First Divine Liturgy Celebrated in Ukrainian in Qatar
On Saturday, October 28, the first Liturgy in Ukrainian was celebrated in Qatar. It was presided over by Fr. Lubomyr Fylypchak, a priest of the UGCC who pastors in the United Arab Emirates, at the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Doha.
The service was held with the blessing of the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, Bishop Aldo Beraldi. The participants had the opportunity to partake of the Holy Sacraments of Confession and Communion.
According to Fr. Lubomyr, about 1,500 Ukrainians live in the state of Qatar, most of whom come from Central and Western Ukraine. About 25 people attended the Divine Liturgy.
According to the priest, the possibility of establishing a pastoral ministry in Qatar is very much in demand. Still, there are difficulties for a priest to stay on a regular basis, as AVONA (Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia) needs priests who can serve not only in Ukrainian but also in other European languages, especially English. There is only one Catholic Church in this country, where the faithful from 20 different language communities worship.
After the first Divine Liturgy on October 28, we got acquainted with local priests, which marked an important start for the pastoral care of Ukrainians.
“The priests are ready to help and support our community as well as the initiative to pray and be part of the church community,” Fr. Lubomyr is convinced.
