Golden Jubilee opens at Oman’s first Catholic church

Vatican News

Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, opened the Golden Jubilee of St. Peter and Paul Church in Ruwi, Muscat, with a solemn Mass on November 6.

The jubilee marks the 50th anniversary of the consecration of Oman’s first Catholic church and will continue through November 5, 2027.

Representatives of other Christian denominations joined the parish for Vespers the previous evening, after the raising of the jubilee flag.

At the inaugural Mass, Bishop Martinelli blessed the jubilee altar outside the church and lit the jubilee candle. He also blessed and opened the church entrance to mark the start of the year.

The jubilee theme, “Built on the Rock, Driven by the Spirit,” draws on the examples of the parish’s patron saints.

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In his homily, Bishop Martinelli recalled that Jesus called Peter’s faith the rock on which he would build the Church.

He then pointed to St. Paul, who let the Holy Spirit guide him as he brought the Gospel to others.

Bishop Martinelli asked parishioners to consider who Christ is for them and to take a fuller part in the life of the parish.

He urged them to reach out to people who do not participate in the life of the Church and invite them to join the community.

“Jesus Christ has transformed us from a people of migrants into a people of missionaries,” he said, encouraging Catholics to bear witness to the Gospel in their daily lives and to work with people of goodwill for a more humane world.

The Apostolic Penitentiary has granted a plenary indulgence to those who visit the church during the jubilee and fulfill the usual conditions.

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Fr. Darick D’Souza read the decree before the final blessing. Each month, celebrations will bring together different parish groups, ministries, and communities.

Fr. Stephen Lewis, the parish priest, said the jubilee gives the community an occasion to thank God for those who sustained it and to renew its commitment to the sacraments, unity, and service to people in need. He thanked Oman’s political leaders, government officials, and people for their goodwill and for the opportunity to worship.

For decades, Catholics in Oman relied on visits by missionary priests. After World War II, Capuchins based in Bahrain began traveling to Muscat every other month. The city then had about 50 Catholics.

In 1973, Sultan Qaboos granted permission to build a church and a priest’s residence near Muscat.

Archbishop Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy and Bishop Giovanni Bernardo Gremoli, then Apostolic Vicar of Arabia, consecrated the church on November 4, 1977.

Oman was home to an estimated 3,500 Catholics at the time. The church was demolished and rebuilt in 1995 as the Catholic population grew.

Today, the vicariate estimates that Oman is home to about 100,000 Catholics. Around 10,000 people regularly attend the parish in Ruwi, most of them from India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

Four priests serve the community, whose members live across a wide area. Three other Catholic churches have since been built in Ghala, Sohar, and Salalah.