Tens of thousands celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in the UAE after two years of restrictions on attendance caused by the pandemic.
There were thousands of worshippers at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai on Sunday morning alone to celebrate the Holy Day.
Parish Priest Fr Lennie Connully used the occasion to urge churchgoers to dedicate their prayers to Ukrainians after their home country was invaded by Russia.
“The world is not a peaceful place right now. There are a lot of countries that are experiencing suffering and turmoil,” he said.
People have been very patient over the past two years when they were not able to worship in church. That patience is paying off
Father Lennie Connully,
St Mary’s Catholic Church
“The UAE is an example of a country where there is peace and we have to pray that same peace spreads to other places.
“There are so many places that don’t have the peace we have, especially those suffering in Ukraine right now.”
He called on his parish to pray for all the refugees across the world.
“Mankind is mankind and we are all brothers and sisters at the end of the day,” said Fr Connully.
“We pray for those living in countries where war is raging and who are not lucky enough to be celebrating mass today.”
On Sunday, 10 services were taking place in various languages throughout the day.
The authorities in Dubai also came in for special praise from Fr Connully for allowing worshippers to return in increased numbers on Easter Sunday.
“The authorities were very generous in accepting our proposal for Easter Sunday attendance at Mass,” he said.
“They did not question anything and it feels like it did in pre-Covid times, apart from wearing masks and social distancing.
“People have been very patient over the past two years when they were not able to worship in church, however, it looks like that patience is paying off.”
Fr Connully said this was a vital part of his church’s proposal to allow an increased attendance on Sunday.
St Mary’s reopened last year with attendance limited to only 230 people who had to register in advance.
However, the church’s website now carried a notification stating registration was no longer required.
Among those attending mass in St Mary’s was Filipina receptionist Joanne Victorio, 32.
“Easter Sunday Mass is a tradition that we really missed. It’s great to have it back,” she said.
Jason Vaz, 40, was equally delighted to be able to celebrate Easter Sunday in a church again with others.
“It’s very important we have it back and are able to share the experience with the Catholic community here in Dubai,” said the retail worker from India.
“While you could watch Mass online during the pandemic, it just wasn’t the same.”
Irishman John McGee, 81, also attended Mass on Sunday morning, after visiting Dubai for the weekend with his daughter, who lives in nearby Saudi Arabia.
“Easter Sunday is very important to me because it’s at the very centre of the Christian faith,” said Mr McGee.
“It’s the celebration of Christ rising from the dead and being able to celebrate that in person again with others is fantastic.”
Edna Cariaga, 44, from the Philippines, said being able to celebrate Easter Mass in church was vital to many members of her community.
“It brings families together and you get a big sense of the community coming together,” the housemaid said.
“We’ve really missed it.”
One of her compatriots, also attending the service, shared her sentiment.
“We really missed it because it just wasn’t the same when the churches were closed,” said housemaid Mary Jane Labitan, 52.
“You can see people are so happy just to be here again.”
Dubai was not the only emirate with a huge turnout of worshippers, as hundreds attended Easter Sunday Mass at St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Abu Dhabi.
“It was so important to have people back to celebrate Easter in the church,” said Rev Christine Trainor.
“It was glorious to see so many celebrating this sacred holiday.
“It was a really joyous occasion and people were so glad to be back together.”
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
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1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000
2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000
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4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000
5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000
6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000
7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000
8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000
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MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
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- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
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1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
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- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
