Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (Doha)
The Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (Arabic: كنيسة سيدة المسبحة) is a Catholic church in Doha, Qatar. It is located, along with churches of other Christian denominations, at the Religious Complex in Abu Hamour.[1] It is the first church built in the country since the Muslim conquests in the 7th century.[4][5]
| Rosary Church, Doha | |
|---|---|
| Catholic Church of our Lady of the Rosary كنيسة سيدة المسبحة | |
 | |
 | |
| Location | Abu Hamour,[1] Doha |
| Country | Qatar |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Website | https://qatarcatholicchurch.org/home |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 15 March 2008[2] |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 2 700[3] |
| Administration | |
| Division | Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia |
| Clergy | |
| Priest in charge | Fr. Xavier Marian D'Souza OFM Cap. |
The church was constructed at a cost of around $20 million on land donated by the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.[3] Due to the laws in Islamic Qatar, the church displays no Christian symbols like crosses, bells, or a steeple on its exterior.[6]
The church was dedicated on 14 March 2008, by Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation,[7] in a ceremony attended by Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah; Archbishop Mounged Al Hachem, the ambassador of the Holy See to the Gulf; Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia; Archbishop Giuseppe Andrea, former nuncio of the Holy See to the region; and several Qatari officials.[2][8]
The church is part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia and serves around 200,000 Catholics in Qatar,[1] most of them migrant workers from the Philippines, India, South America, Africa, Lebanon and Europe.[1][9][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Ramesh Mathew (22 February 2014). "Prince Charles visits churches in Abu Hamour". Gulf Times. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ^ a b "First Christian church opens in Qatar". USA Today. Associated Press. 15 March 2008.
- ^ a b Khatri, Shabina S. (2008-06-20). "Qatar opens first church, quietly". Al Jazeera English.
- ^ Ayed, Nahlah (2008-03-21). "Faith in the desert: Qatar's first official Catholic church". CBC News.
- ^ Murphy, Caryle (2009-02-09). "For the first time, Christians in Qatar worship in church". The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Verma, Sonia (14 March 2008). "First Catholic Church Opens in Qatar, Sparking Fear of Backlash Against Christians". Fox News. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008.
- ^ AsiaNews.it. "15 thousand attend first mass in Doha church". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "First Catholic Church in Arabic country to be dedicated to Mary". Catholic News Agency. 29 February 2008.
- ^ "Re-Organisation of the Vicariates of the Arabian Peninsula". Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia.
- ^ "First church in Qatar has low profile". United Press International. 2008-03-14.
Further reading
edit- "Christians shed tears of joy". Gulf Times. 16 March 2008. Archived from the original on March 20, 2008.
- Fran Gillespie (15 March 2008). "Gulf a haven for Christian communities". Gulf Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2008.
- Ramesh Mathew (15 March 2008). "Praise for Qatar as First Church Is Consecrated". Gulf Times.
External links
edit- Official website Archived 2023-01-17 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
- Official Arabic website (in Arabic)
- Catholic Blog, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Doha, Qatar