Give a Priest a Vehicle in Pakistan
Thursday, February 18, 2010

Project Code: 328-01-29

Father Ishaq Ghulam is still a young man. He was ordained just four years ago, in fact, here in an overwhelmingly Muslim country in which Christians make up only a tiny minority and are "socially discriminated against, politically oppressed and persecuted for their religion," as one of Father Ghulam's brother priests told us. For the past two years, Ishaq Ghulam has been parish priest to a Catholic community in the Thal desert, consisting of some 200 Catholic families. Many of them live widely scattered and up to 25 miles from the center of the parish. Drought, sand, and extreme temperatures all contribute to making life hard for everyone in this region. Through sheer hard work the families manage to wrest a meager living from the desert, though it is barely enough for survival. 

Yet Father Ghulam is full of cheerful courage. He is tirelessly on the move, striving to be a "good shepherd" to his flock. It is not easy, since he has only an ancient vehicle at his disposal, and the roads are barely worthy of the name; they are hard even to make out in fact, since many are sanded over. On the horizon the sand dunes stretch as far as the eye can see, and it is difficult even to recognize where one is supposed to drive. Even where there is anything like a real road, it is usually so bad and full of potholes that it is very dangerous to drive on it with an unsuitable vehicle. In winter, things are even worse, for then the temperatures sink so low that it becomes bitterly cold, and often the car breaks down in the middle of the desert, and it is not as if one can expect to find a garage just around the corner, where it can be repaired.

Father Ishaq is not a man to be easily deterred, but even he has suffered illness after his car broke down in the bitter cold of the desert, leaving him stranded on the road. Nonetheless, it is not his own health he is concerned about, but the need to minister to his parishioners. Without a suitable vehicle, it is extremely difficult for him to reach all the people who are waiting for his ministry. One thing is clear: the only vehicle that will serve here is a sturdy jeep, since a lesser vehicle could not cope with the desert conditions. A jeep would also enable him to ferry sick patients to the doctor or to a hospital and to bring other useful and practical help to the people, which is not possible in the present circumstances.

We have promised this brave priest $8,200 for a suitable vehicle. Will you contribute so that Father Ghulam can reach his parishioners in Pakistan?

Progress: 25% Raised: $ 2050     Goal: $ 8200

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