:Augustine Soares

{{Short description|Pakistani Roman Catholic priest (died 2019)}}

{{Infobox adult biography

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| birth_place = Karachi

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| death_date = 15 September 2019

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| nationality = Pakistani

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| occupation = Catholic priest

| employer = Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi

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| known_for = Rector, Christ the King Seminary

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Augustine Soares was a Roman Catholic priest in Karachi, Pakistan. He was born in Karachi and received his religious training at the Christ the King seminary. He was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi in 1969.

Biography

Soon after his ordination he was sent to Rome for higher studies. After returning from Rome he served as Assistant Parish Priest at the Cathedral Parish, where he took a special interest in youth groups.Christian Voice 12 April 1998

Fr. Soares also taught religion in 1972 at St Patrick's High School, Karachi.Christian Voice 6 August 2000

For much of his ministry he served as a dedicated Parish Priest, first as Pastor of St. John's Church in Drigh Colony and later at the new parish of St. Thomas' Church across the Drigh Road.

In 1996 Soares was secretary of the Clergy Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Pakistan. He was also named to lead a formation course for new priests in 1997.{{cite web|url=https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1996/02/06/young-pakistani-priests-discuss-challenges-of-celibate-commitment&post_id=6984|title=young pakistani priests discuss challenges of celibate commitment - ucanews.com|work=UCANews |date=February 6, 1996|publisher=|accessdate=30 June 2018}}

From 2001 – 2005 he was Rector of the Diocesan St. Pius X Minor Seminary in Karachi.

On 22 April 2005 he was appointed Rector of Christ the King Major Seminary by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.{{cite web |title = New rector appointed for Christ the King major seminary in Karachi

| url= http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=5473&lan=eng |work=Agenzia Fides |date=18 December 2012}}

He saw the seminary celebrate its golden jubilee in 2006.

{{cite web |title = Pakistan: Major seminary celebrates golden jubilee, as rector reflects on challenges facing it (Indian Catholic)| url=http://www.ahrchk.net/ahrc-in-news/mainfile.php/2006ahrcinnews/987/ |date=16 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217160927/http://www.ahrchk.net/ahrc-in-news/mainfile.php/2006ahrcinnews/987/|publisher=Asian Human Rights Commission in News |archive-date=2009-02-17 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.theindiancatholic.com/newsread.asp?nid=5138 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227034335/http://www.theindiancatholic.com/newsread.asp?nid=5138|title=Major seminary celebrates golden jubilee, as rector reflects on challenges facing it|date=16 December 2006|work=Indian Catholic |archive-date=2007-02-27|url-status=usurped |access-date=2018-06-30}}

In 2008 he introduced the Cardinal Cordeiro Cricket tournament which the seminary has been hosting to promote religious vocations and remember Pakistan's first cardinal.{{Cite news|url=http://www.ucanews.com/2010/09/17/pakistan-seminary-plays-a-vocational-innings/|title=Pakistan seminary plays a vocational innings |publisher=UCANews |date=17 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522094600/http://www.ucanews.com/2010/09/17/pakistan-seminary-plays-a-vocational-innings/ |archive-date=22 May 2011 }}

In 2010 he was also rector of the National Catholic Institute of Theology in Karachi.Express Tribune 18 June 2010

On 4 May 2012 Fr. Benjamin Shahzad was appointed Rector of the Christ the King Major Seminary{{cite web|url=http://www.news.va/en/news/asiapakistan-appointment-of-the-rector-of-the-in-2|title=ASIA/PAKISTAN - Appointment of the Rector of the inter-diocesan Seminary "Christ the King" in Karachi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012095333/http://www.news.va/en/news/asiapakistan-appointment-of-the-rector-of-the-in-2 |archive-date=2017-10-12 |date= 2012-12-18 |website=www.news.va|accessdate=30 June 2018}} while Soares was appointed judicial vicar of the Archdiocese.

In August 2015 Soares was reported to be the Parish Priest of St. Jude's Church, Karachi.{{cite web|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Caritas-Karachi-plant-one-thousand-trees-against-climate-change-35079.html|title=Caritas Karachi plant one thousand trees against climate change|work=AsiaNews|first= Shafique |last=Khokhar |date=17 August 2015 |accessdate=30 June 2018}}

In June 2019, Soares hosted an iftar dinner for nearly two dozen Muslim Imams of different mosques and local leaders of several religious and political groups, to celebrate the holy month of Ramazan. In 2019 Soares also celebrated the golden jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood.[https://www.dawn.com/news/1485921 Dawn June 1, 2019]

Soares died in Holy Family Hospital, Karachi on 15 September 2019.[https://agahinews.com.pk/en/senior-priest-fr-augustine-soares-slept-in-christ/ Agahi 15 September 2019]

References

Category:20th-century Pakistani Roman Catholic priests

Category:2019 deaths

Category:Pakistani people of Goan descent

Category:Year of birth missing

Category:21st-century Pakistani Roman Catholic priests