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Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi

Coordinates: 24°51.712′N 67°02.103′E / 24.861867°N 67.035050°E / 24.861867; 67.035050
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For other uses, see St. Patrick's Cathedral (disambiguation).

St. Patricks Cathedral
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic
DistrictArchdiocese of Karachi
LeadershipArchbishop Benny Mario Travas
Year consecrated1881
Location
LocationKarachi, Pakistan
Architecture
Architect(s)Father Karl Wagner, SJ
StyleGothic Revival
Groundbreaking1879
Specifications
Capacity1500
Length52 metres
Width22 metres
Part of a series on
Christianity
in Pakistan
Background
People
Churches

St. Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi, and is located near the Empress Market in the Saddar locality in central Karachi. The church was completed in 1881, and can accommodate 1,500 worshipers. At the front of the cathedral, there is the Monument to Christ the King, built between 1926 and 1931 to commemorate the Jesuit mission in Sindh.[1]

History

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The first church in Sindh, called St. Patrick’s Church, was built on the grounds of the cathedral in 1845 as a Carmelite mission at a cost of 6,000 rupees under the leadership of Karachi's first Carmelite priest, Father Casaboch.[2] As the Catholic population of the city grew, the city's Catholics raised money for construction of a new church. Groundbreaking was done in 1878, and the church was consecrated on 24 April 1881.[3] Despite the construction of the new building, the little church continued to function until it was destroyed by a storm in 1885.[citation needed]

Design

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The present-day cathedral is built in Gothic Revival architecture; it measures 52 metres by 22 metres, and has the capacity to accommodate at least 1,500 worshippers at the same time. It was designed and realized by three members of the Society of Jesus: The design of the cathedral was conceived by the architect Father Karl Wagner, SJ and the construction was supervised by the lay Brothers George Kluver, SJ and Herman Lau, SJ.[4][5][6]

The Gazetteer of the Province of Sindh provides a description of the cathedral:

"Its exterior is not ornamental, though striking from a distance, but money and art have been lavished on the interior. The chancel, itself spacious, acquires a special impressiveness but its additional height, while the noble contours of the aspiring altar are seen to the best advantage. The whole interior is painted in oil and the windows are all of stained glass, donated by the members of the congregation."

Stained-glass windows

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The cathedral's stained-glass windows were produced by Franz Mayer of Munich, Germany. They depict the following scenes:[7]

  • 1. Pentecost
  • 2. The sacrifice of Melchisedek
  • 3. The sacrifice of Isaac
  • 4. The Paschal lamb
  • 5. The miraculous Manna
  • 6. The annunciation
  • 7. The visitation
  • 8. The Nativity of Jesus
  • 9. The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
  • 10. The flight into Egypt
  • 11. The boy Jesus in the temple
  • 12. The death of Joseph
  • 13. The baptism of Jesus
  • 14. The wedding at Cana
  • 15. St. Peter receives the keys
  • 16. Jesus raises Lazarus to life
  • 17. The institution of the Eucharist
  • 18. Agony of Jesus
  • 19. Jesus carries his cross
  • 20. The Crucifixion
  • 21. The resurrection of Christ
  • 22. The Ascension of Jesus
  • 23. The crowning of Our Lady
  • 24. The first Jesuits

Recent times

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In 1978 the cathedral celebrated its centenary. The Pakistan Post Office issued special commemorative stamps on the occasion.[7] Pope John Paul I sent special greetings and blessings on the occasion.

In November 1991 the cathedral was visited by Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro of Karachi also spoke on the occasion.[8]

A bomb exploded inside the Cathedral causing an injury and destruction. The explosion on 22 December 1998, occurred minutes after the congregation celebrated Mass. Most people had departed when the bomb went off. One woman was wounded and there was partial damage to the interior of the 120-year-old Cathedral.[9]

The cathedral's grounds are adorned with a marble Monument to Christ the King, which was constructed in 1931 to commemorate the memory of the Jesuit Mission in Sindh.[3]

In 2003, the cathedral was declared as a protected monument because of its outstanding architectural beauty under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act.[10]

The Cathedral, with a seating capacity of 2,000, used to be the biggest Catholic church in the country. On 9 November 2011 the apostolic nuncio to Pakistan Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra blessed St. Peter’s Church, Karachi, now the largest Catholic church in Pakistan. It can seat 5,000 people.[11]

In December 2018, the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the cathedral was led by the Archbishop of Karachi Joseph Cardinal Coutts. He also launched the book St Patrick’s: A Journey of 175 Years by Goretti and Michael Ali, written specially for the occasion.[12]

On 5 October 2019 the Archbishop announced that Fr. Saleh Diego would be the new parish priest of St. Patricks Parish.[13]

On 11 February 2021, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Benny Travas of Multan to succeed Cardinal Joseph Coutts as Archbishop of Karachi.[14] Travas was installed as Archbishop of Karachi at this Cathedral on 11 April 2021.[15]

Choir

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The first music mistress was Sr. Fredericka FC who served from 1878 to 1902.[7]

From the 1920s to the 70s, the Cathedral had a polyphonic choir of about thirty members; The members were: Sopranos: Jessie Fernandez, Olive D'Costa, Mary D'Silva, Hilda Freitas, Winnie Lobo, Carol Lobo

Altos: Essie Menezes, Emma Correa, Nita Dias, Maureen Rodrigues, Ioline Fitchew, Ann Fitchew Armstrong

Bases: Eustach Caldera, Sonoo D'Abreo, Austen Frietas, Isaac Noronha, R.C Fernandes

Tenors: Vincent D'Abreo, Vincent Lobo, Glenn D'Abreo, Hector Lewis, Joseph Moniz, Derek Domingo

The choir[16] was conducted at first in the 20s and 30s by Carlos Fernandes, who was replaced by C.M. Lobo until the early 70s when he was replaced by his nephew Vincent Lobo. The organists for the choir had been C.M. Lobo before he took over the position of director and then Leo DeSousa who was followed by Fr. Ronnie Colaco until the choir folded in May 1974. It was never replaced by a polyphonic choral group of its previous capability.

