Bonnie Mendes
Encyclopedia
Bonnie Mendes is a Catholic priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad
in Pakistan
. He was ordained a priest in 1962. He has a doctorate in social sciences from the Philippines
.
The National Commission for Justice and Peace
(NCJP) was founded in 1985. Fr. Mendes served as the Executive Secretary till 1995.
In 2002, he was elected head of a newly formed peace network that aims to mend India-Pakistan relations. The Punjab Peace Network, comprises 4,000 organizations of the Punjab province.
In 2005, Father Mendes was chosen for an ACHA Star award. The Association for Communal Harmony in Asia is based in Portland, Oregon
, United States
. It has been handing out awards annually since 1995 to people in Asia who have been promoting peace and interreligious harmony. The jury cited Father Mendes, founder of the Human Development Centre in Toba Tek Singh
, for his work in support of marginalized and unprivileged groups such as women, children, low-paid workers and religious minorities.
In 2005 he was also National Chaplain of the Christian Teachers' Body of Pakistan.
He is also Co-editor, along with Mgr Shaheen Mathew and Father Inayat Bernard
, of a publication AMAL (Action) published by the Youth Association for Leadership and Development.
Fr. Mendes has been parish priest of the Sacred Heart Parish, Jhang
.
Later he was parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Toba Tek Singh.
In 2009 he was based in Bangkok
working as the 7th Regional Coordinator of Caritas
for Asia.
He also served as pastor to Pakistani Catholic families seeking asylum in Thailand after fleeing religious persecution in their country. He retired from his position in Caritas in September 2011.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan.Erected in 1960, as the Diocese of Lyallpur, the diocese was created from the Diocese of Multan...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He was ordained a priest in 1962. He has a doctorate in social sciences from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
The National Commission for Justice and Peace
National Commission for Justice and Peace
The National Commission for Justice and Peace was formed in 1985 by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan. It provides services in the field of human rights advocacy. It has six regional offices in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Hyderabad and Quetta, and a head office in...
(NCJP) was founded in 1985. Fr. Mendes served as the Executive Secretary till 1995.
In 2002, he was elected head of a newly formed peace network that aims to mend India-Pakistan relations. The Punjab Peace Network, comprises 4,000 organizations of the Punjab province.
In 2005, Father Mendes was chosen for an ACHA Star award. The Association for Communal Harmony in Asia is based in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It has been handing out awards annually since 1995 to people in Asia who have been promoting peace and interreligious harmony. The jury cited Father Mendes, founder of the Human Development Centre in Toba Tek Singh
Toba Tek Singh
Toba Tek Singh District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located between 30°33' to 31°2' Degree north latitudes and 72°08' to 72°48' Degree longitudes.-Origins of Name:...
, for his work in support of marginalized and unprivileged groups such as women, children, low-paid workers and religious minorities.
In 2005 he was also National Chaplain of the Christian Teachers' Body of Pakistan.
He is also Co-editor, along with Mgr Shaheen Mathew and Father Inayat Bernard
Inayat Bernard
Fr Inayat Bernard is the parish priest of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Kasur, 55 kilometres south of Lahore, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore.Father Bernard, ordained a priest for Lahore diocese in 1980, graduated from the Punjab University...
, of a publication AMAL (Action) published by the Youth Association for Leadership and Development.
Fr. Mendes has been parish priest of the Sacred Heart Parish, Jhang
Jhang
- Demographics :According to 1981 census of Pakistan population of Jhang was 1,970,944 with the 434,495 housing units in Jhang. In 1998 census, population of Jhang was 2,834,545, whose annually growth rate was 2.16%. Male population was 1,474,099 and female population was 1,360,446...
.
Later he was parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Toba Tek Singh.
In 2009 he was based in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
working as the 7th Regional Coordinator of Caritas
Caritas (charity)
Caritas Internationalis is a confederate of 164 Roman Catholic relief, development and social service organisations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide....
for Asia.
He also served as pastor to Pakistani Catholic families seeking asylum in Thailand after fleeing religious persecution in their country. He retired from his position in Caritas in September 2011.