The Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta (Latin: Vicariatus Apostolicus Quettensis) was established on November 9, 2001 from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi. It comprises the Districts of Quetta, Ziarat, Chaggai, Loralai, Sibi and Zhob, Kachhi & Kalat and the civil province of Balochistan.
Contents |
Around 1990 the Catholics of Baluchistan had already started asking for a separate diocese.[1]
The Prefecture was established in 2001, in an area that encompasses nearly 7 million inhabitants, with roots beginning in the reign of the British Empire in 1697, when the “Vicariate of the Great Mogul” was established, which included the lands Baluchistan. In 1832, the Vicariate formed a part of the Archdiocese of Bombay and in 1878 it passed to the mission of Afghanistan, which had been entrusted to the Mill Hill missionaries. Quetta, in the years to follow would be visited by Jesuits (who left in 1935) and then Franciscans (until 1982). In 1982, the pastoral care of the local community was entrusted to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), later reinforced by Salesians.[2]
The main church is the Holy Rosary Church, Quetta.
There were seven Catholic schools in the Prefecture in 1998, all under the Baluchistan Catholic Board of Education.[3]
The first Prefect Apostolic has been Fr. Victor Gnanapragasam of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.[4] Father Victor was installed in a ceremony presided by Archbishop Alessandro D'Errico, apostolic nuncio to Pakistan, at St. Joseph Convent School in Quetta. The Prefecture currently has eight priests and 12 Religious serving about 27,000 Catholics.[5]
Since 2003, Lac La Biche, Alberta Council in Canada has conducted an annual fundraiser for the Apostolic Prefecture, which is working to develop into a diocese. Over the years, the Knights of Columbus have raised more than $45,000 to support the Prefecture. In 2009, the council also donated two chalices.[6]
In 2008, the Prefecture is subdivided into six parishes and nearly 30,000 Catholics. In Quetta there are 5 congregations of religious sisters (20 sisters) and 10 priests, including OMIs and Salesians. The Prefecture also runs a home for urgent social service to orphans, abandoned women, and poor families. There are 19 Catholic learning institutions and 14 social institutions (including hospitals, aid centers for marginalized persons, etc).
The Prefecture is also home to some innovative programs like computer classes for the youth. The St. Eugene Computer Center, in the compound of the of Holy Rosary Church is run by Oblate Father Maqsood Nazeer, the parish priest.[7]
On 29 April 2010 Pope Benedict XVI elevated the apostolic prefecture of Quetta to the rank of apostolic vicariate. He appointed Fr. Victor as apostolic vicar of the new ecclesiastical circumscription and the titular bishop of Timida.[8]
Sacred Heart Girls High School
St. Joseph's Convent School[9]