The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia which covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia has an estimated 25 million Catholic faithful comprising mostly of migrant workers from different nations and diverse cultures. The sizable number of Catholics in the Vicariate were warmly welcomed by the leaders of the respective countries. In Bahrain it was the ruling family, especially His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, who benevolently approved the construction of a much bigger church which is the centre of pastoral services in the whole Vicariate.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia which covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia has an estimated 25 million Catholic faithful comprising mostly of migrant workers from different nations and diverse cultures. The sizable number of Catholics in the Vicariate were warmly welcomed by the leaders of the respective countries. In Bahrain it was the ruling family, especially His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, who benevolently approved the construction of a much bigger church which is the centre of pastoral services in the whole Vicariate.
The project of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia was the dream of the late Bishop Camillo Ballin. In a magnanimous gesture of tolerance, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa readily approved the project and donated 9,000 sq.m of land for the Cathedral.
On the 19 May 2014, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa met Pope Francis at the Apostolic Place in the Vatican and presented a gift – the scale model of the largest church that will be built in the Arabian Peninsula, a proof of the Kingdom’s commitment to tolerance and coexistence. Upon receiving the gift of the land, Bishop Camillo began the tremendous task of mobilising the resources for this great project and spared no effort to bring his dream to fruition. The Blessing of the Foundation Stone was done on 31 May. This marked the beginning of the construction work. The foundation stone, which was taken from the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter’s in the Vatican was a gift from the Holy Father to the faithful of Arabia as a sign of profound union with the Church of Rome. The ground-breaking ceremony was held at the site on 10 June 2018 graced by the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Francisco Padilla, and in the presence of Bishop Camillo Ballin, the head of the Catholic Church in Northern Arabia and officials of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Following the unexpected demise of Bishop Camillo Ballin on 12 April 2020, the construction was overseen by His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder, whom Pope Francis appointed as the Apostolic Administrator of Northern Arabia. The project was locally managed by Rev. Fr. Saji Thomas, the Parish Priest of Awali Church, together with the active support of the clergy led by Rev. Fr. Xavier D’Souza, Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Church and the COLA team, Rodrigo C. Acosta, Michael Bueno Camay, Jesus C. Palingcod Jr. and Jickson Parakkadan Jose.
The Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop and a symbol of unity within a diocese. Our Cathedral has a seating capacity of 2300, with two chapels and two big rooms with cubicles for confessions. Structurally, the shape of the cathedral resembles a “tent” in which, according to the Old Testament, the Prophet Moses used to meet God. Our Cathedral is the tent where we go to meet God, to speak with Him and to cast all our worries upon Him because He cares for us (cf. 1 Pt 5:7). It is also the place where we sacramentally celebrate God’s presence and build our community through Him, with Him and in Him. The roof of the Cathedral has an octagonal dome. In one of the chapels is revealed the patroness of the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, “Our Lady of Arabia” – the Virgin Mary seated on a throne with a crown on her head and holding the Baby Jesus in her right hand and the rosary in her left hand.. The design of this magnificent structure was created by the Italian designer and architect Mattia Del Prete and Cristiano Rosponi. The “mystery crown artworks” are the masterpiece of Kiko Arguello.
