Catholic community of Mariamabad village remembers Capuchin missionary Father Frank Van Butsele

The Catholic community in Mariamabad, a village in Pakistan’s Punjab Province, is honoring the memory of Capuchin missionary Father Frank Van Butsele. The community reflects on his history as the feast of St. Francis of Assisi approaches.

Father Van Butsele, a Belgian Capuchin born in Ronse in 1913, was murdered in 1953 at the age of 40. He was killed inside the church in Mariamabad where he had conducted his ministry.

Mariamabad was established at the end of the nineteenth century by Flemish Capuchins. In 1892, Belgian Capuchin Bishop Emmanuel Van Den Bosch purchased 150 acres of land to provide homes and new opportunities for poor Christian families facing discrimination. The first three Christian families moved to the area in January 1893. Later, Father Felix van de Putte promoted the village's social and agricultural growth and oversaw the construction of the Saint Mary and Saint Joseph church, which was consecrated in 1898. The village is now home to Pakistan’s National Marian Shrine.