Worshippers from across Bahrain will be coming together tomorrow to witness the opening of the third Christian cemetery in the kingdom.
A multi-denominational service is set to take place at the 2,800-square-metre cemetery in Salmabad, starting at 4.30pm.
“It will be an ecumenical service to open the new cemetery,” St Christopher’s Cathedral dean Father Richard Fermer told the GDN. “There will be a procession around the circumference of the site.
“At each of the four corners, a denomination of the Christian faith in Bahrain will lead the worship. There will be a reading from the Bible and then a Prayer of Blessing.”
An ecumenical service is a form of worship where Christians from different denominations come together, maintaining their unique identities while focusing on common beliefs and unity.
These services can involve shared worship, staff, or buildings and are a key aspect of ecumenism, the movement for Christian unity, fostering mutual understanding, forgiveness and a unified response to societal needs.
- The Roman Catholics will be led by their Bishop Aldo Berardi, in the consecration (blessing).
- The Reformed Protestants will be led by the senior pastor of the National Evangelical Church Pastor Blaine Newhouse.
- The Orthodox Churches will be led by Fr Rewais George of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, with a contribution from Fr Saba Haidosian of the Greek Orthodox Church.
- The Anglicans will be led by Bishop Sean Semple of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, who is on a pastoral visit to Bahrain.
“A letter from the Cemeteries’ Committee has invited all church leaders to attend, and the service is also open to laypeople from the many congregations in Bahrain,” added the dean.
The gate of the new cemetery
The GDN has previously reported that the construction on the cemetery began last year, and with the opening of the cemetery, the first two of five phases have been completed.
According to Cemetery Working Group head John Luckie-Downe, total financial donations for the project over the last seven years amounted to BD84,000, in addition to considerable pro-bono donations in the form of professional design and construction services.
During the third phase, a guard room, storage area, toilets, pathways, lighting and CCTV will be installed. This phase has been funded to the tune of BD15,000 and is about to start.
The fourth phase, estimated to cost approximately BD60,000, will see a chapel of rest constructed at the site to receive the coffin of the deceased and where final prayers are said before burial.
“What we are opening is a cemetery fit to bury people in but there are still many more things to do,” Fr Richard added. “After we install pathways, lighting, cameras and a toilet block, the fourth phase will be building a chapel so Christians of all denominations can have funeral services and prayers there with shelter and protection from the sun.”
The fifth and final phase will see the design and construction of an adjoining modern, low emission, environmentally-responsible gas-fired crematorium, as well as the installation of equipment. Mr Luckie-Downe noted that this is expected to cost at least another BD60,000.
The crematorium will be an act of service for the wider expatriate communities that permit cremation.
The Christian Community Cemeteries Committee (CCCC) is raising funds now for the final two phases of the project.
“The New Cemetery in Salmabad ensures that Christians of all nationalities and those who come from a Christian culture can continue to be laid to rest in Bahrain,” British Ambassador and CCCC chairman Alastair Long told the GDN. “This is something for which Bahrain is admired around the world, and we are grateful to His Majesty King Hamad and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.”
As previously reported, the Bahrain government provided the plot of land in Salmabad, followed by 200 tonnes of sand to level the area.
According to Fr Richard, the project is the fruition of teamwork between a number of churches across the kingdom.
One of the cemetery’s key features is the gate, which was paid for by a single anonymous donor from St Christopher’s Cathedral. The gate, designed by Nicholas Bonaventure, features a Jerusalem Cross, as well as vine leaves around the edges, reflecting the Biblical symbol of life.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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