UAE: Thousands of country’s Christian diaspora celebrate Good Friday – News

Services are held in multiple languages ​​to cater for different nationalities

Thousands of Christian expatriates traveled to various churches across the UAE to celebrate Good Friday, a day of religious importance in Christianity.

St Mary’s Catholic Church on Oud Metha Road in Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Konkani, Sinhala, Arabic, English and Tagalog For the ceremony, the church is believed to be the largest parish in the world, serving more than 300,000 churchgoers.

Indian expatriate Lorna Coutinho, parishioner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, told Khaleej Times: “Our prayers this year are for Thanksgiving. Three years into the pandemic, thank God we are now on the road to a strong recovery. “

“We don’t just pray for the body, but the mind and the spirit,” she added.

Christians also observe their religious traditions back home, one of which is Visita Iglesia – a solemn tradition of Filipino Catholics who visit seven churches during Holy Week.

Dubai-based couple Christina and Eric Bernabe were among those who flocked to various churches in the country, including St Anthony’s Catholic Church in Padua, Ras Al Khaimah. They say the Filipino practice of piety dates back to the 16th century, when Spanish monks and missionaries brought the tradition, which later became panata, a Tagalog word meaning promise to God.

Good Friday is also considered a day of fasting and abstinence. Chris Gallardo said his family eats only one meal on the day, which they also observe as a day of meditation and prayer.

Elie Selom, a member of the Syrian Orthodox Church, said he marked Good Friday by attending the church’s Eucharist, which included “magnificent and moving prayers and chants”.

“I pray to God to heal wounded hearts, to hear their wishes, and to spread peace in the world,” he added.

There were also fervent prayers from Matilyn Bagunu, choirmaster of the St. Mary’s Filipino Community Choir. She said: “I pray that everyone recovers. Although we disagree on many issues, we can learn to live together peacefully so that we can live in harmony and be the best version of ourselves.”

“This Holy Week, we have been assigned to sing during the Easter Vigil (Saturday) and the Easter Sunday Mass the following day,” she added.

Meanwhile, Fr. Abin Oomelil, priest of St. Mary Jacob’s Syrian Sonoro Patriarchate in Sharjah, thanked the UAE for observing religious tolerance and allowing people to practice their faith. In addition to Good Friday, which is celebrated with intense solemnity, Christians will mark Easter with jubilation and celebration, he said.