In 2018 the parish has five choirs: the Seniors, Shamrock, Praise in Harmony, Cathedral choir and Urdu choir.[7]

[edit]
  • Monument to Christ the King with Saint Patrick's Cathedral
    Monument to Christ the King with Saint Patrick's Cathedral
  • Interior of the cathedral
    Interior of the cathedral
  • The altar
    The altar

Parish Priests

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  • Fr. Francis Casabosch OCD 1844-47[7]
  • Fr. J. Lopez 1847-50
  • Fr. G. D'Silva 1850
  • Fr. P. Ireneus OCD 1850-51
  • Fr. Joh Chrysostomus OCD 1852-52
  • Fr. Andres Jesu Mariae OCD 1853-53
  • Fr. R. J. Periston1854-55
  • Fr. P. Felix O. Cap. 1855-58
  • Fr. P. Raphael O. Cap. 1858-59
  • Fr. George Bridges SJ 1859
  • Fr. G. Strickland SJ 1859
  • Fr. Joseph Willy SJ 1859-65
  • Fr. Basilius Haefly SJ 1865-1867
  • Fr. Anselm Leiter SJ 1867-68
  • Fr. Nicolas Pagani SJ 1868-72
  • Fr. George Bridges SJ 1872-74
  • Fr. Joseph Nueckel SJ 1874-76
  • Fr. Francis Belz SJ 1876-87
  • Fr. A. Bruder SJ 1887-94
  • Fr. H. Jurgens SJ 1894-97
  • Fr. T. Peters SJ 1897-1900
  • Fr. J. B. Schroeter SJ 1900-10
  • Fr. C. Gertler SJ 1910
  • Fr. A. Gyr SJ 1910-16
  • Fr. D. Lynch SJ 1916-18
  • Fr. E. Farrell SJ 1918-20
  • Fr. S. Boswin SJ 1920-22
  • Fr. J. Meyer SJ 1922-23
  • Fr. Vincent Gimenez SJ 1922-35
  • Fr. Valens Wienk OFM 1935-36
  • Fr. Salesius Lemmens OFM 1936-38
  • Fr. Alcuinus van Miltenburg OFM 1938-40
  • Fr. Achilles Meersman OFM 1940-41
  • Fr. Alcuinus van Miltenburg OFM 1941-43
  • Fr. Floregius Rypma OFM 1943-55
  • Fr. Modestine Pöttgens OFM 1955-1966
  • Fr. Francis de Souza 1966-1975[17]
  • Fr. Robert D'Silva 1975-1983
  • Fr. Anthony Martis 1983-1992
  • Fr. James DeSouza 1992-2000
  • Fr. Achilles DeSouza 2000-2001
  • Fr. Joseph D'Mello 2001-2007
  • Fr. Edward Joseph 2007-2014[3]
  • Fr. Mario A. Rodrigues 2014-2019 [18]
  • Fr. Saleh Diego 2019-2021
  • Fr. Ryan Joseph 2021-2023
  • Fr. Benjamin Shahzad 2023 -
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Colgrove, Rosemary (2010). Eye on the Sparrow: The Remarkable Journey of Father Joseph Nisari, Pakistani Priest. Hillcrest Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-936400-87-4.
  2. ^ Doyle, Patrick (1898). Indian Engineering.
  3. ^ a b c "Downtown Karachi: A street called love (in Saddar area)". Dawn (newspaper). 18 August 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. ^ Jesuit Institutions in Pakistan
  5. ^ Heritage: Standing tall (The last of the great churches that were constructed in Karachi, St Patrick’s Cathedral) Dawn (newspaper), Published 25 December 2011, Retrieved 12 August 2020
  6. ^ "Nearly 70% Pakistanis support Christians to build churches in Pakistan". Pakistan Daily (newspaper). 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e Ali, G. and Ali, M. St. Patrick’s: A journey of 175 years. Archdiocese of Karachi, 2018.
  8. ^ UCANews 5 November 1991
  9. ^ National Catholic Reporter 8 January 1999
  10. ^ Dawn 1 January 2003
  11. ^ AsiaNews 12 November 2011
  12. ^ Dawn 4 December 2018
  13. ^ Christian Voice, 13 October 2019
  14. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 11.02.2021" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  15. ^ Dawn 12 April 2021
  16. ^ Dawn 4 April 2015
  17. ^ "Karachi Archdiocese Celebrates Golden Jubilee Of Service".
  18. ^ UCANews 15 March 2016

24°51.712′N 67°02.103′E / 24.861867°N 67.035050°E / 24.861867; 67.035050

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