The land for its construction was allocated by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. “We received approval for the construction of the temple from the UAE president. It came from the Ministry of Religious Relations of the country and Al Ain Municipality,” said Abraham Matthew, a media specialist at St. Dionysius Church. The first stone in the foundation of the church was laid on April 20, completion is planned for December 15, 2012.
The consecration of the new temple will take place in the same month. Currently, parishioners are visiting the Catholic Church of St. Mary in Al Ain. The new temple will be able to accommodate up to 1.5 thousand people, a pastoral will be built separately for its ministers. Mr. Matthew specified that the request for the allocation of the land plot was sent two years ago, and only now he received a positive answer. “Thanks to the kindness of Sheikh Khalifa, we have land where we can build our temple. We are happy that the UAE authorities are open-minded to all faiths that exist in the country,” the representative of the church said. The main church of St. Dionysius is located in India, its parishes operate in Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Sharjah.
