He was created a cardinal in 1973 and passed away in 1994
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Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro (January 19, 1918, Bombay, British India — February 11, 1994, Karachi, Pakistan) was the first Pakistani cardinal. He was born to Dr. Peter and Elvine Cordeiro who were of Goan origin in Bombay. He was educated at St Patrick's High School, Karachi, the University of Bombay and Oxford University. He received his religious training at the Papal Seminary in Kandy, Sri Lanka and was ordained a priest in Karachi, Pakistan on 24 August 1946. From 1946 to 1948 he did pastoral work in Hyderabad and Karachi. He then went to Oxford from where he returned in 1950 with a Master of Arts degree. On his return he was appointed as Vice Principal of St Patrick's High School. From 1952 he served as principal of St Francis Grammar School in Quetta and as rector of the St. Pius X Seminary in Quetta. On 7 May 1958 he was appointed Archbishop of Karachi, with his seat at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi. He attended the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the First Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City (29 September - 29 October 1967), the First Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City (11–28 October 1969), and the Second Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City (30 September - 6 November 1971). He was elected a member of the Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops on 6 November 1971. He was the first Pakistani cardinal, a position to which he was elevated by Pope Paul VI on 5 March 1973. He attended both papal conclaves in 1978 and was mentioned as papabile by Time Magazine after the death of Pope John Paul I. He wrote a series of articles for the Archdiocesan weekly Christian Voice called "Lessons of a Lifetime," a reflection on his life experiences. From 1958 until the time of his death, Cardinal Cordeiro was president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan. Cardinal Cordeiro died on February 11, 1994 at Holy Family Hospital after a battle with cancer. He was succeeded by Archbishop Simeon Anthony Pereira. His memory lives on with the Christ the King Seminary in Karachi hosting the Cardinal Cordeiro Cricket tournament to promote religious vocations since 2008. On May 6, 2011, The Old Patricians (former students of St Patrick's school) presented the Joseph Cardinal Cordeiro Gold Medal to the top student from the Cambridge A level section at the closing ceremony of the 150th anniversary of the school. In 2012 the Cardinal Cordeiro High School was named in his honour. The school is located in the Good Shepherd Parish in Korangi Town, Karachi.
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picture courtesy of Dr. Nadeem s. haroon
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Joseph Marie Anthony Cordeiro† was the first Pakistani cardinal. From 1946 to 1948 he did pastoral work in Hyderabad and Karachi. He then went to Oxford from where he returned in 1950 with a Master of Arts degree. On his return he was appointed as Vice Principal of St Patrick's High School. From 1952 he served as principal of St Francis Grammar School in Quetta and as rector of the St. Pius X Minor Seminary in Quetta. On 7 May 1958 he was appointed Archbishop of Karachi, with his seat at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Karachi. He was the first Pakistani cardinal, a position to which he was elevated by Pope Paul VI on 5 March 1973. He attended both papal conclaves in 1978 and was mentioned as papabile by Time Magazine after the death of Pope John Paul I.
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