Society of St Vincent de Paul, Pakistan
Encyclopedia
The Society of St Vincent de Paul first reached the shores of Karachi
(British India) in 1869. The first Conference was the St. Patrick’s Conference.
Until 1960 this had grown to just 4 conferences in Pakistan
: 2 in Karachi, 1 in Sialkot
and one in Rawalpindi
. With the advent of the Twinning Scheme in the 1960’s the number of conferences increased from 4 to 22. The Twinning Remittance of a few Australian dollars was invaluable to Vincentian work.
With the formation of the National Council in 1973 efforts were made to contact all the Dioceses of Pakistan and the total number of conferences in Pakistan grew to 323. The total number of Vincentians at the last census was around 3000.
There are one National Council, one Diocesan Council and 13 regional Councils. The National President since 1973 has been Valentine Gonsalves from Karachi.
The Regional Council of Karachi maintains a home for the aged named Saint Vincent de Paul because the Society were the initiators of this project 50 years ago. This project depends on funds received locally as well as from abroad for its existence.
The Society in the Punjab
started the Pakistan Literacy Project in 2005 with the help of the Society in Australia. This program goes to areas in Pakistan where students were
denied schooling. The program has three aims:
Doug Walsh, National Project Officer of St Vincent De Paul Society, Australia, recently visited the project.
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
(British India) in 1869. The first Conference was the St. Patrick’s Conference.
Until 1960 this had grown to just 4 conferences 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...
: 2 in Karachi, 1 in Sialkot
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
and one in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. With the advent of the Twinning Scheme in the 1960’s the number of conferences increased from 4 to 22. The Twinning Remittance of a few Australian dollars was invaluable to Vincentian work.
With the formation of the National Council in 1973 efforts were made to contact all the Dioceses of Pakistan and the total number of conferences in Pakistan grew to 323. The total number of Vincentians at the last census was around 3000.
There are one National Council, one Diocesan Council and 13 regional Councils. The National President since 1973 has been Valentine Gonsalves from Karachi.
The Regional Council of Karachi maintains a home for the aged named Saint Vincent de Paul because the Society were the initiators of this project 50 years ago. This project depends on funds received locally as well as from abroad for its existence.
The Society in the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
started the Pakistan Literacy Project in 2005 with the help of the Society in Australia. This program goes to areas in Pakistan where students were
denied schooling. The program has three aims:
- Providing basic education to students.
- Providing employment to teachers who do not have work.
- Assisting students who are away from home because of their family situation and need special tuition. For $1500 Australian a teacher can give basic education to students while they wait for a chance to go to a “real school”.
Doug Walsh, National Project Officer of St Vincent De Paul Society, Australia, recently visited the project.