Catholic churches in the Emirates celebrate Easter Masses

The churches of the Emirates, which follow the Western calendar, celebrated Easter Mass. Believers began to flock to the churches from Saturday to Sunday night, to participate in the midnight mass, and the police worked to organize traffic and pedestrian crossings to the churches due to the large number of worshipers, especially Lebanese coming from Lebanon and the countries of expansion.

In St. Mary’s Church in Oud Metha in Dubai, the parish priest, Father Tanios Geagea, presided over the mass, and Father Michael O’Sullivan assisted him. The mass was served by the parish choir, and the crosses were draped with the white emblem, symbolizing the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

At St. Francis Church in Jebel Ali, Dubai, Father Michael O’Sullivan celebrated Easter Mass.
Father Elie Al-Hashem celebrated the Easter Mass in Saint Joseph Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, and the church was filled with a crowd of believers.

In the Church of Saint Michael in the Emirate of Sharjah, the sacrifice was presided over by the parish priest of the Northern Emirates, Father Majid Musa Al Kabushi. This was preceded by the Eid Mass at the Church of Saint Anthony Al Badawani in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

On the other hand, the Apostolic Vicar for the South of the Arabian Peninsula, Italian Bishop Paolo Martinelli, who resides in Abu Dhabi, sent a message to the faithful, on the occasion of Easter, in which he said: “The season of Lent is completed by celebrating Easter, the foundation of our faith. We have responded to Pope Francis’ call to walk the path of repentance across the desert. God leads us from slavery to freedom. The Christian life is the path to freedom, to be children of God and loved to the point that He forgives all our sins… Our church in the Gulf is unique, and is called to be a sign of unity for all. Today’s world, characterized by wars and conflicts, needs the witness of new men and women united by the love of Christ. He is our peace that overcomes all division. We pray for all places and peoples that do not enjoy peace, especially in our region, especially in the Holy Lands and in Yemen, which is part of our Church, where many are suffering from conflicts…”

It should be noted that the Apostolic Vicariate in South Arabia includes nationals of the Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, and Yemen. It is served by about 100 Capuchin monks distributed among the Arab and foreign communities, more than 80 nuns who work mainly in schools, and hundreds of volunteers in the field of Christian education and apostolic movements.