Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (Doha) explained

Rosary Church, Doha
Fullname: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
Consecrated Date:15 March 2008
Capacity:2 700
Division:Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia
Priestincharge:Fr. Xavier Marian D'Souza OFM Cap.

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.[2] [3]

The church was constructed at a cost of around $20 million on land donated by the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.[4] Due to the laws in Islamic Qatar, the church displays no Christian symbols like crosses, bells, or a steeple on its exterior.[5]

The church was dedicated on 14 March 2008, by Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation,[6] 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.[7] [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]

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Notes and References

  1. News: Ramesh Mathew . Prince Charles visits churches in Abu Hamour . . 22 February 2014. 22 February 2014.
  2. News: Faith in the desert: Qatar's first official Catholic church . Nahlah . Ayed . Nahlah Ayed . CBC News . 2008-03-21.
  3. Web site: For the first time, Christians in Qatar worship in church . Caryle . Murphy . . 2009-02-09 .
  4. Web site: Qatar opens first church, quietly . Al Jazeera English . Shabina S. . Khatri . 2008-06-20.
  5. News: Sonia . Verma . First Catholic Church Opens in Qatar, Sparking Fear of Backlash Against Christians . Fox News . 14 March 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080316000915/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C338014%2C00.html . March 16, 2008 .
  6. Web site: 15 thousand attend first mass in Doha church. AsiaNews.it. www.asianews.it. 2019-10-22.
  7. News: Associated Press . First Christian church opens in Qatar . . 15 March 2008.
  8. News: First Catholic Church in Arabic country to be dedicated to Mary . . 29 February 2008.
  9. Web site: Re-Organisation of the Vicariates of the Arabian Peninsula . Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia.
  10. Web site: First church in Qatar has low profile . 2008-03-14 . United Press International.