New library dedicated to Dominican missionary in Pakistan

(July 04, 2012) The Dominicans of Pakistan have dedicated a new library in Karachi to a Dominican missionary who spent half his lifetime in the country. The library is named after Fr. Chrys McVey, an American missionary priest who spent 40 years in Pakistan. “Books preserve human history and sharing them is a precious gift by which knowledge is passed on” said Fr Pascal Paulus, vice prior provincial of the Dominican Order in Karachi. "If books did not exist, we would not be able to know the history of our ancestors, prophets, saints and champions of the faith," he said in the inauguration ceremony in late June. He called Fr McVey a "model brother," a "true Dominican," and an "intellectual endowed with many gifts and talents" who still lives in memory of all the people for his broad work on behalf of the "faithful in Pakistan and the Universal Church". Born in New Jersey, US in 1933, Fr Chrys McVey. who died in 2009, spent more than half of his life in the deserts of Pakistan. The Dominican friar used to say that he began his "educational journey" in the desert. He was eventually recalled to Rome where he worked for six years in the order's general council. He contributed to many books and worked for various publications, writing in-depth analyses about Pakistan until his death, which came on 29 June 2009 in Washington.