Confraternity of St. Arethas & Companions

Today, January 29, the Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula liturgically celebrates the memorial of St. Isaac of Nineveh , bishop, mystic, and theologian of the Eastern tradition. Some time ago, we shared the remarkable story of how his icon came to grace the foyer of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Awali, Bahrain. We now continue that narrative with an equally inspiring development—one that has unfolded both in Rome and across the wider Christian world. When the late Pope Francis...

The Saturday (or Sunday) after the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated throughout the Arabian Peninsula as the Solemnity of Our Lady of Arabia . The origins of this devotion—and the story of how it has grown and flourished in the Gulf—are as remarkable as they are inspiring. Veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary under local or national titles is a hallmark of Catholic spirituality, reflecting the intimate bond between Mary and the diverse peoples of the world. From the earliest centuries,...

Christmas is a time of profound joy and thanksgiving—a season when the Church invites us to pause, lift our gaze, and contemplate anew the staggering mystery at the heart of our faith: that the eternal God entered time, that the Creator stepped into His creation, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . It is a season when light breaks into darkness, when hope is rekindled in weary hearts, and when the faithful are reminded that history is not abandoned to chaos but held in the hands...