St. Joseph's Cathedral, Rawalpindi

St. Joseph's Cathedral, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, is the main church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi.[1]

St. Joseph's Cathedral
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic
DistrictDiocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi
LeadershipArchbishop Joseph Arshad
Location
LocationRawalpindi, Pakistan
Geographic coordinates33°35′01″N 73°03′22″E / 33.5837°N 73.0562°E / 33.5837; 73.0562
Architecture
Stylered-brick


St. Joseph's Cathedral has large congregations from Rawalpindi, Islamabad and surrounding areas for Good Friday, Easter and Christmas services each year.[2][3]

The Cathedral parish is also home to St. Catherine's Convent. The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary host the St. Catherine's Sewing Center, training poor women in sewing, crochet and embroidery; the women produce hand-made objects for sale.[4]

History

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On 21 September 2009, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan, presided at the ordination in St. Joseph's Cathedral, of the new coadjutor bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Bishop Rufin Anthony. More than 1,500 people attended the event.[5]

In January 2012 a youth group from the Cathedral Parish launched a website "for realising the potential of youth and expressing their concerns in a Christian way", with the hope that it would help counter fundamentalism and fanaticism. Sister Athens Angeles of the Daughters of St. Paul was the main organizer of the group.[6]

Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo, the former Bishop of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad diocese, died after prolonged illness on 18 February 2013. His funeral was held at Saint Joseph's Cathedral on 20 February. He was buried in the cathedral compound.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Cathedrals in Pakistan".
  2. ^ "Christmas celebrated with fervour in Pakistan 26 December 2003 Pakistan Times".
  3. ^ "Christians celebrate Easter today Dawn 11 April 2004". 11 April 2004.
  4. ^ "UCANews.com November 15, 2007".
  5. ^ "UCANews 23 September 2009".
  6. ^ UCANews January 23, 2012
  7. ^ The Express Tribune February 19, 2013