Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Karachi
Coordinates: 24°52′1″N 67°0′25″E / 24.86694°N 67.00694°E
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan.
It is located on Siddiq Wahab Road in an area known as Old Haji Camp.
The parish had the distinction of having as its Parish Priest Fr. Liberius Pieterse, who later translated the Bible into Urdu. He became one of the first Parish Priest’s of St. Francis' Church in July 1941 and continued into 1944.[1]
During the mid-1950s Fr. Simeon Anthony Pereira was appointed Parish Priest of the parish. Fr. Simeon went on to become the Archbishop of Karachi [2]
The parish also has a school attached to it.[3]
In November 2011 a three-day festival was held to celebrate 75 years of the parish. Archbishop Evarist Pinto of Karachi and nine priests offered a thanksgiving Mass for the jubilee year.
St. Francis was the first parish to cater to the many people migrating from Punjab province to the city. The Jesuits and the Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King nuns started the migrant mission which still continues as Catholics pour in from the provinces.[4]
On October 12, 2012, the church was attacked by a mob of about 600 Islamic radicals that destroyed property in the yard, but did not manage to break down the front door. The church has served the poor with a school and a medical clinic run by nuns for nearly 80 years.[5]
Father Mohan Victor was the Parish Priest in 2012.[6]