It is the only church in the world joining Lutherans with Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians.
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The churches of the Anglican Communion have their historical roots in the English Reformation. The church grew out of the work started in the late nineteenth century by the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the Oxford Mission to Calcutta and the English Presbyterian Society.
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The United Pentecostal Church in Pakistan (UPCPK) is a Oneness Pentecostal organization with churches, ministers, and members in all over Pakistan. With roots anchored firmly in the Bible and a vision for ministering to communities in Pakistan.
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The Pakistani Lutheran Church is a small ethnic congregation that was chartered in 2003 by the LCMS to serve Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Afghans, in Denver. You will not find a church building so named because the informal evening services are mostly held at the home of Deacon Shakil Nazami.The services often include some special carol singing.
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The Presbyterian Church of Pakistan (PCP) was constituted in 1993. It has a long history rooted in the establishment of the Lahore Church Council of the United Church of Pakistan and the Synod of the United Presbyterian Church of Pakistan. Presbyterian mission in the area was started in 1854 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America.
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The irrevocable union of the United Presbyterian Church of Pakistan and the Lahore Church Council of the United Church in Pakistan is the expression of their oneness which has resulted in their common witness to be more effective. The said two churches over a century have had a close working relationship .
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The National Baptist Church of Pakistan (NBCP) is an indigenous Church.Ministry serving the Lord in Pakistan since 1990. NBCP is working in three Provinces of Pakistan including Khyber Phakhtoon Khawah, Punjab and Sindh having its head office in Islamabad. NBCP with its holistic approach attempts to address the needs of the community.
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Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own".
"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.They will come in and go out, and find pasture.The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full".
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
International Catholic pilgrims travel to holy sites and places of religious significance, seeking spiritual enrichment and connection with their faith, with popular destinations including the Vatican, the Holy Land, and various shrines in Europe and beyond.A pilgrimage to the Holy Land, including sites like Bethlehem (birth place of Jesus)Nazareth (where Jesus spent his childhood) and Jerusalem (site of the Crucifixion and Resurrection) is a deeply spiritual experience for many Catholics.
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, declared by Pope Francis, was a special year of prayer and reflection on God's mercy.A Jubilee is a special year of grace, to celebrate with joy the gift of redemption that God has offered us through Christ. Centered on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, this holy year is an invitation to embark on a pilgrimage of hope, so that, “through our witness, hope may reach all those who eagerly seek it”.The Jubilee Year is marked by pilgrimages, plenary indulgences - that is, the forgiveness of sins - and passing through the Holy Doors, opened in Rome for this occasion.
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The World Apostolate of Fatima(WAF)in collaboration with the Shrine of Fatima, is organizing an international theological-pastoral congress on “The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary” in Fatima, Portugal, followed by a Pilgrimage to Pontevedra and Santiago de Compostela, Spain, to participate in the centenary of the apparition of Our Lady and the Child Jesus to Sister Lucia, on December 10, 2025.The World Apostolate of Fatima is preparing an international Congress and a pilgrimage to Fatima and Pontevedra from December 5 to 12, 2025.
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The International Catholic World Youth Day (WYD) in 2027 will be held in Seoul, South Korea,with the theme "Take courage! I have overcome the world".After two successful international gatherings with young people in Rome in 1984 and 1985, St. John Paul II instituted the annual observance of World Youth Day in December 1985 as an annual gathering of youth and young adults for prayer, worship, and celebration of the Catholic faith.World Youth Day is a global gathering where young people deepen their faith, experience the universality of the Catholic Church.
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The prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, made the announcement.The next World Meeting of Families will be held in 2028, Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on Saturday in St. Peter’s Square.He said: “I am also pleased to announce that the next gathering of families with Pope Francis will be the ‘Jubilee of Families,’ which will be celebrated here in Rome as part of the 2025 Jubilee, while the 11th World Meeting of Families will take place in 2028.”
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The 54th International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Sydney, Australia in 2028, marking the first time the event will be held in Australia since Melbourne hosted it in 1973.The International Eucharistic Congress is held every four years.“The Congress will fulfill in a moment the vision of the Eucharistic Revival. Together we will encounter the living Jesus Christ, experience renewal, and be sent out 'for the life of the world. '” For the 60,000 in attendance.
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The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, in Portugal, is one of the most famous Marian shrines in the world.Pilgrimage to Fatima has its origins in 1917 when the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children: Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto.The Other One is Lourdes Pilgrimages. Lourdes, located in southwestern France, is the most visited pilgrimage site in the Christian world. It welcomes over 6 million pilgrims each year to venerate the site of the Marian apparitions.
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