[2] It was named after the chapel Portiuncula (meaning little portion in Italian) dedicated to St Mary of the Angels near Assisi in Italy.
The friars and diocesan priests worked in the mission of Sindh and Baluchistan administering parishes in Karachi, Kotri, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Quetta.
In 1951, 25 Catholic families living across the Lyari River from the Friary formed the beginning of St. Jude's Parish.
Speaking on the occasion, Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Theodore Lobo of Karachi said the mission of the friars is similar to that of Saint Francis of Assisi, who stressed the need to live the Gospels in daily life.
[16] On August 13, 1997, robbers held up Father Seig Zeinstra at the Friary residence for senior friars and made off with a large amount of cash.
[17] On April 14 and 15, 2012, the Church held a community protection training program at the Friary to safeguard minorities from the recent crime and violence.
[1] Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, O.F.M., of Lahore, gave the homily at the August 2 Mass of thanksgiving for the 75th anniversary of the friary.
Yusuf Bagh, O.F.M., head of the Custody of St. John the Baptist in Pakistan, also welcomed the guests participating in the jubilee.
Louis Mascarenhas, O.F.M., outlined the friary's history and passed on a message of hope to younger Franciscans.