New cathedral work on track in Bahrain

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MANAMA: Almost 80 per cent of the construction of the new Roman Catholic Cathedral in Awali has been completed and the building is expected to be open to the public in May.

The BD11.3 million Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia is being built on a 9,000sqm stretch of land donated by His Majesty King Hamad.

Kerala-born priest, Father Saji Thomas of Sacred Heart Church, who has served in Bahrain as part of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia for the last seven years, recently conducted a site tour alongside former Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and member of the Bahraini-British Parliamentary Friendship Group, UK MP Rehman Chishti.

“I’m very happy with the progress,” said Father Thomas, Apostolic delegate of Bishop Paul Hinder to Bahrain and parish priest of Our Lady of Visitation Church Awali. “We were supposed to open last September but due to the pandemic the plans were delayed.

“We are pleased with how the progress is going now and we would like to share our heartfelt gratitude to His Majesty King Hamad and to the entire Royal Family for all the support they have shown.

”The visit went well and Mr Rehman was immensely happy.”

Father Thomas is now helping to steer forward the major architectural project to its conclusion after Italian Bishop Camillo Ballin’s sudden death last April.

“The project of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia was the idea of the late Bishop Camillo,” he explained. “It was his dream project. He initiated the work and did everything he could towards the completion of the work.

“We always remember him with great gratitude. We also thank all the people who have contributed for the Cathedral project, especially Father Xavier D’ Souza, the parish priest of Sacred Heart Church, the priests, the religious sisters and all the parishioners of Sacred Heart Church for their generous support.”

The Sacred Heart Church serves an estimated 140,000 people.

The main contractor of the project, which is being designed to accommodate a congregation of up to 2,300, is Mohammed Jalal & Sons. Architect Ismail Khonji Associates worked on the initial design created by Italian designer Mattia Del Prete.

According to Father Thomas, the shape of the cathedral aims to resemble a tent in which, according to the Old Testament, the Prophet Moses met with people.

The structure is topped with an octagonal dome and one of the chapels reveals the patron saint of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia: Our Lady of Arabia – the crowned Virgin Mary holding a rosary and the Christ Child.

In the apse of the cathedral, there are a series of hand-painted icons created in Italy that convey Biblical scenes. The altar, baptistery, pews and other furnishings have also been crafted in Italy.

Spacious

The palm tree-lined complex will also include a carpark for 480 vehicles, a state-of-the-art pastoral centre and a dormitory, a spacious courtyard and a multi-purpose building with a residence and office of the bishop and his assistants, as well as an education centre.

The idea of building another Catholic church in Bahrain was first proposed in 2011 when the King visited the Vatican.

The GDN reported in June 2014 that a foundation stone blessing ceremony was held to mark the start of construction work although work was later delayed due to change in design.

The foundation stone was reportedly given as a gift by Pope Francis and brought especially from the Vatican in Rome and a blessing was made following the ceremony at the Church of the Lady of Visitation in Awali in 2014.

Father Thomas added: “It all started when the King of Bahrain donated a plot of land to the kingdom’s Catholic community seven years ago. Officially taking matters a step further, in 2014 King Hamad met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, reassuring him of Bahrain’s commitment to coexistence and presenting him with a detailed three-foot-long model of a proposed cathedral and its surroundings.”

A ground-breaking ceremony was held at the site in June 2018 graced by the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Francisco Padilla, the diplomatic representative of the Pope in the UAE, and Catholic Church in Northern Arabia head Bishop Camillo along with Bahraini officials.

Construction started in August 2018.

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