The Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad (Lat: ''Dioecesis Faisalabadensis'') is a

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

of the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

History

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 is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lahore. The Diocese of Faisalabad now comprises the following civil boundaries: the whole of the

Faisalabad Division Faisalabad Division is an administrative division of Punjab, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but was restored again in 2008. Districts It consists of the following districts:Faisalahad,

Jhang Jhang (Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 18th largest city of Pakistan by population. The historic ...

Toba Tek Singh Toba Tek Singh ( pnb, , ur, ) is a city and capital of Toba Tek Singh District in the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is surrounded by cities of Gojra, Kamalia, Rajana, Pir Mahal and Shorkot. History The city and district is named af ...

and

Chiniot Chiniot (Urdu and pa, ) is a city and the administrative headquarter of Chiniot District in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the river Chenab, it is the 28th largest city of Pakistan. It is also known for its intric ...

. In the

Multan Division Multan Division is an administrative division of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but the division system was restored again in 2008. Districts It consists of the following districts: Histo ...

, the districts of

Sahiwal Sahiwal ( Punjabi and ur, ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city of Pakistan by population and the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is appro ...

Pakpattan Pakpattan (Punjabi and ), often referred to as Pākpattan Sharīf (; ''"Noble Pakpattan"''), is the capital city of the Pakpattan District, located in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 48th largest city of Pakistan by population according ...

and Okara. The Diocese of Faisalabad covers a 35,300 km2 area and is home to about 189,000 Catholics in 28 parishes. The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul is the main church of the diocese. The

Focolare Movement The Focolare Movement is an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood. Founded in Trent, northern Italy, in 1943 by Chiara Lubich as a Catholic movement, it remains largely Roman Catholic but has ...

was introduced into Pakistan in 1968 via the Faisalabad diocese by Father Juliano Ricchiardi, an Italian priest serving at the National Catechists' Training Centre in Khushpur. As of 2008, according to local sources, the movement in Pakistan counted 18 Focolarinas, 11 Focolarinos and about 400 other affiliated members including lay people, nuns and priests. Focolare is a Catholic lay movement whose name means "family hearth" present in more than 180 countries and involving more than 2 million people. The movement was recognized by the Catholic Church under the official name "Work of Mary." The St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary of the diocese.

Joseph Coutts Joseph Coutts (born 21 July 1945) is a Pakistani prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Karachi from 2012 to 2021. He served as Bishop of Faisalabad from 1998 to 2012. Pope Francis created Coutts a cardinal on 28 Jun ...

, appointed in 1998, was bishop until June 2012, when he was named Archbishop of Karachi.

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

created Coutts a

cardinal priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

of 28 June 2018, assigning him the titular church of

San Bonaventura da Bagnoregio San Bonaventura da Bagnoregio is a titular church located in Rome, Italy. Location San Bonaventura da Bagnoregio is located to the east of Centocelle Airport. The nearest Metro station is Parco di Centocelle. It is not to be confused with the ch ...

. The biggest Catholic village in Pakistan,

Khushpur Khushpur ( ur, خوش پور) is a village in Samundri Tehsil of Faisalabad District in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. It is at 31°7'0N 72°53'0E with an altitude of 167 metres (551 feet). Neighboring settlements include Nara Dada and R ...

, is also located in the diocese. It celebrated its centenary in 2001. Father Parvez Emmanuel was the parish priest at the time. The village has about 7,000 Catholics and produced one bishop, John Joseph of Faisalabad, 20 priests and more than 100 nuns. On New Year’s Day 2008 the diocese inaugurated a Quit Drugs Treatment Center, which offered free treatment and residential facilities to heroin users. The Center accommodates twenty recovering addicts, located beside Holy Rosary Church in Faisalabad. It is the only Church-affiliated drug treatment center in Faisalabad diocese. The center employs 15 people full- or part-time including the doctor, a physical therapist, two nurses, and clerical and maintenance staff. ''The Universal Living Rosary Association of St. Philomena USA'' (ULRA) is also located in the diocese. Rosaries, Medals, Scapulars, Holy Oil, St. Philomena Cord and other printed material are given free of cost. A quarterly newsletter is published by ULRA Pakistan. Afzaal Anwar Khokhar is the ULRA representative for Pakistan. The head office in Pakistan is in Barkatpura, Faisalabad. On 30 July 2009, tensions arose in the Christian village of

Korian Korian is a French company specialized in Nursing home care for the elderly, named EHPAD (Établissement d'hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes) in France. Korian has nursing homes in six European countries (France, Germany, Belgium, ...

