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One of the region’s oldest churches will be officially designated as the Vicarial Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus following a decree that takes effect today.
The announcement – coinciding with the Sacred Heart Catholic Church’s 85th anniversary – was made during a Press conference presided by the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia Bishop Aldo Berardi, Sacred Heart Catholic Church parish priest Francis Joseph and other clergy and church members on Thursday.
A shrine is a place regarded as holy because of its associations with a divinity or a sacred person or relic, marked by a building or other construction.
“As a vicariate shrine, the church will become a centre for pilgrimage,” Bishop Berardi, who oversees the territories of Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, said.
“Through this recognition, we hope to strengthen every pilgrim’s spiritual journey and further the church’s presence and mission in the region.”
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Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Manama
The declaration of the church as a shrine will be commemorated with a solemn mass in English on November 8, which will be followed by a cultural programme on November 27. The event will be attended by government officials, ambassadors and religious leaders, offering a historical overview of the structure.
“We are profoundly grateful for the spirit of hospitality and friendship that defines Middle Eastern culture,” Bishop Berardi added.
“In 2017, Bahrain issued a declaration ‘Dispelling Ignorance, the Enemy of Peace’, promoting religious tolerance and coexistence. This paved the way for Pope Francis’ visit to Bahrain in 2022. These milestones remind us that we are not strangers but brothers and sisters united by our shared humanity, capable of finding common ground through respect, love and dialogue,” he added.
A rector to the shrine is set to be appointed and will be responsible for preserving the church’s rich heritage, overseeing its pastoral mission and promoting devotion.
The origins of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, reverently known as the ‘Mother Church’, trace back to 1939, when Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the then ruler of Bahrain and grandfather of His Majesty King Hamad, offered a plot of land for a church.
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Bishop Berardi, third from left, and Father Francis, second from left, with other clergy and church members at the Press conference
The then Apostolic Vicar of Arabia, Monsignor Giovanni Battista Tirinnanzi, entrusted father Luigi Magliacani with the responsibility of overseeing the construction.
The foundation stone was laid on June 9, 1939 and that same year, the church, a residence for priests and a small school were completed. The church bells rang for the first time in Bahrain on the Christmas eve, during the midnight mass at 11pm.
The building was officially consecrated on March 3, 1940.
For more than eight decades, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church has welcomed pilgrims from countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Currently, it comprises around 1,50,000 parishioners of different nationalities, from African, American and Filipino to Indian, Lebanese, Pakistani, Seychellois, Sri Lankan and more.
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