The newly constructed St. Joseph’s Parish Centre was inaugurated by Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, minister of culture, youth and community development, at a ceremony held on October 9. The event was also attended by Ali Al Hashimi, religious counsellor at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, and other government officials of Abu Dhabi in the presence of Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, Bishop Paul Hinder.

Present at the inauguration cermony were Apostolic Nuncio to the Arabian Peninsula Archbishop Petar Rajic and Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia Bishop Camillo Ballin. Also present were Fr. Savarimuthu, parish priest of St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Abu Dhabi as well as assitant priests and a host of priests from various parishes of the United Arab Emirates.

The compere, Roydon D'mello welcomed the congregation present and invited the chief guest, Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, to open the centre by cutting the red ribbon. Upon declaring open the new structure, the guests walked into the parish hall along with the representatives of the consultant and contracting firms who were instrumental in erecting the remarkable new building as the Choir sang ‘This is the day that the Lord has made’.

John Conrad, the vice president of the Parish Council, invited the guests and the congregation saying this is a ‘Dream come true’ venture of many parishioners. He also attributed the success of the event amid laud applauds from the congregation to the Late President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan who was the founder of this dream of the Catholic faithful and current President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan who supported the venture.

Mementos were then given to Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and Ali Al Hashimi by Bishop Paul Hinder. Flower bouquets were also presented to all the dignitaries.

Addressing the guests, Bishop Paul Hinder expressed his gratitude to the UAE president, all the government officials, the municipal authorities for granting necessary permission and ensuring that the venture reached its completion without any hindrance.

Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan said that he is glad to have the Cathedral of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia at Abu Dhabi. He also elaborated the policy of the UAE to respect the expatriate communities of different faiths. He encouraged the Catholic community to continue to support the UAE in its effort to build a global nation living in harmony while achieving economic growth.

Archbishop Petar Rajic presented mementos to the representatives of the Consultant, Mr. Suhail and the contractor, Mr. Hakim Saadi.

Speaking on the occasion, Fr. Savarimuthu expressed his special thanks to the Bishop Paul Hinder for all the support extended to this project. He also thanked the members of the construction committee for their commitment and whole-hearted support. He made a special mention of the enormous contribution of Fr. Eugene Mattioli, who served the Abu Dhabi parish for 17 years to build up a strong Catholic community.

The dignitaries then took a tour of the new building as the parishioners continued exchanging greetings on the occasion as the choir sang, ‘Give thanks to the Holy One’. This day will be written in the history of Catholic faith of the Arabian Peninsula with golden letters as a remarkable landmark achieved both in terms of faith and fraternity of various religions.