This is the third of several articles that will offer a snapshot on attending Mass in Abu Dhabi. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is the largest in the United Arab Emirates, and the city of Abu Dhabi serves as the capital of the nation. A review of the Cathedral and Abrahamic Family House can be found in article 1 and 2.
September 2, 2025 (Edward J. Barr) The industrial district of Musaffah is a world away from the skyscrapers of the Corniche, the entertainment of Yas Island, or the wealthy villas of Saadiyat Island. It is a part of Abu Dhabi that tourists never see. Designed as a special economic zone, it is in a constant state of frenzy. A port, multiple factories, warehouses, and numerous small one and two-story stores and workshops line the busy streets. It is a gritty district made possible by the labor of the many foreign workers that keep the United Arab Emirates’ economy humming. Many of those workers live in Musaffah. It is the home of the labor camps. They offer hostel type living, with several workers sharing sleeping quarters and a bathroom. Their pay is low, and their life is hard.
No one would expect to find a Catholic church in the warren-like streets of Musaffah. Indeed, St. Paul’s seems a bit out of place. St. Paul’s was the second Catholic church to be built in Abu Dhabi (the first being St. Joseph), and as with the Cathedral, the land was donated by the government. Dedicated in 2015, St. Paul rises above its smaller neighbors, except for the Orthodox Church located to the west. The Church grounds are compact except for the large courtyard in front. There is a narrow alleyway running North-South that separates the Church from the parish offices and St. Francis of Assisi Parish Hall. The entrance to the church faces the East. There is a gate which leads to the large courtyard. In the front left of the Church is a grotto with a statue of the Blessed mother. Even with temperatures in the 100s there will always be a few people praying before Mass. Approaching from the East the Church and parish hall offer an impressive welcome to parishioners. The white exterior of the Church and the glass façade of the parish hall are topped off by a red tile roof.
The congregation demographics is similar to the Cathedral’s, though with a slightly higher percentage of men. Most of the congregants are workers from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, other Asian nations, along with a few Africans. Indians make up a plurality of the parishioners, with most native Konkani, Malayalam, or Malankara speakers. St. Thomas would be proud; tradition informs that he first landed in Kerala, India, where the natives now speak Malayalam. It is probable there are some members of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church here at St. Paul’s. The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Pope. To accommodate those parishioners, the Cathedral offers the Syro-Malankara Syriac rite every other Saturday evening.
Masses are said in seven languages at St. Paul, with the majority being in English. The inside of the church is a stark contrast to the dusty streets that surround the building. The inside is open, bright, and clean. There is a thin row of lights in the shape of a cross on the ceiling. The pews seem new, as does the white tile floor. The 9:00AM Mass fills the church to about 85% capacity; more would be expected in the non-summer months. I met only one other Westerner in the congregation of about 325. She was married to an Indian and gave me a curious look when we made eye contact. It is a certainty that not many visitors come to St. Paul.
The Mass has many similarities to the other Abu Dhabi churches; the vicariate seems to have established liturgical norms for all their parishes. They almost exclusively use the novus ordo, and the solemn procession into the sanctuary at the beginning of the Mass mirrored the Cathedral churches, except at St. Paul’s there are less altar servers. Each wears the red cassock and processes with their hands folded in prayer. The extraordinary ministers of holy communion are each dressed identically with white shirts and black trousers or skirts. At St. Paul’s they also wear a green sash across their chest emblazed with a cross. The altar servers assist each extraordinary minister as they distribute communion.
Although being in a poor area the parish supports many ministries. They send representatives of the various ethnic communities to Catholic events across the UAE, have a robust catechism program, and even offer pilgrimages (one recently returned from Medjugorje). The pastor is a Franciscan Capuchin; he is supported by three assistant priests. He needs them, as St. Paul’s offers on average nine masses on Saturday and Sunday.
This is a parish that gives life to the community. Walking through the gates and seeing the grotto of the blessed mother to the left, the gleaming St. Francis Hall to the right, and the Church in the center is like entering a new universe. Because you are! St. Paul is a gift for Catholics in Musaffah, a shining beacon of God’s love amid a hardscrabble industrial neighborhood. It is a reminder that without Him, we have nothing, and with Him, we have everything.
Edward J. Barr, Esq. is a Catechist, author and speaker in the diocese of Orlando. He earned his Master of Theology degree from the Augustine Institute. He has been living and working in Abu Dhabi for several months. Mr. Barr is a contributing writer for the Roma Locuta Est blog (www.RomaLocutaEst.com)
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