Khushpur

Khushpur
Khushpur
Coordinates: 31°04′N 72°32′E / 31.07°N 72.53°ECoordinates: 31°04′N 72°32′E / 31.07°N 72.53°E
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
District	Faisalabad
Tehsil	Samundri Tehsil
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)

Khushpur is a village located in Samundri Tehsil of Faisalabad District in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. It is located at 31°7'0N 72°53'0E with an altitude of 167 metres (551 feet). Neighboring settlements include Nara Dada and Rashiana.^[1]

The name 'Khushpur' has two root words, 'Khush' meaning 'happiness' and 'pur' meaning land. Father Felix, a European missionary founded this village in 1901. Father Felix also founded other villages like Mariamabad in Shekhupura district, Francisabad in Shorkot, Jhang district in Pakistan. “Felix” is the Latin word for "happy". The village was thus given the name of "Khushpur" in Urdu, the "land of Fr Felix" or “land of Happiness”.

Many important Catholic public figures come from the village; people like Bishop John Joseph, Bishop Rufin Anthony, Ilama Paul Ernest, and Shahbaz Bhatti and Mr Simon Jacob MNA belong to this village.

The village has a fiber system telephone network facility and the SUI Northern Gas supply. There are Government schools for boys as well as for girls where children from the surrounding villages come for studies. Parallel Private schools are also serving the students.

For Catholic Christian students the facility of boarding house is also available where not only residence is provided but they enjoy extra study classes as well.

For the people, Dominican sisters (nuns) run a dispensary which is daily opened from morning to afternoon time. The village has Dominican Sisters Convent and one of the old Parish House. Due to salinity the underground water is not good, thus at the bank of the nearby canal (Gogera Branch) tube wells are installed and the drinking water through underground pipes is brought to the centrally operated water tank from where the water is supplied to the village.

The village has a parish committee that is very active in village’s each social or religious event. Women (mostly old ladies) also have organized a group under St. Catharine of Siena patronage. The youth enjoys daily football in the evening as they have football ground facility . While for village youth at “Adult Basic Education Centre” beside Adult Basic Education, short courses are also being taught to make them skilled.

Khushpur is the only place where Pakistani Catholic Christian community has a National Catechist Training Centre. Throughout the country Catechists come and study here for their future vocation.

References

1. Location of Khushpur - Falling Rain Genomics