James deSouza

Who is James deSouza?

James “Jimmy” deSouza was born on December 11, 1925, in Karachi, Pakistan. He was educated at St Patrick's High School, Karachi. He received his religious training at the Papal Seminary, Kandy, Sri Lanka, which entered in 1944 and was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi on 24 August 1951.

Fr. Jimmy taught for a while in St Paul's English High School, and then in St. Anthony's School. Later he was appointed Principal of St. John Vianney’s School and held this post for many years.

One of his many appointments was as pastor to the small Bengali-speaking community in Karachi from 1963–1973. He was also involved with their repatriation to Bangladesh in 1973, working with the ICRC and UNHCR. He also taught at St Patrick's High School, where he recruited students to read to the blind at the Ida Rieu School.

He was appointed Rector of the St. Pius X Minor Seminary in Karachi in 1974. Earlier he had been the first Chaplain of the Monastery of the Angels.