St. Peter's Church is the largest Catholic church in
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
,
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.
Construction
The church, completed in just 11 months, spans 1,858 square meters and accommodates up to 5,000 people. Standing at over 24 meters tall, its
stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
windows depict various religious scenes. The construction cost was US$3.8 million.
Opening
The
Apostolic Nuncio
An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...
to Pakistan Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra blessed the church at a Mass concelebrated by 37 priests from around the country. The Apostolic Nuncio read a message of Pope
Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...
to Pakistani Catholics. Later the Papal Nuncio also blessed the Perpetual Adoration Chapel, a room built of glass in a corner of the church open for prayer 24 hours of the day.
Miscellaneous
The church will cater to the people of
Akhtar Colony
Akhtar Colony () is a neighborhood in Karachi East District in Karachi, Pakistan. It was previously administered as part of Jamshed Town. It was named after Akhter Paganwala.
There are several ethnic groups in Akhter colony and they include: ...
Manzoor Colony
Manzoor Colony () is a neighborhood in Karachi East district of Karachi, Pakistan. It was previously administered as part of Jamshed Town,Country’s largest Catholic church opens in Karachi’s Akhtar Colony by Saima Saleem, The Express Tribune, 16 November 2011 Retrieved 5 April 2013
Funding for the project came from the
Pontifical Mission Societies
The Pontifical Mission Societies (TPMS), known in some countries as Missio, is the name of a group of Catholic missionary societies that are under the jurisdiction of the Pope. These organizations include the Society for the Propagation of th ...
, Missio, the
Rothenberg
Rothenberg is a village and a former municipality in the Odenwaldkreis (district) in Hesse, Germany. Since January 2018, it is part of the new town Oberzent.
Geography
Location
Rothenberg lies at elevations between 200 and 500 m in the so ...
diocese in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...