Catholic faithful around the UAE are expected to gather at the churches today, April 14 as they celebrate Palm Sunday that marks the beginning of the Holy Week and the last week of the Lenten season.
Palm Sunday commemorates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The faithful hold palms to represent the branches that people laid down to honor Jesus as symbols of triumph and victory.
Here are the mass schedules across the UAE:
Dubai: St. Mary’s Church
6:00 am; 7:00 am; 9:00 am; 11:00 am (Arabic) 12:00 noon
4:30 pm; 6:00 pm; 7:30 pm
Dubai, Jebel Ali: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
English: 6:15 am; 8:00 am
English: 5:30 pm – Solemn blessing of the Palms in the portico and procession to the church followed by 6:00 pm mass
English: 7:30 pm
Malayalam (Syro-Malankara): 8:00 pm (chapel)
* Palms will be blessed and distributed during all masses
Abu Dhabi: St. Joseph’s Cathedral
6.30 am – English / St. Joseph’s
9.00 am – English / St. Therese’s
4.30 pm – English / Outdoor
5.30 pm – English / St. Joseph’s
5.45 pm – English / St. Therese’s
6.30 pm – Arabic / Outdoor
7.00 pm – English / St. Therese’s
8.00 pm – Filipino / Outdoor
8.15 pm – English / St. Joseph’s
Abu Dhabi: St. Paul’s Church, Mussafah
6:15 am – English (Church)
5:30 pm – English (Church)
6:45 pm – English (Church)
7:30 pm – Malankara (Assisi Hall)
8:15 pm – Malayalam (Church)
Sharjah: St. Michael’s Church
5:45 am; 7:00 am; 8:30 am
5:30 pm; 7:00 pm
Al Ain: St. Mary’s Catholic Church
8:00 am
6:00 pm
7:30 pm
* Palms will be blessed and distributed during all masses
Ras Al Khaimah: St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church
6:15 am – English
7:00 pm – English
7:00 pm – English (Nakheel)
8:00 pm – Tamil (Nakheel)
Most faithful Catholics practice fasting and abstinence during the period of lent. In a message on Twitter, Pope Francis – who visited the UAE earlier this year, said that fasting frees the soul from worldly attachments, and teaches the heart how to love.
Lenten fasting frees us from our attachment to things, from the worldliness that anaesthetizes the heart. #Lent
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 8, 2019
Fasting also means changing our attitude towards other people and towards all creatures: from the temptation to “devour” everything to satisfy our greed, to the ability to suffer for love. #Lent
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 12, 2019
