St. Anthony’s Parish (Karachi)
| St. Anthony’s Church | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | McNeil Road, Karachi |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Membership | 829 parishioners (1941) |
| Weekly attendance | 15,000 (2011) |
| Website | http://www.wix.com/tellisb/st-a/history#!__history |
| History | |
| Founded | February 13, 1937 |
| Founder(s) | Fr. Aquina van Liebergen O.F.M. |
| Dedicated | 1950 |
| Relics held | St. Anthony of Padua |
| Associated people | Bro. Hilary Lardenoye O.F.M., architect |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | June 25, 1939 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 300 (1950) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St. Anthony’s Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi |
| Clergy | |
| Priest in charge | Fr. Mario Rodrigues |
| Assistant priest(s) | Fr. Gasper Mendes OFM |
St. Anthony’s Parish is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan.
The idea of St. Anthony’s Parish was first conceived in 1937. A plot of land with a large bungalow was acquired on McNeil Road.
The largest room was converted into a small church, two rooms served as the presbetery while the two others would be a school. On February 13, 1937 a relic of St. Anthony was brought in procession and the first parish priest Fr. Aquina van Liebergen O.F.M. was appointed.
In 1941 it had 829 parishioners.
In the first year of the parish, the first to be Baptised in the new parish was Anthony Joseph Mahnga.
On June 25, 1939 the foundation stone of the present church was laid, but due to the war, it was decided to postpone the construction.
In 1941 the old church was painted and renovated just before the feast of Pentecost. The new antependium of the altar, the work of a generous lady artist, was used for the first time on the feast. At the time, Fr. Valens Wienk O.F.M was the parish priest. Collection of funds for the building of the church carried on and the new church was dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua in the early 1950s. The architect of this church, built in traditional Gothic style was Bro. Hilary Lardenoye O.F.M.
It had a seating capacity of about 300. In the compound of the church is a beautiful grotto honoring Mary.
The Apostolic Nunciature to Pakistan was also located in the parish in its Chancellery at old Clifton after the Vatican established diplomatic relations with Pakistan on July 17, 1950.
The only person from this parish to be conferred the sacrament of Holy Orders was Fr. Theophilus D’Souza on January 9, 1972. However, St. Anthony’s has given seven members to the religious life.
In July 1986, the parish which had been administered by the Franciscans since its beginning, was handed over to Diocesan priests.
In the 2004, the church’s seating capacity was expanded by building an extension on its left side.
The parish is multi-lingual, with Masses said in English daily, Urdu weekly, and Punjabi, Tamil and Konkani on special feasts.
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Wikipedia