The Lenten season is set to begin on Wednesday, February 17 and several churches in the UAE have prepared masses to help the faithful attend the first day of the Lent – Ash Wednesday.
In Dubai, Ash Wednesday masses will be livestreamed at the SMC – Filipino Facebook page. The mass will be in English with two schedules: 6:30 am and 7:00 pm.
An announcement at the official website of St. Mary’s Catholic Church states that the church will not distribute ash for this year.
“Our lent starts on Wednesday, 17th February, but we will not be having the blessing and distribution of ash this year due to safety measures related to the pandemic spread,” read the announcement.
Meanwhile in Abu Dhabi, all in-person masses have been fully booked. Current restrictions only allow 350 persons per mass. Individuals who have successfully booked their schedules to the mass will be sprayed with the ash on their heads.
The faithful may still attend the mass through livestream at the Katolikong Pinoy sa Abu Dhabi Facebook page.
The Tagalog Ash Wednesday Mass will be livestreamed at 8:00 pm.
Other Ash Wednesday English mass schedules in Abu Dhabi are as follows:
6:30 am
9:00 am
11:00 am
1:00 pm
3:00 pm
5:00 pm
7:00 pm
8:30 pm