In January, 1938 or 1939, His Excellency Giovanni Tirinanzi, Apostolic Vicar of Arabia, then based in Aden, came to Bahrain to meet the Emir of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, with plans to build a church in Bahrain. The foundation stone for the new church was laid on June 9, 1939. Father Luigi Magliacani, whom Tirinnanzi knew as an expert in the building of churches, was called to Bahrain and given the responsibility of building the church. In just six months, the church, the priests' residence, and the Sacred Heart School, were built.