Catholic Parish of Aden

Marian Advocation of Aden (Aden)
Recognized by the Church

Catholicism arrived in Aden, a former strategic port, in British colonial times, with chaplains for soldiers and sailors and then for foreign Indian and Filipino workers. After the independence and Marxist regime of South Yemen (1967-1990), several ecclesial properties were nationalized or closed. Reunified Yemen in 1990 and within the Apostolic Vicariate of South Arabia, a small parish was consolidated in Aden; according to the Apostolic Vicars Paul Hinder and Paolo Martinelli, in Yemen two small communities, in Aden and in Sana'ah, resist despite the war.

Main data

Origin and history

Catholicism arrived in Aden, a former strategic port, in British colonial times, with chaplains for soldiers and sailors and then for foreign Indian and Filipino workers. After the independence and Marxist regime of South Yemen (1967-1990), several ecclesial properties were nationalized or closed. Reunified Yemen in 1990 and within the Apostolic Vicariate of South Arabia, a small parish was consolidated in Aden; according to the Apostolic Vicars Paul Hinder and Paolo Martinelli, in Yemen two small communities, in Aden and in Sana'ah, resist despite the war.

The image and the sanctuary

It is not officially known that the parish of Aden is under a specific Marian title; it is usually only cited as a Catholic church or parish of Aden. The Sunday Mass usually includes Marian prayers, and the clergy reports strong devotion to the Virgin between Filipino and Indian faithful, but data on a Marian image or advocation of the temple: it is not recorded.

Sponsorship and coronation

Headline patronage of the temple: not recorded. The Marian patronage of the vicariate corresponds to Our Lady of Arabia, also patron of South Arabia. Own canonical coronation: not recorded.

Party and devotion

There is no Marian patron party of the parish. Marian devotion is the ordinary of the Church (Angelus, Hail Regina, universal Marian parties). Testimonials of missionaries point out that, during the bombing and fighting of recent years, the small groups of faithful gathered in the church to pray for the protection of the Virgin. Concrete Marian Miracles or Exvotes: not recorded.

Link to the Rosary

The testimonies underline that the faithful gathered to pray the Rosary asking for protection from the Virgin in the midst of the war, feeling sustained by the prayer of the whole Church and by the intercession of Mary. The Rosary is, in this cross context, the main channel of the Marian faith of the community of Aden.