THE SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL PARISH

The Sacred Heart Cathedral is situated at the heart of Lahore and is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese.  In the growth of any diocese the Cathedral stands out as the symbol of the faith, hope, love and vitality of the People of God.

A Cathedral customarily keeps the cathedra or the chair of the bishop.  Because of this importance, a Cathedral is the most important church of the diocese and generally surpasses all the other churches in its grandeur and architecture.

The Sacred Heart Cathedral, which is of Roman Byzantine style, was consecrated on the 19^th November 1907.  The Cathedral enjoys an excellence of its own. What strikes one in this cathedral is the fact that all is dignity … all is reverence … all is devotion!

The whole edifice breathes of God and His Divine Presence – God and Man in the Holy Eucharist.

The Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish has Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha as the head.  Father Andrew Nisari is the Rector of the Cathedral.  Father Adrian Pereira assists the Rector on a regular basis.  There are other priests in the neighbouring formation houses and the parishes who come occasionally to help in the parish whenever it is needed.  There are two full time Catechists, Babu Emmanuel Shad and Babu Angelo Javaid.  They, along with Fr. Andrew Nisari, work in the pastoral field and visit the parishioners.

There are 24 Bastis (localities) in the parish in which there are 1049 families.  We take care of them spiritually and administer the Sacraments.

The main objective of the parish is To Integrate the Gospel Values in the Life of the People.

To achieve this mission, the enabling means are:

§         Daily Eucharist

§         Sunday Liturgies

§         Catechism for children of all ages

§         Sacramental Administration

§         Pastoral Visits to the families

§         Other religious/social programmes

There are 7 different groups working in the parish.  They help the Rector and the catechists to fulfil the mission of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish.  They are co-operative and active in various apostolic fields.

Pastoral Team: it consists of the Rector, catechists, members of religious congregations and some lay people.  All the members are involved in the pastoral care of the Catholics of the parish and help the Rector in his pastoral work.  They visit the families in the various bastis and they also prepare the children and adults to receive the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation.  The pastoral team meets regularly every 3^rd Thursday of the month, where they discuss any spiritual or pastoral initiative of the parish and give a report of the pastoral work done during the month.  They also present the needs of the people to the Rector.

Choir: about 20 young men and women form the Cathedral choir.  They animate regularly the Tuesday, Sunday Masses and all other liturgical celebrations organized by the parish.

Mariam Ki Betian (Daughters of Mary): it is a group of mostly senior ladies who meet regularly to pray and to give a helping hand during the functions organized in the Cathedral.  They also visit regularly the sick in their homes and in the hospitals.

Organizing Committee: it is a group of men and women whose main task is to make arrangements for the liturgical and social functions and to help in the organization of these functions.

Volunteers: they are a group of women who, every Sunday, during the time of the family Mass, teach catechism to the children, while their parents are attending Mass.  All through the year, they organize Bible Quiz Programmes and catechetical instructions for the school children.

Altar Boys & Girls: they render their service during the daily Eucharistic Celebrations and during many other liturgical functions in the Cathedral.  They have regular meetings during which they are trained for the service they have to give and they are also given formation for their personal growth.  They are also very helpful in other needs of the church, such as, the cleaning of the Cathedral and during the preparation for big feasts and other functions.

Sacred Heart Youth Group: this is the last group that has been set up in the parish. This group, made up of young boys and girls, has chosen as their motto “Redemption through Education”.  Besides their personal formation, they are also involved in the pastoral field.  Their main objective is to promote education.  Every Sunday they visit different poor areas, where they motivate the parents to send their children to school. They are concerned in collecting funds to help in the education of children, coming from poor families, who can't afford to educate their children, even if they desire to do so.  At the moment, they are already helping to finance the education and lodging of 15 children who are studying in boarding houses.