Fr. Emmanuel Sharif, Year of the Priests by The Christian View(TCV) Lahore

Lahore, Pakistan: May 25, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Fr. Emmanuel Sharif, Year of the Priests  by The Christian View(TCV) Lahore

Fr. Emmanuel Shari was ordained on the 30th November, 2001. He served at the Holy Redeemer Cathedral and on 24th of April 2005 Holy Eucharist Amrit Nagar, Chak 133/16-L.   

He told that Fr. Louis Op an American was serving there and was impressed by his life. He was living a simple life and a prayerful person. I wanted to live a simple, meaningful and prayerful life. Most of all the image of the priests was bad and I said to redo it. Their have been problems and I tried to promote the priesthood. There was no availability to the people and pastoral visits was less in view of different denominations. Now the people are given sufficient time and they get physical and psychological healing and they are context and happy.   

He is a vocation director from the beginning of his priesthood. He has planned to met the youth and through the priests of different parishes. Come and see is in the Bishop’s house or in any parish. They ask them to do the sharing, the y are given orientation in 133, annual retreat at Murree of anywhere in the country. He comes to St. Mary’s Minor seminary two three times a year. We have bishops, priests and catechists in the diocesan vocation Committee team. There are 10 diocesan priests while the total number is 4 OMIs 2 Spirituals, 7 Ops. In USA Fr. Augustine Tufail in Italy 2 fathers while 2 priests are studying.         

I am happy to be a priest and I feel it is from the Lord that I can do my responsibility because to His work and I do it faithful and this is the gift from Him. He gives me sufficient grace to go on to serve my people.  He teaches the Bible to 8th to 10th in the St.Vicnent High School run by the La Salle Brothers

In the Sunday school from the 1st til the 7th class. Three male and female teachers take their classes by following the syllabus. Bible stories and hymns are taught and the basic prayers are told the young ones are told about the sacrament and rosary etc. They have daily Rosary and, mass in the morning and the Holy Hour in the evening. It has got good response from the faithful. The angelus is said in the schools and the Christian village.  He said about the year of the priests that the Pope is thanked for it to give us opportunity that all the priests of the world are celebrating this year. Under the guidance of the bishop we have celebrated this year. Several programs for the children and young people prayers, holy hours, masses, seminars and the lectures have been given to them. On the 7th of May  they will have the closing of this year. It will be for all the diocesan and other priests. The mass will be there and the social programs in the evening for all the faithful in the Cathedral with pomp and splendor.  To the youth he said that they should work hard and pray as well. On the local level one group is formed that they are our future and they have to take up the responsibility of the diocese. From the Seminary he has been reading and it is useful that it gives information of all fields of life. I congratulate the team of the TCV to make it colorful and make an effort.