Fr. Varghese Kozhippadan, OFMCap. Spiritual Director Assistant Parish Priest, St. Marys Catholic Church, Dubai

    The Lord Jesus commanded his disciples: “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.” (Mk.: 16: 15) This universal character is one of the most important dimensions of the Holy Catholic Church – the mystical body of Christ. One can literally observe and experience this universality at St. Mary’s Church, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is blessed with faithful from so many Nationalities, Cultures, Rites and Languages. This parish constitutes one of the largest Catholic communities in the world. There is harmony, unity and coordination among the faithful from different parts of the world. St. Mary’s Church has celebrated the golden jubilee year during 2016-’17 and was marked by a lot of liturgical, cultural and social activities. The single hand-written copy of the Bible in one sitting during three hours time under one roof by 1000 people in 51 languages manifests the unity in diversity of the parish. The original copy of this hand-written Bible was presented to Pope Francis, our Holy Father as our jubilee gift; it is now kept in the Vatican Library and a photo copy of the same is kept in our parish Church.