New National Catechist Training Centre Crèche

St Albert’s National Catechist Training Centre (NCTC) in Khushpur is a beacon of hope for the Catholic community in Pakistan. Located approximately 250 kilometres from Lahore, Khushpur is the largest Christian village in the country and provides an environment where faith can flourish, despite significant challenges relating to communications, utilities and infrastructure.

Here, 71 young men undertake a rigorous three-year residential formation programme to become catechists, assisting priests with spreading the Gospel in parishes across Pakistan. Their training and living expenses are partially supported by their home dioceses and benefactors, which is crucial, given that most students come from impoverished families.

Khushpur’s rural nature poses many difficulties for those who travel there to study. Electricity, gas, sewerage and drinking water can all be unreliable, and yet the village’s strong Christian ethos makes it an ideal setting for catechist formation. NCTC’s married students often arrive with their wives and children, creating a pressing need for proper family accommodation and suitable facilities.

Whilst their husbands focus on the formal academic and religious curriculum, the wives receive their own training, enabling them to support their catechist spouses in the mission to evangelise Pakistan. These women also gain skills that can be invaluable in local communities, especially where educated women are needed to help address the spiritual and social needs of other women.

Over time, the Lasallian Foundation has stepped in to provide practical assistance to NCTC, recognising that adequate facilities are essential if students are to succeed in their studies and fully commit to their formation. In response to the challenges faced by families, the Foundation supported the establishment of a crèche, ensuring that infants and young children have a safe, nurturing environment while their parents continue their formation and attend to academic commitments. This initiative has greatly reduced parental stress and contributed to an increase in overall student enrolment, with more married candidates able to consider catechist training.

Other facility improvements, such as the refurbishment of single men’s dormitories, updated teaching resources, and new music instruments for liturgical celebrations, are all part of the Foundation’s continued efforts to modernise the centre and meet the growing needs of its community.

The influence of these upgrades at NCTC extends well beyond the comfort of the students themselves. Children benefit from age-appropriate play spaces and are able to attend local schools, while their mothers receive faith-based instruction and practical skills training.

By strengthening families in this way, the Lasallian Foundation has helped reinforce the unity of the catechist community, ensuring that the next generation of religious educators can concentrate on their studies and future missions. In turn, the entire village of Khushpur and beyond reaps the spiritual rewards of this diligent formation process.

For the Lasallian Foundation, this work is both a matter of deep faith and a commitment to social justice. There are further initiatives in urgent need of support, including updated administration resources, additional renovations to improve living conditions, and the construction of an access road to allow easier transport. Donations help sustain and expand these projects, ensuring that young men, their wives and their children can thrive in Khushpur, returning to their dioceses equipped with the skills and dedication to serve communities across Pakistan.

Anyone wishing to help can donate directly to the Lasallian Foundation website (https://www.lasallianfoundation.org.au), enabling it to continue providing much-needed support for St Albert’s National Catechist Training Centre and other vital projects. Every contribution, no matter how modest, has a direct impact on the future of catechist formation and the wider Christian community in Pakistan.