CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI
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.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 principal church of the diocese is the St. Joseph's Cathedral, Rawalpindi.The Diocese has a population of about 35 million, including 250,000 Catholics many of whom are committed to education (through its more than 70 schools like the Catholic Public High School in Sangota, in the Swat Valley), training institutes and hospitals.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. In 1996 the Diocese opened Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary which is its preparatory seminary. The former vicar general of Faisalabad diocese, Father Rufin Anthony, was appointed Coadjutor Bishop to Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo of the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi by Pope Benedict XVI on 4 August 2009. He succeeded Bishop Lobo as Bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi upon the acceptance by Benedict of Lobo’s resignation on Thursday, 18 February 2010.
There are 3 Major Catholic institutions in Islamabad/Rawalpindi Diocese.
Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. It is one of only five minor seminaries in Pakistan. In the 21st century the seminary has only one computer.The seminary is located on 22 hectares of wooded, rolling hills in Rawalpindi. It was built on land donated to the Church in 1961 for educational purposes by Field Marshal Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan. A pastoral center has already been based in the same premises since October 1996. Initially, part of the 24-room pastoral center was used for the seminary, with 24 seminarians and the rector, Father J.J. Edwards of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate living on the premises.The seminary was started by Bishop Anthony Lobo in 1995 and Father J. J. Edward OMI was appointed the first rector. The first rector served the seminary only for two years. The first local rector of the seminary was Rev. Father Philip Joseph.
Sargodha Institute of Technology is a technical institute located in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.It is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. It is affiliated with the Punjab Board of Technical Education and Punjab Skill Development Authority.argodha Institute of Technology (SIT) was founded in 1959 to provide technical education to the children from the Christian villages of Josephabad and Mariakhel.Initially managed by German volunteers and funded by Misereor, a German agency aimed at combating hunger and poverty, SIT initially offered courses in carpentry, electronics, metalwork, and electricity.SIT faced competition from other institutions offering longer, three-year training programs. In response, the institute, under new management and direction from the Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo, extended its courses to three years.This change led to an increase in student enrollment.
The Apostolic Nunciature to Pakistan is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Pakistan. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador.The Nunciature was located in St. Anthony’s Parish (Karachi) in its Chancellery at old Clifton when the Vatican established diplomatic relations with Pakistan in 1950.When the capital of Pakistan was moved to Islamabad in 1965, the Nunciature was re-located to the Diplomatic Enclave in Islamabad.Following the partition of India and the formation of the independent nation of Pakistan in 1947, the Holy See established the Delegation to Pakistan on 15 July 1950 and named as first delegate James Cornelius van Miltenburg, Archbishop of Karachi. On 9 October 1951, it erected in its place the Internunciature to Pakistan. Pope Paul VI established the Apostolic Nunciature to Pakistan on 27 December 1965.