Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore

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Archdiocese of Lahore

Archidioecesis Lahorensis

لاہور کے میٹروپولیٹن
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore.jpg
Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore
Location
Country Pakistan
Ecclesiastical province Lahore
Statistics
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Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2004)
25,000,000
570,000 (2.3%)
Information
Rite Latin Rite
Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw OFM
Suffragans Diocese of Faisalabad
Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi
Diocese of Multan
Website
Website of the Archdiocese

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese in Punjab province, Pakistan.

Its cathedral episcopal see is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, in Lahore.

History

It was founded in 1880 as Apostolic Vicariate of Punjab, on territory split off from the then Apostolic Vicariate of Agra (now also a Metropolitan Archbishopric).

On 1 September 1886 it was promoted and renamed after its see as Diocese of Lahore.

It lost vast territories repeatedly:

On 23 April 1994 the diocese was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan Archdiocese. Fr. Lawrence Saldanha was appointed Archbishop of Lahore by pope John Paul II.[1][2][3][4]

On 7 April 2011 Archbishop Saldanha retired as Archbishop of Lahore.[5]

On December 18, 2011, the archdiocese began celebrations to mark its 125th anniversary. Seventy-five priests and 200 catechists served then in 608 Mass centres in the archdiocese.[6]

Pope Francis on July 3, 2013 appointed Fr. Joseph Arshad of the Lahore Archdiocese as the bishop of the Faisalabad Diocese.[7]

Episcopal Ordinaries

(all Roman Rite)

Apostolic Vicar of Punjab
Suffragan Bishops of Lahore
  • Symphorien Charles-Jacques Mouard (Monard), O.F.M. Cap. † (8 Aug 1888 Appointed - 14 June 1890 Died), Titular Bishop of Cydonia (1882.09.15 – 1888.08.08), previously Apostolic Vicar of Seychelles (Seychelles) (1882.08.08 – 1888.08.08)
  • Emmanuel Alfonso van den Bosch, O.F.M. Cap. † (21 Nov 1890 Appointed - 2 Jan 1892), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Agra (India) (1892.01.02 – 1897.04.27), emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Parium (1897.04.27 – 1921.10.17)
  • Goffredo Pelckmans, O.F.M. Cap. † (2 June 1893 Appointed - death 1904.08.03)
  • Fabiano Antonio Eestermans, O.F.M. Cap. † (11 April 1905 Appointed - 17 Dec 1925 Resigned), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Letopolis (1925.12.17 – death 1931.02.01)
  • Hector Catry, O.F.M. Cap. † (28 March 1928 Appointed - 4 July 1946 Resigned), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Semta (1946.07.04 – death 1972.03.18)
  • Marcel Roger Buyse, O.F.M. Cap. † (12 June 1947 Appointed - 12 March 1967 Retired), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Iunca in Byzacena (1967.03.12 – death 1971.01.08)
  • Felicissimus Alphonse Raeymaeckers, O.F.M. Cap. † (12 March 1967 Succeeded - 10 July 1975 Resigned), previously Auxiliary Bishop of Lahore (1963.08.05 – 1966) & Titular Bishop of Aperlæ (1963.08.05 – 1967.03.12), next Coadjutor Bishop of Lahore (1966 – 1967.03.12)
  • Armando Trindade † (10 July 1975 Appointed - 1994.04.23 see below), previously Titular Bishop of Tubusuptu (1973.07.05 – 1975.07.10) & Auxiliary Bishop of Lahore (1973.07.05 – 1975.07.10)
Metropolitan Archbishops of Lahore
  • Armando Trindade (see above 1994.04.23 – 31 July 2000 Died), also President of Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (1994 – 2000)
  • Lawrence John Saldanha (24 April 2001 Appointed - 7 April 2011 resigned), also President of Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (2002 – 2011.03)
  • Apostolic Administrator Sebastian Francis Shaw (2011 – 2013.11.14) while Titular Bishop of Knin (2009.02.14 – 2013.11.14) & Auxiliary Bishop of Lahore (2009.02.14 – 2013.11.14)
  • Sebastian Francis Shaw (14 November 2013 - ... )[8]

Province

Its ecclesiastical province comprises the Metropolitan's own archdiocese and the following suffragan bishoprics :

Extent

The Sacred Heart Cathedral is the principal church of the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese is also home to St. Joseph’s Church, Lahore, the oldest church of the Punjab, built in 1853.[9]

The Archdiocese also publishes the Catholic Naqib, the oldest Urdu-language Catholic journal, founded in Lahore in 1929.[10]

In 1964 the Diocese opened the 215 bed Bethania Hospital, Sialkot which focuses mainly on preventing and treating TB. In 2008 it was treating 60,000 patients a year.[11]

Lahore archdiocese had 511,226 Catholics, 30 diocesan priests, and 214 nuns, according to the 2001 Annuario Pontificio, the Vatican yearbook.[12] The largest Catholic Archdiocese in Pakistan is divided into 26 parishes.[13]

The Archdiocese is also home to the St. Francis Xavier Seminary.[14]

The country’s 1st National Eucharistic Congress was organised by the local Catholic Church 9–11 September 2005 at the Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Lahore diocese. It drew 20,000 participants and attracted ample media coverage local and national. The national marian strine of Mariamabad is situated 90 km from Lahore. Every year it draws thousands of clergy, religious and laity, families, other Christians and Muslims. Mariamabad shrine was opened in 1949 by a Belgian Cappuchin Friar Frank who died a martyr.[15]

On 14 Feb 2009 Fr. Sebastian Francis Shah OFM was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Lahore.[16]

The Diocese is also home to Catholic TV, Pakistan the first Pakistani Catholic TV channel launched in 2009.[17]

Schools in the Diocese

There were 57,744 students in Catholic schools in the archdiocese - 33 primary schools and 59 high schools.[18] Some of the schools are:

See also

References

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  5. Vatican Radio 7/04/2011
  6. UCANews December 19, 2011
  7. Vatican Radio July 3, 2013
  8. Vatican Radio website 14 November 2013
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  11. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, vol. 58:318; 2008
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Source and External links

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