after pages containing Islamic inscriptions were found in front of a Christian home. Muslims accused a family there of blasphemy against Islam. On 1 Aug. 2009, a Muslim mob raided a Christian settlement in

Gojra Gojra (Punjabi and ur, ), the administrative capital of Gojra Tehsil, is the city of Toba Tek Singh District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Gojra is from Faisalabad, from Lahore and north of Toba Tek Singh. Founded in 1896 during the ...

vandalizing and looting houses and causing the deaths of eight people and injuries to many others. Fifty Christian homes were destroyed. Pope

Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

expressed profound sorrow in 2009 at anti-Christian riots in Pakistan and appealed to everyone to renounce violence and take up again the path of peace. He communicated this message in a telegram to Bishop Coutts. On 4 August 2009, Fr. Rufin Anthony, the former vicar general of Faisalabad diocese, was appointed coadjutor bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi The Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi (Lat: ''Dioecesis Islamabadensis-Ravalpindensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan. There is anecdotal evidence that St. Thomas the Apostle passed through Ta ...

. On 17 April 2010 the diocese organized a ceremony to celebrate its Golden Jubilee. Archbishop

Adolfo Tito Yllana Adolfo Tito Camacho Yllana (born 6 February 1948) is a Philippine prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He has been an archbishop and apostolic nuncio since 2001, the Apostolic Nuncio to Israel as w ...

, Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan, Bishop

(Faisalabad), Archbishop

Lawrence Saldanha Lawrence John Saldanha (born 12 June 1936) is an Indian-born retired Pakistani archbishop. Born in Mangalore, India, he received his religious training at the Christ the King seminary in Karachi and was ordained a priest in Lahore, Pakistan ...

(Lahore), and Bishop

Andrew Francis Andrew Michael Scott Francis is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many television shows and films including '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' as Shining Armor, '' MegaMan NT Warrior'' as MegaMan.EXE, '' Hero 108'' as Lin Chung, '' L ...

(Multan) spoke on the occasion. On 29 April 2010 Pope Benedict XVI elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta to the rank of apostolic vicariate. He appointed Fr. Victor Gnanapragasam OMI as apostolic vicar of the new ecclesiastical circumscription and the titular bishop of Timida. Fr. Victor was parish priest in Toba Tek Singh in this Diocese from 1978 to 1980, 1982- to 1986 and 1992 to 1993. In 2014 Faisalabad diocese had 46 priests working in 23 parishes.

on 3 July 2013 appointed Fr. Joseph Arshad as the bishop of the Faisalabad Diocese. On June 29, 2019

appointed Father Joseph Indrias Rehmat (born in the Diocese of Faisalabad), at the time Dean of the

National Catholic Institute of Theology The National Catholic Institute of Theology (NCIT) is a Catholic theological institute established in Karachi, Pakistan in September 1997. It offers academic courses leading to a diploma in theology, as well as programs for laypeople and religio ...

, as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad.Agenzia Fides 1 July 2019
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Educational institutions

The Diocese has over 2,000 teachers working in 62 educational Institutions. * La Salle High School Faisalabad *St. Catherine's High School, Faisalabad * St. Peter's High School *St. Albert's High School, Gojra * Convent of Jesus and Mary * St. Joseph's Technical Institute, Faisalabad *Convent Girls High School 6/4-L, Okara *Convent Boys High School 6/4-L, Okara *Convent degree College 6/4-L, Okara

Hospitals

* St. Raphael's Hospital

Ordinaries

*Francesco Benedetto Cialeo, O.P. † (13 Apr 1960 Appointed - 8 Sep 1976 Retired) *Paolo Vieri Andreotti, O.P. † (8 Sep 1976 Appointed - 9 Jan 1984 Resigned) * John Joseph † (9 Jan 1984 Appointed - 6 May 1998 Died) *

(27 June 1998 Appointed - 25 January 2012) *Rufin Anthony † (Diocesan Administrator) (26 January 2012 – 2 July 2013) *

Joseph Arshad Joseph Arshad (born August 25, 1964) is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Biography Arshad was born on August 25, 1964, in Lahore. After completing school, he began his priestly education at St. Mary's Minor Semi ...

(3 July 2013 – 8 December 2017); transferred to Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi *

Joseph Indrias Rehmat Joseph Indrias Rehmat (born 1 July 1966) is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Faisalabad in Pakistan. On June 29, 2019 Pope Francis appointed Father Joseph Indrias Rehmat, of the Diocese of Faisalabad, currently Dean of the National Catholic Institu ...

(29 June 2019 - )

References

External links

Universal Living Rosary Association of St. Philomena
---- {{DEFAULTSORT:Faisalabad Faisalabad

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur (Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pakis ...