Priests and vicariate office leaders from across the United Arab Emirates gathered at St. Anthony of Padua Parish on October 12 for the UAE Pastoral Meeting as the local Church prepared to mark the 100th World Mission Day on October 18.
The meeting focused on pastoral coordination, mission, formation, youth and family ministry, and preparations for World Mission Sunday.
Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Vicar Apostolic of Southern Arabia, urged participants to make mission a defining part of pastoral life throughout the year rather than treat it as an annual observance, according to the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia.
“Mission is not one activity of the Church among others; the Church’s identity is mission,” Bishop Paolo said, reminding participants that every Christian, by virtue of baptism, is called to be a living witness of the Gospel in daily life.
The assembly also reflected on Pope Leo XIV’s official message for the centenary of World Mission Sunday, established by Pope Pius XI in 1926.
Centered on the theme “One in Christ, United in Mission,” the message highlights three pillars for the global Church: rooting mission in spiritual communion, directing unity toward evangelization and synodal cooperation, and recognizing divine love as the heart of ad gentes missionary work.
Bishop Paolo also shared updates on the Capuchin Order’s 9th Plenary Council on Mission, where he was set to deliver an opening address on the relationship between mission, baptismal call and personal vocation.
Representatives also outlined parish initiatives planned across the UAE ahead of World Mission Sunday.
These include catechetical programs, vocational retreats, Eucharistic adoration, family festivals and charity fairs aimed at encouraging lay Catholics to embrace their evangelizing mission in daily life.
Vicariate leaders also discussed updates on the First Confession curriculum and catechist training, Franciscan Year celebrations, and outreach and support for young people and migrant families across the Arabian Peninsula.
The gathering concluded with a tribute to Bishop Emeritus Paul Hinder, OFM Cap., ahead of his planned return to Switzerland.
Bishop Hinder served the Arabian Peninsula for more than two decades, first as Vicar Apostolic of Arabia beginning in 2005 and later as head of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, which covers the UAE, Oman and Yemen.
He led a diverse Catholic community of roughly one million expatriates.
Known across the region as a “pastor of migrants,” Bishop Hinder’s 18-year episcopal tenure saw the inauguration of more than 10 churches and schools and a cathedral, as well as the visits of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi in 2019 and Bahrain in 2022.
Reflecting on his years of service in the Gulf, Bishop Hinder echoed the words of St. Francis of Assisi, saying that “what had seemed bitter to me was changed into sweetness.”
“The Gulf has truly become for me a second home,” Bishop Hinder said as he expressed gratitude to the clergy and faithful before his formal farewell.
Parishes across the UAE were finalizing preparations for prayers and collections in support of mission dioceses worldwide ahead of the centenary celebration of World Mission Day.
