O Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and divine love, impart Your knowledge, understanding, and counsel to youth - that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God. Give them courage and strength to follow God's holy will. Guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vineyards where they will labor in God's holy service.
... Ahmadi being the centre of oil production, scores of people, mainly migrant workers, began to settle here. The Catholics worshipped in a provisional Chapel from 1948 until 1955. This Chapel was previously a Nissen hut on the Ahmadi Ridge, which had housed a power station and was later abandoned. The Chapel was blessed on 8th December 1948. On that day, devotion to “Our Lady of Arabia” started ...
The present-day Church in Ahmadi was consecrated on Easter Sunday, 1st April 1956. It was on that day, H.L. Bishop Stella blessed the new Church of Our Lady of Arabia. It is noteworthy that His Eminence Alexender Cardinal Verde signed the document which grants to the Church of Our Lady of Arabia the same indulgences as for visiting the greatest Marian Shrine of the world, the papal basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
Historical Timeline ...
Significant Events in the History of the Church in Ahmadi
1945
First mass celebrated in a tent in Maqwa on Christmas day.
1946 - 1948
A Priest from Carmelite Mission in Basra visits Kuwait periodically
to celebrate Mass at different venues in Kuwait, including the indoor
cinema of KOC at Maqwa and Ahmadi and at the Protestant chapel of the
American Mission.
1948 APR
Fr. Theophano U. Stella appointed first resident priest in Kuwait.
1948 NOV
An old Power Station in Ahmadi is requisitioned and converted into a chapel.
First Mass in the "new" chapel is said on the feast of
the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple (Nov 21).
1948 DEC 8
The rite of the Blessing of the "Church" (i.e. Chapel) is performed by
Fr. Stella on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
1949 DEC
The Statue of Our Lady of Arabia is requisitioned from Italy by Bishop Stella,
and blessed by His Holiness Pope Pius XII. On arrival, the statue is taken in a
procession from Shuwaikh to Ahmadi.
1952
Permission is requested and granted by KOC to build a new Church,
The cornerstone for the new church is acquired
from the ruins of an old Dominican Abbey in Aylesford, Kent.
The stone is blessed by Pope Pius XII before being sent to Kuwait.
1955 SEP 8
The cornerstone is laid at the site of the new church. The cornerstone can now
been seen in the chapel of St. Elias and St. Therese.
1956 APR
The (present-day) church of Our Lady of Arabia is consecrated.
1960 MAR 25
Cardinal Valerian Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay places a crown of gold
on the statue of Our Lady of Arabia.
1990 AUG 2
The ghastly Iraqi aggression and invasion on Kuwait has a devastating
effect on Kuwait. Unimaginable acts of violence are perpetrated
against its peaceful citizens. Ahmadi was particularly badly affected.
Msgr. Francis Micallef braved all dangerous circumstances and celebrated
mass either in a house or in the church.
Fr. Mizzi carried on bravely trying to protect the church from acts of
of violence. Inspite of this, the statue of Our Lady of Arabia was pushed down
and broken by unknown persons. It was later restored by parishioners.
The church and the priest's house sustained damages as a result of bombs
dropped on houses nearby.
1991 FEB 26
Kuwait is liberated from the Iraqi aggressors, and the church bells ring
continuously in celebration of this event. The damage to the church is
repaired with help from volunteers.
1998 DEC 8
This day marks the Golden Anniversary of the inauguration of the
first Church (Chapel) of Our Lady of Arabia.
1999
Plans for an extension to the north side begin to take shape.
2001 APR 17
Inauguration and opening ceremony of the new hall (extension to the Church). H.L. Bishop Francis Micallef, Msgr. Giuseppe De Andrea – Chargé D’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Kuwait and Fr. John Chrysostom perform the ribbon cutting ceremony.
This picture can be seen at the Bishop's House in Kuwait City.
AVE MARIA
GRATIA PLENA
The handwritten-note (right) is at the back of the picture. The text
reads as follows:
This is the oldest - Our Lady of Arabia
- brought from Mount Carmel. It was framed at the beginning of May 1948
to be used in the Chapel, a room in C.Q. 2B, Ahmadi for May devotions.
At the blessing of the new Chapel, December 8, 1948 - it was kept there till May
1949 and was replaced by a small statue of the Legion of Mary.
Queen of Arabia,
Conquer Thy Kingdom!
- Fr. T.U. Stella
AHMADI, 25th March 1960, First Holy Communion Photographs
The above photographs are made available on our web-site through the gracious contribution of Mrs. Mary Belinda Gosson, then, one of the First Holy Communicants. She is the little girl (with hands joined in prayer) in the First Picture - 1st row, 3rd from left .... In the Second Picture, H.E. Cardinal Gracias is seated in the centre and H.L. Bishop T. U. Stella - standing - looks on, from the left.
Mrs Gosson recalls: A number of children, including myself, received our First Holy Communion on March 25, 1960, from His Eminence Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, India at the Church of Our Lady of Arabia in Ahmadi. As a memento of the occasion, the children were each given a signed picture of the Last Supper. On the same day, in the evening, the Statue of Our Lady of Arabia was crowned by the visiting Cardinal (with great festivity in the Ahmadi Church Square) ...
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