Sebastian Francis Shah was born in Padri-Jo-Goth, Pakistan on 14 November 1957. He received his early education at Fatima High School and attended the Government Degree College. He received his religious training under the Order of Friars Minor and at the Christ the King seminary

Christ the King Seminary

The Christ the King Mission Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary in Quezon City, Philippines run by the Divine Word Missionaries, more popularly known as the "Society of the Divine Word" .-External links:*...

 in Karachi and was ordained a priest in Lahore

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 on 6 December 1991. Before joining the Franciscans he was a teacher.

He was rector of the Juniorate and Postulancy of Darul Naim in Lahore from 1991 until 1995, taught at St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore

St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore

St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore, is the preparatory seminary in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore. It is the first minor seminary in the country, started by Belgian Capuchin Bishop Marcel Roger Buyse of Lahore in 1951. St. Mary's is now serving Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi dioceses, as...

, and has also been Provincial of the Order of Friars Minor in Pakistan.

On 14 February 2009 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Lahore by Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

. Bishop Shah holds a Master of Science degree in Guidance and Counselling from De La Salle University

De La Salle University

De La Salle University is a private Lasallian university in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Paco, Manila with Blimond Pierre serving as its first director...

 in Manila.

Bishop Shah was consecrated as Bishop at Sacred Heart Cathedral

Sacred Heart Cathedral

Sacred Heart Cathedral may refer to:in Australia*Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo, Victoria, Australiain Bosnia and Herzegovina* Cathedral of Jesus' Heart, Sarajevoin Canada...

, Lahore, on 25 April 2009. The principal celebrant was the Archbishop of Lahore Lawrence Saldanha

Lawrence Saldanha

Lawrence John Saldanha was born in Mangalore, India on 25 October 1936. He received his religious training at the Christ the King seminary in Karachi and was ordained a priest in Lahore, Pakistan on 16 January 1960....

, who was assisted by Most Rev Max John Rodrigues

Max John Rodrigues

Max John Rodrigues was born in Karachi, Pakistan on 29 May 1938. He entered the seminary in 1957 and spent seven years of his priestly formation at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. He was ordained a priest by Pope Paul VI at St. Peter's Basilica on 6 January 1966...

, Bishop of Hyderabad and Most Rev Joseph Coutts, Bishop of Faisalabad.