The
Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...
are a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
religious order for men. The order was founded on January 25, 1816, by Father
Eugene de Mazenod to preach missions in
Provençal,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
The Religious in Pakistan work to promote peace and harmony, inter-religious dialogue, human development with programmes of assistance and development and education, as well as pastoral and missionary work.
History
The mission in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
was started in
Lyallpur
Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...
in 1971 by OMI missionaries coming from the
Sri Lanka OMI province. The 15 OMI in Pakistan in 2006 included 3 local men, 3 each from Poland, Austria and Canada and 2 from Indonesia. The Oblates also have a community in the
Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta.
In 1988 the Oblates had about 20 members in Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Karachi and Multan dioceses.
The Oblates also work in the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi
The Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi (Lat: ''Dioecesis Islamabadensis-Ravalpindensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan.
There is anecdotal evidence that St. Thomas the Apostle passed through Ta ...
, providing
Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary
Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. It is one of only 5 minor seminaries in Pakistan. In the 21st Century the seminary has only one computer.
The Seminary is locate ...
with its rector Father J.J. Edwards OMI.
Fr.
Victor Gnanapragasam
Father Victor Gnanapragasam O.M.I. (21 November 1940 – 12 December 2020) was the first prefect of the Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
Early life and education
He was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka to Sri Lankan T ...
OMI, was appointed the First Apostolic Prefect Of Quetta in December 2001.
In 2009 the number had grown to 23 Oblates including 5 ordinations.
On 29 April 2010
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
elevated the Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta to the rank of
Apostolic vicariate. He appointed Fr. Victor Gnanapragasam OMI as apostolic vicar of the new ecclesiastical circumscription and the titular bishop of
Timida.
On January 25, 2012, Fr. Christi Silva, a Missionary of the Oblates from
Sri Lanka, who has been in the service of the
Diocese of Multan for over 8 years, was arrested on charges of lacking a valid residence permit. On January 30, 2012, he was released after the authorities were shown valid documentation.
UCANews February 1, 2012
/ref>
WebsiteOfficial Oblates website Accessed September 6, 2020
References
{{reflist, 30em
Catholic Church in Pakistan
1973 establishments in Pakistan