Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (Doha)

Rosary Church, Doha
Catholic Church of our Lady of the Rosary
كنيسة سيدة الوردية‎
Location Abu Hamour,[1] Doha
Country Qatar
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website http://www.rosarychurchqatar.com/
History
Consecrated 15 March 2008[2]
Specifications
Capacity 2 700[3]
Administration
Division Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia
Clergy
Priest in charge Fr. Rally S. Gonzaga
Church facade

The Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (Arabic: كنيسة سيدة الوردية‎) is a Roman 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]

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 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][7]

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][8][9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ramesh Mathew (22 February 2014). "Prince Charles visits churches in Abu Hamour". Gulf Times. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 Associated Press (15 March 2008). "First Christian church opens in Qatar". USA Today.
  3. 1 2 Khatri, Shabina S. (2008-06-20). "Qatar opens first church, quietly". Al Jazeera English.
  4. ↑ Ayed, Nahlah (2008-03-21). "Faith in the desert: Qatar's first official Catholic church". CBC News.
  5. ↑ Murphy, Caryle (2009-02-09). "For the first time, Christians in Qatar worship in church". The Christian Science Monitor.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "First Catholic Church in Arabic country to be dedicated to Mary". Catholic News Agency. 29 February 2008.
  8. ↑ "Re-Organisation of the Vicariates of the Arabian Peninsula". Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia.
  9. ↑ "First church in Qatar has low profile". United Press International. 2008-03-14.

Further reading

  • "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.

Coordinates: 25°12′45″N 51°31′19″E / 25.2126°N 51.5219°E / 25.2126; 51.5219

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