All about the St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Sharjah
Churches in the UAE are a testament to the religious tolerance and cultural diversity in the country. Regardless of the emirate you reside in, you can easily find places of worship nearby, particularly the Christian community. In this post, we’ll talk about St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Sharjah, one of the historic places of worship for Roman Catholics in the UAE.
A Brief History of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Sharjah
The St. Michael’s Catholic Church is one of the oldest Christian facilities of worship in the emirate and has been serving devout Catholics in the Al Yarmook area since 2nd October 1997. Cardinal Arinze from the Vatican consecrated the church and Fr. Angelo served as the first parish priest.
Before the building and consecration of the present church premise, St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Sharjah was based in a little chapel near the British Air Force base. This church was founded by an Italian priest of the Capuchin order, Fr. Barnabas Maddii, in 1971. Two years later, the church was moved to the officers’ mess, with the kitchen area serving as the parish house.
Today, there are six priests at the church, officiating the mass in different languages to cater to the spiritual needs of different expat communities residing in the emirate. They are:
- Fr. Savarimuthu Antony Samy OFM Cap (Parish Priest)
- Fr. Maged Moussa OFM Cap. (Asst. Parish Priest and Spiritual Director of Arabic and French Communities)
- Fr. Denis Saldanha OFM Cap. (Asst. Parish Priest and Spiritual Director of Konkani Community)
- Fr. John Thundiyath (Asst. Parish Priest and Spiritual Director of Syro Malankara Community)
- Fr. Jose Vattukulathil Alexander OFM Cap. (Asst. Parish Priest and Spiritual Director of Malayalam Community)
- Fr. Deo Fernando Quinto OFM Cap. (Asst. Parish Priest and Spiritual Director of Filipino Community)
Along with the clergy, St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Sharjah also has 167 Eucharistic Ministers, 139 Lectors, 80 Volunteers and 113 altar servers. There is also a 28-member choir that leads parishioners in praise and worship.
The parish is one of the largest Catholic parishes in the country, with around 40,000 members. In addition to this, there are 35 active prayer groups at St. Michael’s Church that meet every week.
Moreover, parents can enrol their children for the churches’ Catechism programs. It is one of the largest programs in Sharjah with over 4,000 children attending on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH MASS TIMINGS
Here is the schedule for the St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church weekly masses:
English Mass timings from Monday to Friday
- 05:45 am
- 07:00 am
- 07:00 pm
SPECIAL MASSES:
- Thanksgiving, birthday and wedding anniversary mass is on the 4th Monday of every month at 07:45 pm in the main church.
- Youth Mass is on the 4th Saturday of the month at 07:00 pm in Parish Hall.
HOLY MASSES FOR CATECHISM CHILDREN
- Friday 06:30 pm (Syro Malabar)
- Saturday 09:45 am in the Church (English)
- Saturday 04:00 pm in the Church (Arabic)
- Sunday 09:30 am| 10:45 am (English)
ENGLISH MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH ON SATURDAY
- 05:45 am
- 07.00 am
- 08.15 am
- 05:30 pm
- 07:00 pm
SUNDAY MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH IN SHARJAH
- 05:45 am
- 07:00 am
- 08:15 am
- 09:30 am
- 05:30 pm
- 07:00 pm
AFRICAN MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
African mass is on the 3rd Sunday of every month at 01:30 pm in the Parish Hall
ARABIC MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
Arabic mass is held every Sunday at 08:15 pm in the main church.
KONKANI MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
Konkani mass is held on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays in the Parish Hall every month at 12:15 pm in the church. There is also a weekly Konkani mass every 2nd and 4th Sundays in the Church.
MALAYALAM MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
For those who follow the Syro Malabar Rite, weekly mass timings are as follows:
SATURDAY
- 08:15 pm (First Saturday in Church and 3rd Saturday in Parish Hall every month)
SUNDAY
- 01:30 pm (1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays in the Church)
- 01:30 pm (2nd Sunday in the Parish Hall)
Timings for masses in the other languages are as follows:
TAGALOG MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
- 08:15 pm (2nd Saturday in the Parish Hall and 4th Saturday in the Church
- 12:15 pm (1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays in the Church) | (2nd and 4th Sundays in the Parish Hall)
TAMIL MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
- 03:45 pm (1st and 3rd Sundays in the Parish Hall) | 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays in the Church
SINHALESE MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
- 01:30 pm in the Church (every 2nd Sunday)
URDU MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
- 12:00 pm (1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays at St. Francis of Assisi Chapel)
FAQs
What are St. Michael’s Church office hours?
If you want to visit the Parish office, the daily St. Michael’s Church opening hours are:
- 08:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 04:30 pm to 08:30 pm
What is St. Michael’s Church contact number?
You can also call St. Michael’s Church Sharjah on their contact number +971-65-662-4224 for further details. The mailing address for St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church is P. O. Box: 1745, Sharjah.
What is the St. Michael’s Church location?
The church is located at 15 Abdullah Bin Anees Street, Al Yarmook Sharjah. Al Yarmook is home to several churches in addition to St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Sharjah. This is a major reason Christians in Sharjah opt for apartments for rent in Bu Daniq or its vicinity.
The area is considered one of the most well-established localities in the city, around 15 minutes away from the Sharjah International Airport. Since public transportation is limited at the moment, you have to rely on taxis or private vehicles.
This wraps up our guide to St. Michael’s Church, Sharjah. We have also created an extensive list of churches in Sharjah for all major denominations that you can check out.
And since Dubai is also a short drive from Sharjah, you can also read about the best churches in Dubai. Among these, Jebel Ali Church is particularly well-known, which you can reach in less than 45 minutes from Sharjah via car.
