Cathedral of the Holy Family

Marian title of Kuwait City (National)
Recognized by the Church

The Sagrada Familia Cathedral, in Kuwait City, is the country's main Catholic cult and Vicariate Cathedral for the territory of Kuwait. It is dedicated to the Holy Family of Nazareth, so its title is Christological and not Marian in a strict sense. It serves a vast community of migrant workers, especially Filipinos, Indians and other Asians.

Main data

Origin and history

The Sagrada Familia Cathedral, in Kuwait City, is the country's main Catholic cult and Vicariate Cathedral for the territory of Kuwait. It is dedicated to the Holy Family of Nazareth, so its title is Christological and not Marian in a strict sense. It serves a vast community of migrant workers, especially Filipinos, Indians and other Asians.

The image and the sanctuary

Aunque no es un santuario mariano, en su vida cotidiana hay una fuerte presencia de la Virgen: la imagen de Nuestra Señora de Arabia suele ocupar un lugar destacado y se la invoca en las fiestas patronales del Vicariato. Esa imagen es punto de referencia para quienes acaban de llegar al país: varios testimonios narran que su primera visita es a la Virgen para «poner el trabajo en sus manos»; son relatos devocionales, no consta ningún milagro aprobado.

Sponsorship and coronation

The title is the Sagrada Familia, not a Marian advocation; the Marian regional patronage corresponds to Our Lady of Arabia. Marian coronation proper to the cathedral: it is not recorded.

Party and devotion

The main party is that of the Holy Family. The great Marian festivals of the Roman calendar (Immaculate, Asunción, Our Lady of the Rosary) and, by the migrant composition, Our Lady of Fatima, Perpetual Relief and Lourdes are held with intensity. Devotional life is organized by linguistic communities; there is no Marian Romany itself.

Link to the Rosary

The cathedral is filled with faithful in the great Marian parties, especially in the midnight masses or the Rosary vigil, to which many can only come at night after the working day. The month of May and the month of the Rosary in October are lived with special fervor. The Rosary in family and community is the support of the faith of these workers.