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December 8, 2021Bahrain.
The newly constructed Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, Awali, Bahrain will be inaugurated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain on Thursday 9 December 2021 at 11 am. Present on the occasion will be the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the Papal Nuncio to Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar and Apostolic Delegate to Saudi Arabia, His Grace Archbishop Eugene Martin Nugent and the Apostolic Administrator of Northern Arabia, His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder. Around 280 dignitaries and other invitees will participate in the inaugural ceremony.
The Blessing of the Cathedral will take place on the following day together with the Eucharistic Celebration presided by His Eminence Cardinal Tagle. Archbishop Nugent, Bishop Hinder and several priests from both Vicariates will concelebrate in the Eucharistic Celebration on Friday 10 December 2021 at 10 am. Due to the restrictions of the pandemic and the regulations in force, only a limited number of faithful will be present at the ceremony. The liturgy of the Blessing will be telecast live on the website of the Sacred Heart Parish.
The land for the Cathedral and Bishop’s House, approximately 9,000 sqm, was graciously donated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on 11 February 2013 to the late Bishop Camillo Ballin, the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia. Once the necessary approvals were in place, Bishop Camillo began the work for mobilisation of resources for the project.
On 19 May 2014, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa visited Pope Francis in the Vatican and presented him with a model of the Cathedral. The foundation stone of the Cathedral was blessed on 31 May 2014. The stone taken from the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica was a gift from the Holy Father to the faithful of the Arabian Peninsula. The groundbreaking ceremony at the site in Awali was held on 10 June 2018 by the Apostolic Nuncio His Grace Archbishop Francisco Padilla in the presence of the Late Bishop Archbishop Camillo Ballin and the officials of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Following Bishop Camillo Ballin’s passing away on 12 April 2020, the project was overseen by His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder who was appointed by Pope Francis as the Apostolic Administrator of Northern Arabia.
The Cathedral has a seating capacity of 2300 and takes the shape of a tent with the roof in the shape of an octagonal dome. It is decorated with icons telling the story of the key events of the history of salvation. The Cathedral also has two chapels, a Blessed Sacrament chapel and a chapel within which a life-size statue of Our Lady of Arabia, the Patroness of the Vicariate is enshrined.
The Cathedral has a website where key milestones throughout the history of the project and particulars of the building are captured. The schedule of services that will take place at the Cathedral will be released on the website.
The Blessing of the Cathedral will be streamed live on the website of the Sacred Heart Parish Bahrain. Alternatively, access the link via the Parish YouTube channel.
For live updates, follow the parish Facebook Page.
Click here to view the photos of the Cathedral.