Dubai priest praises ‘incredible’ Filipinos at Simbang Gabi

  DUBAI – The parish priest of St. Mary’s Church in Dubai praised the “incredible” number of Filipinos who flocked to the church for Simbang Gabi (Midnight Mass). On Monday (December 17), an estimated crowd of 30,000 Filipinos gathered at the church for the second Simbang Gabi, a Filipino tradition of hearing mass for nine successive nights, culminating on Christmas Eve. People, some with children in tow, filled the St. Mary’s Church grounds, with more crowds of churchgoers, many bringing their own chair and mats, gathered at the parking area. “When you celebrate Simbang Gabi here with a crowd, I always thought Dubai is a small place—where are all these Filipinos hiding? We see a swarm of Filipinos coming here for nine days. Unbelievable! It’s incredible for all the people around,” said Fr. Lennie Connully, parish priest. Fr. Connully celebrated the mass with Fr. Chito Bartolo, the parish’s Filipino priest, on a chilly night that featured some drizzle replaced by moderate winds that did not seem to discourage the huge crowd. “When we speak about the Filipino expression of faith, I am truly impressed by that,” Fr. Connully told the crowd, “It’s not just about coming here for nine days to attend the mass. It is a real confession of faith in your own way with great vitality.” “I have not gone to the Philippines but I have seen you here every time you celebrate the Sto. Nino; you have Lenten Season, the Visita Iglesia—groups of Filipinos go to seven churches doing seven stations of the cross—then Flores De Mayo where you offer flowers to Mother Mary for 30 days and it culminates in Santa Cruzan. What a faith!” Fr. Connully said in his homily. “All these celebrations are few of what you have in the Philippines. All these speak volumes about your faith and your particular way of expressing your faith in Filipino culture and Filipino way, a way of joy,” he added. Fr. Connully also praised the Philippines with its “many islands with so many dialects, so many ethnic groups and all that, but I see great unity among you when it comes to the expression of faith”. “You are a model of how we can be different at the same time we can be united when it comes to the expression of faith,” he told Filipinos, urging them to “continue to and then God will bless you abundantly”. ICA/Expat Media Watch his message in full here: 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