Abu Dhabi churches prepare for Easter celebrations
Howard University Gospel Choir from the US will perform at St Andrew’s Church
Churches in Abu Dhabi are preparing to welcome tens of thousands of Christians over the next few days as they celebrate Easter, with several masses and services set to take place.
“On Easter Sunday we are expecting thousands of Christians to attend church. There are 21 masses taking place on the day for several different congregations representing many different nationalities including Arabs, Indians, Europeans, and Filipinos, among many others,” said Father Thomas Sebastian, who serves at St Joseph’s Church.
“We are also holding services leading up to Easter on Good Friday and Saturday as we consider these days to be important as well and then, of course, comes the main celebration on Sunday. So it is a busy time with a lot of worshippers coming to the church,” he added.
Speaking on the Easter message, Fr Sebastian said the message would be one based on hope. “We are going to be celebrating and commemorating the foundation of our faith on that day, and our message will be to strengthen our faith despite whatever difficulties and uncertainties we might face.
“There are members of our congregation who are going through tough times, some of them have lost their jobs and so they are facing difficulties, and so our message will be one about hope and the need to keep strong,” he added.
Reverend Canon Andy Thompson of St Andrew’s Church said the church would start its Easter festivities with the observance of Good Friday.
“There will be a Good Friday service at 10am. During this service, we will be focusing on the work of the cross of Jesus and reflecting on what this means to us as individuals. Then on Easter Sunday we will have a big family service followed by an Easter egg hunt. In the evening, we are hosting the Howard University Gospel Choir from the US who will help us celebrate the occasion.
“On our campus, we will be expecting over 15,000 people coming to join over 50 congregations this weekend,” he added, highlighting the high number of people who will be attending the religious festivities.”
Rev Thompson also paid tribute to the UAE’s religious tolerance. “I was speaking in the House of Parliament recently in London and saw the surprise and astonishment in the faces of British politicians as they discovered that not only are there churches in the UAE but they are flourishing under the positive welcome and tolerance of the UAE authorities. God bless the UAE.”