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Pakistan: Karachi Archdiocese to open its diamond jubilee on Pentecost Sunday

St. Patrick's Cathedral Karachi, Pakistan | Photo:www.catholicsinpakistan.org

The Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan will begin its year-long diamond jubilee celebration on May 28 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Archbishop Benny Mario Travas will preside over the jubilee Mass, followed by a simultaneous launching of other events in all the parishes of the archdiocese.

In a video message, Archbishop Travas urged priests, nuns, and lay people to organize different programs marking the Karachi Archdiocese’s diamond jubilee with religious fervor. 

In the past, the Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi was a part of the Archdiocese of Bombay (western India), but with the creation of Pakistan as a new state in 1947, Karachi was separated from the Archdiocese of Bombay and made a separate diocese on May 24, 1948.

On July 15, 1950, it was elevated to the status of the archdiocese.

The theme of the jubilee is "Reflect, rejoice, and renew", based on the Book of Ezekiel (36:26), which says, "A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you."

One of the key programs is the distribution of scholarship grants at St. Peter Canisius Abbottabad Parish.

Other activities in preparation for the official opening is the Adoration of the Holy Eucharist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and in all parishes of the Archdiocese of Karachi, a concert and a Pentecost vigil service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The faithful are also expected to join the liturgical, spiritual, catechetical, and social programs for the celebration of the jubilee year.

The metropolitan area of Karachi city makes up the archdiocese. The main seaport and financial center of Pakistan are in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. Six civil districts totaling roughly 5,000 square kilometers make up the archdiocese.

The Archdiocese of Karachi is home to 22,418,000 Catholics in 15 parishes as of 2022, according to Vatican sources.

The archdiocese has 33 diocesan priests, 23 religious clergy, and 119 nuns and 101 educational institutes. – Santosh Digal

 

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