DUBAI // Christians around the world gather on Thursday to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Among them will be the 20,000 or so devout Catholics who attend mass each week at St Francis of Assisi church in Dubai.
Christmas Day in the UAE is a joyous occasion for Christians of all denominations, who enjoy the freedom to practise their religion in their adopted home.
“Christmas is a busy season and programmes we have in church, like carol singing, that started here since year one when the church opened, really help to get the community together,” said Roshan Chacko.
“People may be far away from home, but they come together here to pray, to reflect and also to celebrate.”
Parishioners are kept busy with carol singing and the church’s annual barbecue. As part of a crib competition judges also visit people’s homes to rate how they have set up the nativity scene.
The church in Jebel Ali, a sandstone-coloured place of worship, was inaugurated in 2001 to cope with the growing population in New Dubai. Catholics earlier attended St Mary’s church in Oud Metha, the city’s first Catholic church inaugurated in 1967.
“People at home are surprised to hear that there are churches in the UAE and when my family visits next year this is one place I will bring them to,” said Tomas Klein, a German automobile manager.
“When I came here two months ago from Hamburg without my family it gave me a sense of relief and peace on Fridays or Saturday to hear and sing familiar hymns.”
Apart from regular mass in English, services are also conducted in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Sinhalese, Tagalog, Arabic and in Indian languages such as Konkani, Malayalam and Tamil.
“I’ve been a parishioner here from day one. It’s like my second home, we feel like this is our own church,” said Mr Chacko. “We were initially a small group of less than 50 people when the church opened its door. In other churches you attend mass and leave but this has always felt like our own because we were there when it started. There is diversity because workers from the labour camps, businessmen, students all come here. We have so many nationalities, it is difficult to count.”
As well as the two Catholic churches in Dubai, there are also churches in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Fujairah, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.
The weekly prayers are a source of guidance to many.
“I like to talk to the priests; if I need some help about something in my job I also talk to them,” said Athula Perera, a worker at a cement factory.
“It makes my mind light. During festivals when I miss my family, my home then also I come here so I can forget I’m alone.”
While older parishioners flock to pray in the main hall, several groups of young people head to the ground floor of the church where they volunteer their time to spread the word among the youth and children.
Keenan D’Abreo, 17, a grade 12 student enjoys being an assistant catechist that involves teaching 5-6 year olds the principles of the religion.
“We just tell the children to thank God for the gifts they have, to respect others. I also like raising money for church charity events. I like how all the community events involve regular people and everyone gets to meet and not be left out.”
rtalwar@thenational.ae
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Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
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Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
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