St. Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi
| St. Joseph's Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| كاتدرائية القديس يوسف | |
St. Joseph's Cathedral
| |
| 24°26′57″N 54°23′07″E / 24.449125831605784°N 54.38534929744973°E | |
| Location | Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi |
| Country | United Arab Emirates |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Religious institute | Order of Friars Minor Capuchin |
| Website | www.stjosephsabudhabi.org |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral and Parish Church |
| Founded | 22 June 1963 (in present-day Corniche) 16 August 1977 (in present-day Al Mushrif) |
| Founder | Fr. Barnabas Madii |
| Dedication | 1965 (in present-day Corniche) 25 February 1983 (in present-day Al Mushrif) |
| Events | 14 October 2014 (Inauguration of St. Therese Church) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Groundbreaking | 10 February 1964 (in present-day Corniche) 19 March 1981 (in present-day Al Mushrif) |
| Completed | 24 December 1964 (in present-day Corniche) 24 December 1982 (in present-day Al Mushrif) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia |
| Deanery | United Arab Emirates |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Most Rev. Paolo Martinelli, OFM Cap. |
| Rector | Rev. Fr. Chito Bunda Bartolo, OFM Cap. |
Saint Joseph's Cathedral[1] (Arabic: كاتدرائية القديس يوسف) is the seat of the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia and is one of five Catholic churches in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi[2][3] alongside Saint Paul's in Musaffah, Saint Mary's in Al Ain, Saint Francis’ in the Abrahamic Family House complex on Saadiyat Island, and Saint John the Baptist in Ruwais.[4] The first church was built in 1962 in the present Corniche, on a plot of land donated by Sheikh Shakhbut, then-ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Masses are said in Arabic and the languages of various expatriate populations in the country, primarily English, French, German, Italian, Konkani, Malayalam, Sinhalese, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, and Urdu.[5]
History
The foundation for St. Joseph's Cathedral was laid in 1962. In October 1963, work began for the first church in Abu Dhabi, and the foundation stone was blessed in February 1964, on a plot of land along the present Corniche, donated by Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi at that time. Fr. Barnabas Madii undertook the task of constructing the Church and a residence for the priests, and on 19 February 1965, the first church was inaugurated. A school was opened on the same plot in 1967 and was called St Joseph's School.
On 19 March 1981, the foundation for the present church was laid, following the ruler's decision that the church and its associated schools be moved to a different location. The inauguration of the new complex took place on 25 February 1983, in the presence of Sheikh Shakhbut. On 25 February 1983, the church became a cathedral serving as the seat of The Vicar Apostolic of Southern Arabia with the late Giovanni Bernardo Gremoli as resident bishop.
On 30 January 2005, upon Gremoli's retirement, Paul Hinder was ordained as bishop.[6]
The parish today has over 100,000 expatriate Catholics from all over the world. With the growing economy within the region, the church saw a steady increase in the number of faithful. Masses are celebrated in several different languages, and the church is generally full capacity at most services.
The Bishop's House and St Joseph's School are located within the same compound and recently there has been some renovation.[7]
A significant section of the parish complex was demolished at the beginning of 2013 to give way for the construction of new halls/ catechetical rooms/ offices/ residence for priests and staff, Today this newly constructed part is known as St. Therese of The Child Jesus Church.[8]
On 2 July 2022, Msgr. Paolo Martinelli was canonically installed as the Vicar of Southern Arabia in the cathedral as a successor to Msgr. Paul Hinder.[9]
Papal visit
On 5 February 2019,[10] Pope Francis made a private visit to the cathedral. He addressed[11] the people summoned to visit him, mainly consisting of the needy, people of determination and altar servers. He entered the church with the Vicar of Southern Arabia, Paul Hinder.[12]
Clergy
Present and past parish priests
| Name | Term start | Term end | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnabas Maddii, OFM Cap.[13] | 1965 | 1969 |
| 2 | Attilio Franceschetti, OFM Cap. | 1969 | 1976 |
| 3 | Daniele Cerofolini, OFM Cap. | 1976 | 1982 |
| 4 | Eusebius Daveri, OFM Cap. | 1982 | 1989 |
| 5 | Eugine Mattioli, OFM Cap.[14] | 1989 | 2006 |
| 6 | Savarimuthu Anthonysamy, OFM Cap. | 2006 | 2015 |
| 7 | Johnson Kadukanmakal, OFM Cap. | 2015 | 2021 |
| 8 | Chito Bunda Bartolo, OFM Cap.[15] | 2021 | Incumbent |
Mass timing
Sunday Mass
- 6:30 AM
- 8:30 AM (Catechism Mass)
- 10:15 AM
- 12:00 PM (Tagalog)
- 2:30 PM (Malayalam)
- 4:30 PM
- 6:30 PM
- 8:15 PM (Arabic)
Daily Mass schedule
Monday to Friday
- 6:30 AM
- 9:00 AM
- 7:00 PM
Saturday
- 6:30 AM (Weekday liturgy)
- 8:30 AM (Catechism Mass | Sunday liturgy)
- 10:15 AM (Sunday liturgy)
- 4:30 PM (Sunday liturgy)
- 6:30 PM (Sunday liturgy)[16]
Mass times can change on holy days.
See also
References
- Back to citation Berlitz (27 November 2013). Berlitz: Abu Dhabi Pocket Guide. Apa Publications (UK) Limited. ISBN 9781780047690.
- Back to citation Guides, Insight (1 December 2015). Insight Guides: Oman & the UAE. Apa Publications (UK) Limited. ISBN 9781780055480.
- Back to citation Annual Report on International Religious Freedom 2005, April 2006, 109-2 Joint Committee Print, *. 1 January 2006.
- Back to citation Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter (11 June 2015). "Catholics in Abu Dhabi get new church in Musaffah". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- Back to citation "Mass Times". St. Joseph's Cathedral Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- Back to citation Malayalam Catholic Community Abu Dhabi Archived 2012-06-27 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 29 April 2012
- Back to citation "::: St Joseph's Cathedral:: Abu Dhabi, UAE:::". www.stjosephsabudhabi.org. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017.
- Back to citation "St Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi, UAE". www.stjosephsabudhabi.org. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- Back to citation "Installation Mass of Bishop Paolo Martinelli as the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia". Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- Back to citation "Papal visit: Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi to mark a historic day for inter-faith relations - as it happened". The National. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- Back to citation "Visit to St. Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi" (PDF). The Visit of Pope Francis to the United Arab Emirates: 1.
- Back to citation "Apostolic Journey of the Holy Father to the United Arab Emirates (3-5 February 2019) | Francis". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- Back to citation "History". St. Joseph's Cathedral Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Back to citation "Fr. Eugene Mattioli OFM Cap. returns to Italy". Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Back to citation "Newly Appointed Parish Priest - St. Joseph's Cathedral, Abu Dhabi". St. Joseph's Cathedral Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- Back to citation "St. Joseph's Cathedral Abu Dhabi". St. Joseph's Cathedral Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 17 April 2022.