All about St Joseph’s Cathedral Abu Dhabi
- About St. Joseph’s Cathedral
- Prayer programmes
- Communities
- Ministries
- Sacraments
- Prayer request
- Mass schedule
The UAE welcomes expats from a variety of religious backgrounds, a sizeable portion of which is made up of expatriates from the Christian community. The presence of several churches across the UAE is a testament to the country’s religious tolerance. When it comes to the many churches in Abu Dhabi, St Joseph’s Cathedral is oldest place of worship, set up during the rule of Sheikh Shakhbout bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to cater to the spiritual needs of Christian residents. Read on to know more about the history, mass timings, sacraments and more about the cathedral.
About St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Abu Dhabi
The foundation for the St. Joseph’s Cathedral was laid in 1962 and it was formally inaugurated in 1965. However, the church was moved to its current location in 1981 in line with the decision that the church and its related schools be moved to another location. The new complex was officially inaugurated in the presence of Abu Dhabi’s former ruler, His Highness Shakhbout bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in 1983.
St. Joseph’s Cathedral now has a parish of around 100,000 expat Catholics from across the world with services offered in different languages.
- St Joseph Church Abu Dhabi location: Near the intersection of Airport Road (Street 2) and 17th Street Abu Dhabi
- Contact: +971-2-446-1929
- Email: info@stjosephsabudhabi.org
- Weekly holiday: Tuesday
The church is named after St. Joseph in the Bible, who was the husband of Mary. Being a cathedral, this church is also home to the Catholic Bishop of the UAE. The present bishop is His Excellency Bishop Paul Hinder, OFM Cap., Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia.
Prayer Programmes
Churchgoers can participate in the following prayer groups at the St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi:
Bible Study
St. Joseph’s Bible Study groups are hosted on Tuesdays from 08:00 pm to 09:00 pm in one of the rooms in the St. Therese Block or the main church hall on the second floor.
Prayer Group Konkani
Established in 2000 by 18 members of the Konkani community, the Konkani Prayer Group of Abu Dhabi (KPG) was launched on the need of a prayer group in the language.
Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an organisation of devotees with a sole purpose to give glory to God through the sanctity of its members. It’s a balanced prayer programme which involves visits to the aged or sick, parishioner visitations, religious education and meeting other spiritual needs of the parish community. Meetings are held on Fridays and Wednesdays.
- Timings: 07:30 am and 05:00 pm (Fridays) | 05:30 pm and 08:15 pm (Wednesdays)
English Prayer Group
The English Prayer Group was formed in 1985 and currently has a core team of 4 to 5 members headed by a group coordinator who reports to the Spiritual Director. It also includes several ministries, each with a varying number of members headed by a Ministry Head. Current ministries at the St. Joseph church includes:
- Praise and Worship Ministry
- Word Sharing Ministry
- Music Ministry
- Healing Ministry
- Intercessory Ministry
- Liturgy MinistryService/ Ground Ministry
- Greetings Ministry
- Library Ministry
- Outreach Ministry
- Transport Ministry
Spiritual Revival Ministry (SRM)
This is a Catholic prayer group which conducts regular English prayer sessions for parishioners. Weekly prayer meetings are held at the Assisi hall in the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Abu Dhabi and all are welcome to join.
- Timings: 07:30 pm to 09:30 pm (Tuesdays)
Couples of Christ (CFC)
The CFC programme is devoted to the renewal of Christian family life and is an association created by Christian couples committed to the cause.
Communities at the St. Joseph’s Cathedral Abu Dhabi
People from all international communities are also welcome at the cathedral. These include members of the Spanish, African, Arabic, Konkani, Malayalam, German, French and Syro Malankara Catholic communities. A full overview of mass timings for each community can be found on the St. Joseph’s Cathedral Abu Dhabi website.
Ministries
The following make up at the ministries at the Abu Dhabi cathedral:
- Communion: Eucharistic ministers help priests distribute Holy Communion at liturgical services and take it to parishioners who are too ill to attend Mass
- Lectors: The Lectors’ Ministry has 300 Lectors who deliver services to around 16 weekly and daily masses in addition to several High Masses conducted during festive events
- Altar Services: Assist priest in all masses and accepts girls or boys who have received their First Communion (Grades 3/ 4)
- Ministry of Care: A ministry to the Body of Christ in the St. Joseph’s community which is responsible for bringing communions to the home-bound or sick
- Nurses: A movement of Catholic professional nurses
- Catechism: The English Catechism programme conducted for two hours on Fridays at 09:00 am
Other ministries at the cathedral include the Parish Barefoot Counselors, Youth and Choir.
Sacraments
Communion/ Eucharist
Children wishing to receive Holy Communion at the St. Joseph’s Cathedral must first enrol for Catechism classes. Adults may receive Holy Communion in daily mass.
Baptism
Parents who wish children to be baptised may attend a Baptism Seminar and register by submitting the required participation certificate along with the parents’ marriage certificate. Adults wishing to be baptised may contact the parish office.
- Parish Office Contact: +971-2-446-1929 | +971-2-446-5041 (Arabic)
- Timings: 08:30 am to 12:30 pm | 04:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Reconciliation
This sacrament is generally given in the church’s confessional room and usually during mass. While confessions are subject to the availability of priests, any priest can be contacted in case of emergency.
- St. Joseph Cathedral Confession times: 06:30 am to 07:00 am (during morning mass) | 07:00 pm to 07:30 pm (during evening mass)
Marriage
Couples who wish to get married at the St. Joseph’s Cathedral must follow certain guidelines and submit documents like and NOC (No Objection Certificate), baptism and confirmation certificate.
Confirmation
The sacrament of confirmation follows a period of catechism and confirmands are received into the apostolic community of the church as the bishops lays his hands on them. You can contact St. Joseph’s Cathedral to learn more about 2020 confirmation classes.
Holy Orders
Those who wish to enter ordained Christian ministry can also apply for the diaconate at the cathedral.
Anointing of the Sick
As already mentioned above, reaching sick parishioners with prayers and blessed elements of the communion is an active ministry of St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
Online Prayer Requests
Parishioners who cannot visit the cathedral in person may request for them by filling a form on the St. Joseph’s Cathedral website.
St Joseph Church Abu Dhabi mass schedule 2020
Those who want to attend Mass must keep the following St Joseph Cathedral mass timings in mind:
- Weekday masses: 06:30 am – Monday to Thursday and Saturday (St. Joseph) | 09:00 am – Monday to Thursday (St. Joseph) | 07:00 pm – Monday to Thursday (St. Therese)
- Obligatory masses on Fridays: 06:30 am and 07:45 am (St. Joseph), 09:00 am and 10:15 am (St. Therese) | 04:45 pm and 07:00 pm (St. Therese)
- Obligatory masses on Saturday: 09:00 am. 05:45 pm and 07:00 pm (St. Therese)
- Obligatory masses on Sunday: 06:30 am (St Joseph), 09:00 am (St. Therese), 04:30 pm (St. Therese) | 05:30 pm, 05:45 pm (St. Therese), 08:15 pm (St. Joseph)
- Children’s Masses: 09:00 am and 10:15 am on Friday (St. Joseph) | 07:30 pm on Thursday (St. Joseph)
Please visit the church’s official website regarding timings for masses in different languages.
This brings us to the end of our guide on the St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi. For information on other churches in the nation, take a look at the popular churches in Dubai.
The cover image has been taken from St Joseph’s Cathedral Abu Dhabi Facebook page.
