All about the St Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Sharjah
Note: St. Michael’s Church in Sharjah, like other churches in the country, is temporarily closed as part of the efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus in the UAE.
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 safe and secure places of worship nearby, particularly for the Christian community. In this blog post, we talk about St. Michael’s Church, Sharjah, one of the leading places of worship for Roman Catholics in the UAE.
A Brief History of St. Michael’s Church, Sharjah
The St Michael’s Church is one of the oldest Christain 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. Varghese Chempoly (Kerala)
- Fr. Victor Prakash (Tamil Nadu)
- Fr. Hilario (Philippines)
- Fr. Youssef (Lebanon)
- Fr. Stephen Lewis OFM Cap., (Karnataka)
- Fr. Jose Vattukulathil (Kerala)
Along with the clergy, St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Sharjah also has 167 Extraordinary 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 Thursday
- 05:45 am
- 07:00 am
- 07:00 pm
SPECIAL MASSES:
- Wedding Anniversary Mass is on the 4th Thursday of every month at 07:00 pm in the main church
- Youth Mass is on the 4th Saturday of the month at 07:00 pm in St. Francis Assisi Chapel.
ENGLISH MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH ON FRIDAY
- 05:45 am
- 07:00 am
- 08:15 am
- 09:30 am
- 05:30 pm
- 07:00 pm (parish hall)
Catechism Masses
- 09:00 am (parish hall)
- 10:00 am (parish hall)
- 10:45 am (parish hall)
- 10:45 am (church)
ENGLISH MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH ON SATURDAY
- 05:45 am
- 08:30 am
- 05:30 pm
- 07:00 pm
SUNDAY MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH IN SHARJAH
- 05:45 am
- 07:00 am
- 08:30 am
- 05:30 pm
- 07:00 pm
AFRICAN MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
African mass is on the last Friday of Every Month at 05:00 pm in the parish hall
ARABIC MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
Arabic mass is held every Saturday at 03:45 pm and every Sunday at 08:30 pm in the main church.
KONKANI MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
Konkani mass is held on the first Friday of every month at 12:00 pm in the church. There is also a weekly Konkani mass every Saturday at 07:00 pm in the parish hall.
MALAYALAM MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
For those who follow the Syro Malabar Rite, weekly mass timings are as follows:
THURSDAY
- 08:15 pm
FRIDAY
- 12:00 pm (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Friday of the month)
- 01:15 pm (parish hall, 1st Friday of the month)
- 3:00 pm (1st and 3rd Fridays in the church; 2nd, 4th and 5th Fridays in the parish hall)
SATURDAY
- 08:15 pm (last Saturday of every month)
If you want to worship in the Latin Rite, Malayalam mass timings are as follows:
FRIDAY
- 08:15 pm in the church
SATURDAY
- 08:15 pm in the church
Timings for masses in the other languages are as follows:
MARATHI MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
- 09:30 am in St: Francis of Assisi Chapel (4th Friday only)
TAGALOG MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
FRIDAY
- 06:45 pm in the church
SUNDAY
- 07:30 pm in the parish hall
TAMIL MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
FRIDAY
- 03:45 pm (1st and 3rd Friday Masses in the parish hall)
- 08:15 pm (1st and 3rd Sunday of the Month at St: Francis Assisi Chapel)
SINHALESE MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
- 02:15 pm in the church (every 4th Friday)
- 06:00 pm in St. Francis of Assisi Chapel (every 1st Friday)
URDU MASS TIMINGS AT ST. MICHAEL’S
FRIDAY
- 12:00 pm in the St. Francis Chapel (1st, 3rd, 4th & 5th Friday Masses)
- 12:00 pm in the St. Vianney Chapel (every second Friday)
St. Michael’s Church Office Hours
If you want to visit the Parish office, the daily opening hours are:
- 08:00 am to 12:00 pm
- 04:00 pm to 08:00 pm
St. Michael’s Church Contact
You can also call St. Michael’s Church Sharjah on their contact number +971-6-56624224 for further details. The mailing address for St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church is P. O. Box: 1745, Sharjah.
St. Michael’s Church Location
The church is located on 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 in its vicinity.
The area is considered one of the most well-established ones 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 our guide on St. Michael’s Church, Sharjah. At the time of writing, the church is temporarily closed due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the UAE. However, you can join online masses through the church’s Facebook page, which is also a great place for the community to come together.
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.
