Robert McCulloch

Robert McCulloch SSC is an Australian priest and member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, who served in Pakistan from 1978 to 2011. He was decorated by the Government of Pakistan for his services to health and education in 2012.

Early life McCulloch was born in 1946 in Alexandra, Victoria, to Bruce John McCulloch and Jean Frances Crowe. He was educated at St Patrick's School, Mentone, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Primary School, Cheltenham, and St Bede's College, Mentone.

McCulloch entered the Society of St Columban in 1964, spending his initial year of probation in Sassafras, Victoria. He began his studies at St Columban's Seminary in Sydney in 1965 and was ordained a priest in 1970. In 1976 he received a Master of Arts in Church History from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Work in Pakistan McCulloch has served in two Diocese of Hyderabad parishes: Kotri, a rural area east of Karachi; and Machar Colony, a community of 300 Catholic families in the slums of Hyderabad. After a spell in Badin, he started working with the semi-nomadic Hindu tribe of Parkari Kohli in Tharparkar District. During this period, McCulloch helped the tribe design an alphabet for their language, for which he called on two linguists for their help. After the local population had opted for using the Sindhi alphabet, with a few minor changes, people gathered proverbs and sayings and launched the first Parkari Kohli newspaper, Prem Paracha. In this he helped to save the native language and culture.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Victoria, through its overseas development initiatives, is providing ongoing financial support for McCulloch's health and educational programs. Along with Emmanuel Neno this work was completed in 2014. The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization has approved the Urdu translation and authorised its publication. The translation took 13 years to complete.

Award On 15 February 2012, the President of Pakistan approved conferment of Sitara class of the Nishan-e-Quaid-i-Azam on McCulloch for his services to Pakistan in health and education.

On 25 March 2012, more than 600 people gathered at St Anthony's Church in Karachi for a special Mass to celebrate Sister John Berchmans Conway RJM and McCulloch receiving the country's highest civilian award.

McCulloch has been transferred to Rome and is serving as the Procurator General of the Society of St Columban.

On 9 May 2012, McCulloch was inducted into the St Bede's Old Collegians Hall of Fame.