Liberius Pieterse
Encyclopedia
Liberius Pieterse was a Franciscan
priest working initially in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan
.
, Holland on 12 February 1905. He did his schooling in Rotterdam
, Schiedam
and Utrecht
. He studied at the Conservatorium of Music in Rotterdam. He attended the Seraphic School at Sittard
from 1926 -1929. He was received in the Order of Friars Minor on September 7, 1929. In 1936 he was ordained a priest, and seven months later he arrived in British India.
He was talented especially in languages, mathematics, music and art. He learned Konkani language
, Tamil
and Punjabi
to get in touch with the working people in society.
and teacher in St Patrick's High School, Karachi. In 1937 he became the editor of a new monthly "St. Anthony in India". In November 1937 he was transferred to Quetta and was assistant at Holy Rosary Church, Quetta
, and assistant principal of St Francis Grammar School. During these years he got in touch with the Urdu speaking Catholics as well as some Pushto speaking non-christians. Two years later he was transferred to Sanghar as assistant, and also helped in Mirpurkhas, a small station without a resident priest. In 1939 World War II
broke out, and since Mgr. Salesius Lemmens had started Portiuncula Friary
for the training of the local friars, Pieterse was taken on the teaching staff of the Friary. He taught philosophy, Greek, Hebrew and music.
In July 1941, he was made Parish Priest of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Karachi
. In February 1944 Fr. Liberius went to Sanghar
as Missionary-in-charge. Eight months later he was in Quetta for work among the Urdu
speaking, taking charge of the Catholics residing in most of Baluchistan. In 1948 he was in St. John’s Parish, Karachi, and a year later was transferred to Nawabshah
. In 1950 he was back at Portiuncula Friary as lecturer in Urdu and organist. From there he went to St. Anthony’s Parish (Karachi)
in 1952. In November 1953 he was made a member of the Editorial Staff for Urdu publications based in Multan
. At this time that the Catholic Church decided on an official translation of the Bible in Urdu. Fr. Liberius, with two others, set out to do this job. The translation of the Bible into Urdu is mainly his work. In September 1956 he was assistant at St. Anthony's Church, and two years later he was sent to Sanghar as Missionary-in-charge of St. Paul's Church there. In August 1962 he was back at St. Anthony's, Karachi.
Following holidays in Australia
, he decided to work in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan
. He worked for four years in Multan, spending most of his time in liturgical work, translations, and assistance to the priests there in parish work. Here work was started on the Dictionary of Christian Terminology in Urdu in cooperation with the non-catholic churches.
In 1971 he was back in Karachi at Christ the King Seminary (Pakistan)
to work with Fr. John Joseph, on a new ecumenical translation of the Bible and the New Roman Missal.
In 1973, he was working full time for three churches, St. Francis Xavier's, Qayyumabad, St. Theresa's in Korangi Township, and Stella Maris church at Korangi Creek.
He was the only missionary to become a Pakistani citizen.
The work which really made Fr. Liberius known all over the country was the translation of the Bible into Urdu. In the last few years he felt the need to work together with the Bible Society for a new translation of the Bible. He did this with another priest, Fr. John Joseph.
In 1955 he published a hymnal: HAMD-ULLAH (Praise God). This was a book of about 200 pages of hymns in Persian script. In 1972, the book was completely revised and published with the help of Mr. G. M. Felix
under the name NAYA GEET GAO (Sing a new song).
One important contribution that Fr. Liberius made to the Church in Pakistan is the translation of the Second Vatican Council
documents into Urdu. As a member of the Institute for Religious and Social Studies, Karachi, he was mainly responsible for the complete translation of these Documents.
A final work is the Dictionary of Christian Terminology in Urdu. In 1960 Fr. Liberius, together with Fr. Tovias Bastiaanse O.F.M., published a first edition in mimeographed form. The work was progressed with the collaboration of the Christian Study Centre in Rawalpindi and the Institute for Religious and Social Studies in Karachi.
He wrote Urdu poetry under the name of Azad.
On September 24, 1973 he died at Fiumicino Airport, Rome. His funeral took place on September 29 in the Cemetery Chapel of Campo Verano.
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
priest working initially in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Early Life
He was born in WageningenWageningen
' is a municipality and a historical town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specializes in life sciences. The city has 37,414 inhabitants , of which many thousands are students...
, Holland on 12 February 1905. He did his schooling in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Schiedam
Schiedam
Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
and Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
. He studied at the Conservatorium of Music in Rotterdam. He attended the Seraphic School at Sittard
Sittard
Sittard is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg, which is the southernmost province of the Netherlands.On the east Sittard borders on Germany . It has some 48,400 inhabitants . Sittard is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen...
from 1926 -1929. He was received in the Order of Friars Minor on September 7, 1929. In 1936 he was ordained a priest, and seven months later he arrived in British India.
He was talented especially in languages, mathematics, music and art. He learned Konkani language
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
and Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
to get in touch with the working people in society.
Religious Career
He started work as assistant in Saint Patrick's Cathedral, KarachiSaint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi, is situated on Shahrah-e-Iraq, formerly known as Clarke Street, located near the Empress Market in Karachi, Pakistan....
and teacher in St Patrick's High School, Karachi. In 1937 he became the editor of a new monthly "St. Anthony in India". In November 1937 he was transferred to Quetta and was assistant at Holy Rosary Church, Quetta
Holy Rosary Church, Quetta
The Holy Rosary Church, Quetta, Pakistan is the main church of the Apostolic Prefecture of Quetta.From 1937-1939 the parish had the distinction of having as Assistant Parish Priest Fr. Liberius Pieterse, who translated the Bible into Urdu....
