Pakistan’s highest civilian award given to Columban priest

Fr Robert McCulloch

Australian born Fr Robert McCulloch, of the Columban Missionary Society, has been awarded the Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam, the highest civilian award that can be given by the Government of Pakistan to foreign nationals. It carries the citation, "For services to Health, Education, and Inter-Faith Relations”.

Fr Robert McCulloch worked in Pakistan for over 30 years, until December 2011. He was Chairman of Saint Elizabeth Hospital’s Administrative Council which provides quality medical services to the people of Hyderabad and rural parts of Sindh. He also ran a medical outreach programme in rural Sindh. He set up the first home-based Palliative Care unit in Pakistan which provides care for cancer patients who are terminally ill.

He initiated projects, in 2007 to provide educational, spiritual, moral and personal formation for 150 Catholic boys and young men in Hyderabad. Two centres were set up: the Catholic Centre of Academic Excellence in Hyderabad and the Catholic Youth Development Centre. His other major contribution included taking steps to preserve the language of Tharparker known as Parkari Kohli. He engaged experts around the world and worked on a script to turn this language into a written language.

During the floods of 2011 he arranged to provide food and medical treatment to over 1,000 families in Southern Pakistan and helped build accommodation for flood victims.

Fr McCulloch now resides in Rome after taking up an appointment as the Procurator General for the Columbans in late 2011.

St Columbans Mission Society is an International Missionary Society that crosses boundaries of culture and religion.

See Fr Robert’s 2011 Report from Pakistan: www.columbans.co.uk/news/pakistan-report-2011/