All about the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai
The city of Dubai is a place where you can find people from all walks of life. It’s a city where different nationalities, ethnicities and religions all coexist in harmony. The Catholic community in Dubai is one faith that has been a big part of the city since its inception. This is evident because the first-ever church in Dubai, the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, was built back in 1967. Today, the church still operates in the city serving the largest parish in the region. Here’s a look at how the St. Mary’s Church in Dubai came to be and what it is like today.
THE HISTORY OF SAINT MARY’S CHURCH DUBAI
The history of St. Mary’s Church in Dubai dates back to 1962 when the UAE first started exporting oil. The discovery of oil in the UAE saw the country’s society and the economy developing at a rapid pace and the number of Christians and Catholics in the region grew too.
At the time, Bahrain was the only city in the Middle East region which had an established Catholic church, the Sacred Heart Church. Priests from this Sacred Heart Church in Bahrain would visit the UAE on a monthly basis to conduct mass and other Catholic Orders such as marriages and baptisms. But since there wasn’t an established church in the UAE, Catholics would have to perform these holy orders in their homes.
However, the growing number of Catholics in Dubai and other emirates of the UAE made it clear that a permanent place of worship with a residing priest was required.
This was when the Bishop took a trip to the UAE to meet His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the late Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE to request the construction of the first church in Dubai. And so began the story of how the St. Mary’s Church in Dubai came to be.
It was in the year 1965 that Sheikh Rashid donated the land to build the first church in Dubai. Then, Fr. Eusebio Daveri, who was the parish priest of Sacred Heart Church in Bahrain was transferred to Dubai to oversee the construction of the church and by the beginning of 1966, the first parish hall was constructed.
Following this, on 25 May 1966, Sheikh Rashid visited the site and laid the foundation stone for the church, himself. Finally, on 7 April 1967, the place was solemnly blessed by Bishop Luigi. Magliacani and dedicated to Mary Assumed into Heaven resulting in the name, St. Mary’s Church Dubai.
Following the inauguration, in 1968 Fr. Eusebio with the support of His Highness Sheikh Rashid facilitated the construction of a beautiful school besides the church called the St.Mary’s Catholic High School. This school quickly expanded with additional wings, to become what is still considered one of the major English-medium schools in the UAE.
The story of the St. Mary’s Church in Dubai doesn’t end there. In the year 1988, the initial structure of the church was demolished to make way for a larger church to accommodate the growing number of Catholics.
WHAT’S THE ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH IN DUBAI LIKE NOW?
The St. Mary’s Church Dubai has been serving Catholics in the region over 50 years, making it one of the oldest amongst all the other churches in Dubai. It went from a small prayer hall to a massive church that reportedly has the region’s largest parish. This Dubai church currently serves over 500,000 churchgoers with masses being conducted in over 12 languages, including Arabic, Tagalog, French, Konkani, Malayalam, Tamil, Sinhalese, Urdu and Portuguese.
Following the reconstruction back in 1988, the premises of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai has changed quite a bit. In addition to the main church and the school building, there is a staff quarter for all the resident priests and nuns as well as individual offices for each. There is also a quaint shop where you can buy religious articles. In addition to that, there is a fully stocked canteen catered by Ceasers, a football pitch, a basketball court and auditoriums which are utilised by the school as well as the church.
ST MARY’S CHURCH DUBAI LOCATION
The St. Mary’s Church in Dubai is located on Oud Metha Road, right opposite the Indian High School.
It’s easily accessible by all modes of transportation. If you are travelling by metro, the Oud Metha Metro Station on the green line is the closest metro to St. Mary’s Dubai. There is also a bus stop right in front of the church. Bus route numbers X23, X25, F18, C7, C4, C18, 28, 44 all stop here.
ST. MARY’S CHURCH DUBAI MASS TIMINGS
The most popular and busy masses in the St Mary’s Dubai Church are held during Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Keep a note of these the St Mary’s Church mass timings today if you are planning a visit.
Ash Wednesday Timings in Dubai (26th February 2020)
- Masses in the morning at: 05:30am; 06:30am; 07:30am; 09:00 am; and 12 noon.
- Masses in the evening at 03:00 pm; 04:30 pm; 06:00 pm; and 07:30 pm
- The imposition of ashes will take place after the Gospel reading as per the liturgical rules.
Regular English Mass Timings in St Mary’s Church Dubai
Friday
These masses are held in the main altar.
- 06:00 am: English mass
- 07:15 am: English mass
- 09:00 am: English mass
- 10:15 am: English mass This is usually a Children’s mass while Catechism classes are held, so the priest will be focussing on sermons which are appropriate for a younger audience
- 03:30 pm: English mass (Children’s Mass)
- 04:45 pm: English mass
- 06:15 pm: English mass
Saturday
- 06:00 am: English mass
- 06:45 am: English mass
- 09:00 am: English mass
- 10:15 am: Syro – Malabar English Mass
- 12:00 pm: English mass (Children’s Mass)
- 05:00 pm: English mass
- 07:30 pm: English mass
Sunday
- 06:00 am: English mass
- 06:45 am: English mass
- 09:00 am: English mass
- 12:00 pm: English mass
- 04:30 pm: English mass
- 06:00 pm: English mass
- 07:30 pm: English mass
Mass Timings in St Mary’s Church in Dubai from Monday to Thursday
- 06:00 am: English mass
- 06:45 am: English mass
- 12:00 pm: English mass
- 07:00 pm: English mass
Mass Timings for Masses and Liturgical services in Other Languages
Arabic Mass
- Every Friday: 11:30 am, 08:00 pm
- Every Sunday: 11:00 am
Tagalog
Every Friday: 12:45 pm
French
Every Saturday: 06:15 pm
Konkani
- Third Friday of every month: 02:00 pm in the Main Hall
- Second Thursday of every month 08:00 pm in the Main Hall
- Fourth Thursday of every month: 08:00 pm in the Main Church
Malayalam Mass (held at the main altar)
- Every Friday: 02:00 pm
- First and Third Thursday of every month: 08:00 pm
- Fourth Wednesday of every month: 08:00 pm
- *Rites for the Malayalam Mass are scheduled as per Malayalam Catholic Congregation)
Malankara Rite
Every Friday: 07:30 pm
Tamil Mass
- First and Second Thursday of every month: 08:00 pm
- Third Wednesday of every month: 08:00 pm
- Fourth Friday of every month: 07:30 pm
Sinhalese Mass
- First Friday of every month: 07:30 pm
- Fourth Friday of every month: 04:30 pm
Urdu Mass
Every Thursday: 07:30 pm
African Mass (in English for all Africans)
Every last Friday of the month (Mini Hall): 01:00 pm
ST MARY’S CHURCH DUBAI OFFICE TIMINGS
If you plan to visit the church, it is open from everyday 05:00 am to 09:30 pm. However, if you wish to visit the Parish office, here are the timings:
- Wednesday to Monday: 08:30 am to 12:30 pm and 04:00 pm to 08:30 pm
- Friday: 08:00 am to 12:30 pm and 04:00 pm to 8:00 pm
- Parish office remains closed on Tuesdays.
That completes this quick guide on St. Mary’s Church in Dubai. If you require any more information, you can contact the St, Mary’s Parish Office on +971-4-3370087 / +971-4-3358504 or email office@saintmarysdubai.org
The St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai is not just a church but a testament to the progressive vision the UAE’s rulers had for the country. Years later, the rulers have maintained this progressive vision and in addition to the St. Mary’s Church, there is the St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church in Jebel Ali. There are also plenty of churches in Abu Dhabi as well as a few churches in Sharjah serving the different Christian communities in those emirates.
