For some OFWs in Abu Dhabi, Sunday is still church day
AL ALIN, Abu Dhabi --- For some Catholic overseas Filipino workers in this United Arab Emirates (UAE) city, Sunday is still church day, even if Sunday is the first day of work in this Muslim country.
“We have always believed that it is the day of worship, the Lord's Day for us Christians,” said Anna Rowena Plamus-Ortiz, 31, an employee at Al Masaood Automobiles-Abu Dhabi, in an email.
In UAE, weekend is on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We’re really just fortunate that we still have time on Sunday for Mass,” Plamus-Ortiz, who works from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., added.
Fulfilling Catholic duties is not the only reason why some Filipino workers squeeze church into their busy Sunday schedule. For some, like 33-year-old Vergel Ruelo Suaybaguio, attending Mass is like visiting his loved ones in the Philippines.
“Family time is Sunday since I was a kid. And our family time starts with a Sunday morning Mass,” says Suaybaguio, a library technician at the Al Ain Women’s College-Higher Colleges of Technology, in a separate e-mail, adding that Mass, even in this foreign land, makes him feel his family's presence.
He also says it doesn't matter if some Filipinos still choose to attend Mass on Friday or Saturday. “What really matters is the sacrament that we receive and share in the Mass,” he says.
Sunday is also Mass day for Kenneth Love Arandilla, 27, a recreational supervisor at the Al Ain Mall.
“Sunday ako nagsisimba kasi may pasok ako ng Friday. Hindi naman ako nakakaabot ng mass kapag Saturday kasi late na ako nakakalabas,” he shares in another e-mail.
There are six Catholic churches in the UAE: St Joseph’s Church (Abu Dhabi), St. Francis of Assisi Parish (Dubai), St. Mary’s Church (Dubai), St. Mary’s Church (Al Ain), St. Michael’s Church (Sharjah), and St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church (Ras Al Kaimah). – KBK, GMA News
“We have always believed that it is the day of worship, the Lord's Day for us Christians,” said Anna Rowena Plamus-Ortiz, 31, an employee at Al Masaood Automobiles-Abu Dhabi, in an email.
In UAE, weekend is on Fridays and Saturdays.
“We’re really just fortunate that we still have time on Sunday for Mass,” Plamus-Ortiz, who works from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., added.
Fulfilling Catholic duties is not the only reason why some Filipino workers squeeze church into their busy Sunday schedule. For some, like 33-year-old Vergel Ruelo Suaybaguio, attending Mass is like visiting his loved ones in the Philippines.
“Family time is Sunday since I was a kid. And our family time starts with a Sunday morning Mass,” says Suaybaguio, a library technician at the Al Ain Women’s College-Higher Colleges of Technology, in a separate e-mail, adding that Mass, even in this foreign land, makes him feel his family's presence.
He also says it doesn't matter if some Filipinos still choose to attend Mass on Friday or Saturday. “What really matters is the sacrament that we receive and share in the Mass,” he says.
Sunday is also Mass day for Kenneth Love Arandilla, 27, a recreational supervisor at the Al Ain Mall.
“Sunday ako nagsisimba kasi may pasok ako ng Friday. Hindi naman ako nakakaabot ng mass kapag Saturday kasi late na ako nakakalabas,” he shares in another e-mail.
There are six Catholic churches in the UAE: St Joseph’s Church (Abu Dhabi), St. Francis of Assisi Parish (Dubai), St. Mary’s Church (Dubai), St. Mary’s Church (Al Ain), St. Michael’s Church (Sharjah), and St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church (Ras Al Kaimah). – KBK, GMA News
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