, and assistant principal of St Francis Grammar School. During these years he got in touch with the Urdu speaking Catholics as well as some Pushto speaking non-christians. Two years later he was transferred to Sanghar as assistant, and also helped in Mirpurkhas, a small station without a resident priest. In 1939 World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, and since Mgr. Salesius Lemmens had started Portiuncula Friary
Portiuncula Friary
The Franciscan Portiuncula Friary is the oldest Friary in Pakistan, founded in 1940. It is located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, adjacent to the Christ the King Seminary....
for the training of the local friars, Pieterse was taken on the teaching staff of the Friary. He taught philosophy, Greek, Hebrew and music.
In July 1941, he was made Parish Priest of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Karachi
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Karachi
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan.It is located on Siddiq Wahab Road in an area known as Old Haji Camp....
. In February 1944 Fr. Liberius went to Sanghar
Sanghar
Sanghar is a city in Sanghar District, Sindh, Pakistan. Sanghar is the headquarters of Sanghar District and Sanghar Taluka . It is one of the agriculture town situated approximately 265 km from Karachi city...
as Missionary-in-charge. Eight months later he was in Quetta for work among the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
speaking, taking charge of the Catholics residing in most of Baluchistan. In 1948 he was in St. John’s Parish, Karachi, and a year later was transferred to Nawabshah
Nawabshah
Nawabshah , or Shaheed Benazirabad, is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is headquarter of Shaheed Benazir Abad District...
. In 1950 he was back at Portiuncula Friary as lecturer in Urdu and organist. From there he went to St. Anthony’s Parish (Karachi)
St. Anthony’s Parish (Karachi)
-History:The idea of St. Anthony’s Parish was first conceived in 1937. A plot of land with a large bungalow was acquired on McNeil Road.The largest room was converted into a small church, two rooms served as the presbetery while the two others would be a school. On February 13, 1937 a relic of St....
in 1952. In November 1953 he was made a member of the Editorial Staff for Urdu publications based in Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
. At this time that the Catholic Church decided on an official translation of the Bible in Urdu. Fr. Liberius, with two others, set out to do this job. The translation of the Bible into Urdu is mainly his work. In September 1956 he was assistant at St. Anthony's Church, and two years later he was sent to Sanghar as Missionary-in-charge of St. Paul's Church there. In August 1962 he was back at St. Anthony's, Karachi.
Following holidays in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, he decided to work in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan
Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan....
. He worked for four years in Multan, spending most of his time in liturgical work, translations, and assistance to the priests there in parish work. Here work was started on the Dictionary of Christian Terminology in Urdu in cooperation with the non-catholic churches.
In 1971 he was back in Karachi at Christ the King Seminary (Pakistan)
Christ the King Seminary (Pakistan)
Christ the King Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary in Karachi. It is located adjacent to the Portiuncula Friary. In its early years most of the faculty were provided by the Franciscans....
to work with Fr. John Joseph, on a new ecumenical translation of the Bible and the New Roman Missal.
In 1973, he was working full time for three churches, St. Francis Xavier's, Qayyumabad, St. Theresa's in Korangi Township, and Stella Maris church at Korangi Creek.
He was the only missionary to become a Pakistani citizen.
Publications
As Editor of "Saint Anthony in India", Fr. Liberius wrote many of the articles, especially about the early developments of the Church in Sind and Baluchistan. He also published articles on the establishment of the churches up-country in St. Thomas' Chronicle, a communication paper for the friars in Pakistan and India. In 1947, on the Independence of Pakistan, he published a history of the Church in Sind and Baluchistan entitled: In the Land of the Sindhi and Baluchi.The work which really made Fr. Liberius known all over the country was the translation of the Bible into Urdu. In the last few years he felt the need to work together with the Bible Society for a new translation of the Bible. He did this with another priest, Fr. John Joseph.
In 1955 he published a hymnal: HAMD-ULLAH (Praise God). This was a book of about 200 pages of hymns in Persian script. In 1972, the book was completely revised and published with the help of Mr. G. M. Felix
G. M. Felix
Ghulam M. Felix is a Pakistani Catholic Urdu language poet and writer. He is well known by the name Qasir Amritsari. He was born in Amritsar, India....
under the name NAYA GEET GAO (Sing a new song).
One important contribution that Fr. Liberius made to the Church in Pakistan is the translation of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
documents into Urdu. As a member of the Institute for Religious and Social Studies, Karachi, he was mainly responsible for the complete translation of these Documents.
A final work is the Dictionary of Christian Terminology in Urdu. In 1960 Fr. Liberius, together with Fr. Tovias Bastiaanse O.F.M., published a first edition in mimeographed form. The work was progressed with the collaboration of the Christian Study Centre in Rawalpindi and the Institute for Religious and Social Studies in Karachi.
He wrote Urdu poetry under the name of Azad.
On September 24, 1973 he died at Fiumicino Airport, Rome. His funeral took place on September 29 in the Cemetery Chapel of Campo Verano.