Chaplaincy of Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates


The Chaplaincy of Dubai with Sharjah and the Northern Emirates is part of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. The Chaplaincy consists of five churches in the United Arab Emirates:
The emirate of Abu Dhabi is a separate chaplaincy with two churches
Although formally instituted as the 'Chaplaincy of Dubai and Sharjah' on 5 April 1970, its history started during the 1960s and it is now known as the 'Chaplaincy of Dubai and Sharjah with the Northern Emirates'. St. Martin's Anglican Church was started by the RAF in 1926 with Holy Trinity following on 13 December 1970. Christ Church was created in 2002 in Jebel Ali, with St. Luke in Ras Al Khaimah following.

Senior Chaplains

The Senior Chaplain of the Chaplaincy of Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates had, until 2014, usually also been the Chaplain of



The Rev. Kenneth Ridgewell 1969-1971

The Rev. Canon Haydn Parry 1971-1972

The Rev. Phillip Sturdy 1972-1978

The Rev. John Paxton 1978-1981

The Rev. Phillip Saywell 1981-1984

The Rev. Canon Dennis Gurney 1984-2001

The Rev. Peter Roberts 2001-2002

The Rev. John Weir 2004-2010

The Rev. Canon Stephen Wright, Chaplain of Christ Church Jebel Ali 2010-2011

The Rev. Dr. Ruwan Palapathwala 2011-14 Resigned
The Rev. Timothy Heaney of Christ Church, Jebel Ali became the "Acting Senior Chaplain" 2016-2019
The Chaplaincy of Dubai and Sharjah with the Northern Emirates was disestablished on 30 June 2019 making separate parishes of Holy Trinity, Dubai; Christ Church, Jebel Ali ; St. Martin's Anglican Church, Sharjah; and St. Luke, Ras al Khaimah. All of these parishes are integral and constituent members within the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf.