THE GOAN NETWORK | TORONTO
Catholics from Goa, Karachi, Lahore, Mumbai, the Middle East and East Africa now settled in Canada, and some from the USA gave a rousing welcome to Cardinal Joseph Coutts of Pakistan by coming together at a Eucharistic Celebration and a Luncheon Reception held on April 22.
Cardinal Coutts, who was visiting Canada after 19 years, was visibly happy to meet his family, relatives, school and seminary friends, childhood neighbours from Lahore and old parishioners from Hyderabad, Faisalabad, and Karachi.
The Eucharistic Celebration presided by Cardinal Coutts was held in St Josephine Bakhita Church, Mississauga, and con-celebrated by his seminary classmate Fr Martin Pereira and Fr Mark Achilles, the parish priest.
A 20-member choir, formerly from St Patrick’s Cathedral, Karachi, sang at the service, while family and friends took part in the liturgical ceremony.
The reception was held in the parish hall. The packed house gave a befitting ovation to Cardinal Coutts as he entered the room with Fr Martin Pereira.
After brief speeches by Cardinal Coutts and Fr Pereira, a colourful performance of the traditional ‘Kunbi Dance’ was presented by a 7-member troupe of the Goan Overseas Association of Toronto and a Pakistani cultural dance by teenagers Jemimah & Rafael Monteiro.
Incidentally, Cardinal Coutts traces his roots to Aldona-Goa and is the cousin of Archbishop of Delhi Anil Couto.
Born on July 21, 1945, in Amritsar, India and educated in Lahore, Joseph Coutts is a Pakistani prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Karachi from 2012 to 2021. He served as Bishop of Hyderabad (1990-1998) and Bishop of Faisalabad (1998-2012). Pope Francis created Coutts as a cardinal on June 28, 2018.
