Doha: Cardinal Ivan Dias to Dedicate Qatar's First Church on March 14
Daijiworld Media Network – Doha (GA)
Doha, Mar 6: Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, is scheduled to lead the dedication ceremony of the first Catholic Church dedicated to the Blessed Mother Mary on Friday March 14 in Doha, Qatar.
A Filipino priest will head this Catholic Church. In a statement on its website, the CBCP said Fr Tomasito Veneracion will head the new parish that may include some 45,000 Filipinos.
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Archbishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Arabia, will join Cardinal Dias for the dedication.
Located at Mesaimeer, near Abu Hamour, St Mary's Catholic Church is the first Christian church to be opened in Qatar. The church will be part of a larger complex, which will also have five other churches of different denominations. The Catholic church will have a capacity to accommodate 2,700 people.
In Qatar, the Christian community includes Indians, Filipinos, Europeans, Arabs and Americans, of Catholic, Orthodox Coptic, Anglican and other protestant denominations.
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