James DeSouza

Education

He was educated at Street Patrick"s High School, Karachi.

Career

DeSouza born in Karachi, Pakistan. He received his religious training at the Papal Seminary, Kandy, Sri Lanka, which he entered in 1944 and was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi on August 24, 1951. DeSouza taught at Street Paul"s English High School and then at Saint Anthony"s School.

He was then appointed Principal of Saint John Vianney’s School, a post he held for several years.

In 1963, along with French Dalmatius Geurts, deSouza made an analysis of the situation and a feasibility study and came to the conclusion that there was a big demand for skilled craftsmen in Pakistan.

The final plan was to build a school for Metal Work, Auto Mechanics, Electro-Technology, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, and Carpentry. The Saint Patrick"s Technical School was set up in 1965 by Brother Norman Wray.

In 2006 it became the Saint Patrick"s Institute of Science & Technology.

From 1963-1973, deSouza was the pastor of a small Bengali-speaking community in Karachi, where he was involved with their repatriation to Bangladesh in 1973, working with the ICRC and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He also taught at Street Patrick"s High School, where he recruited students to read to the blind at the Ida Rieu School. In 1974, he was appointed Rector of the Saint Pius X Minor Seminary in Karachi. From 1995-2000, deSouza served as Saint Patrick’s Cathedral"s 40th parish priest.

The Cathedral was damaged when a bomb set off by suspected fanatics went off three days before Christmas in 1998.

DeSouza celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his priesthood in 2001. He was parish priest of Saint Lawrence"s Church, Karachi in 2006-2007.

French Jimmy passed away in the early hours on 28 January 2016.

Achievements

• One of his major achievements was in renovating the cathedral building during 1998-1999 with funds from parishioners, former parishioners and well-wishers in Karachi and abroad.