Events

Our Parish continues the reach out initiative to support the unemployed / needy in camps with provision supply for a month. For more details on dry food items and how you can participate kindly contact  [email protected]
 

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To bring out the festive spirit of the upcoming Christmas Season among the needy and underprivileged, our Parish plans to reach out with a gift Hamper of Joy. Please check the poster below or contact [email protected] for further information.
 

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The recent massive explosion that occurred in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon caused severe damages in the area with over 140 deaths, 5,000 injuries and more than a hundred people missing. St Mary's Catholic Church, Dubai extends our whole hearted support to Lebanon and eagerly encourages all parishioners to lend a helping hand to our organized relief program by donating the specific items requested at the earliest. 
 

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We are grateful for the kind support to assist the distressed during this emergency. Your voluntary contributions are much appreciated.

Gulf News Report

A Wow! moment for 600 nannies

St Mary’s Church honours the ‘Women of Wonder’ with a full-day treat including a Dubai city tour

Dubai: It was the nannies day out as over 600 domestic workers converged on the St Mary’s School football ground on Friday for a fun-filled event to honour them.

It was really a ‘Wow!’ moment as the Samaritan ministry of St Mary’s Church pampered nannies, the unsung heroes of homes, in an event entitled ‘Women of Wonder’ (WOW). Several nannies and domestic workers sporting sunny smiles and best outdoor dresses hailing from India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya, and from various religions walked into the grounds at 8am and were treated to a sumptuous breakfast, followed by games, a cultural extravaganza, a beauty contest and raffle draws, followed by a Dubai city tour.

They were also treated to lunch and snacks.

Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, inaugurated the event and paid tribute to the hardworking community of women domestic workers.

Shaikh Nahyan said the UAE has a great tradition of honouring the dignity of women and safeguarding their rights from the days of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. founding father of the nation. All his predecessors have upheld this heritage.

Shaikh Zayed saluted all nannies who selflessly put the interest of the family and children under their care first and work hard giving others the freedom to fulfil their dreams, Shaikh Nahyan said.

Father Lennie Connolly, Parish Priest of St Mary’s Church, said the church organises a special programme every year to honour the underprivileged including blue-collar workers. “This time we decided to honour these wonderful domestic workers who work so hard and with such responsibility to spread joy and happiness in the lives of the children under their care and the families they work for.”

Mary Jane, 43, from the Philippines was really excited to get on the bus that would take her on a Dubai city tour.

“In a few months, I complete 10 years of service and I have been with a single Emirati family. When I started with them a decade ago, they just had one child and over the years the family kept growing. I am very attached to all four children and love them to bits,” said Jane.

Back home, she has three grown-up children aged 22, 13 and 12 and is already a grandmother of a two-year-old. However, Jane has never had the leisure to go on a city tour.

“I am so excited. I really enjoyed the lovely snacks and meal. I was hoping to be lucky to win a raffle draw. There were exciting prizes of television, karaoke set and airline tickets, but I was not that fortunate,” she said while boarding the bus with her friends.

Three friends from the tribal belt of Jharkhand in India, who have spent over a decade in Dubai, were as excited as Jane to get an opportunity to see Dubai.

Anita Soren, who has worked as a bus nanny for a Sharjah school for the last 10 years, said: “I love my job, looking after toddlers and making sure they reach home safely. It is a big responsibility. I am glad I am getting this chance to see the city as I have heard so much about Burj Khalifa and Atlantis, the Palm and today I will get a chance to see these.”

Morice Thetie, 35, who has spent 18 years working for a single family in Jebel Ali, said: “I feel proud to have raised very good children who are all working now. Some of them have their own businesses. I have always been happy and now events like this give a chance to my friends and me to enjoy our lives too.”

Ainma Dharwar is also from a tribal family in Jharkhand and works for a family in Meydan. She has lived in Dubai for the last six years.

“I am very happy with the family I am with and am responsible for cleaning, cooking, washing and many other housekeeping duties along with looking after the kids when they get back from school. I love the kids and today I am feeling blessed to get this opportunity to enjoy a real treat with my friends.”

In line with His Highness  Crown Prince Shaikh  Hamdan  Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s  vision of a healthy Dubai - A fitness day was organised on 18th November 2017 in the Parish with the aim of  making  exercise a daily habit to enhance general health and well- being.

The morning started with the National Anthem by St Marys Catholic High School and welcome address by Rev Fr. Lennie and Mr Ghazi Madani from Dubai Sports Council. Warm up exercises were conducted by Fitness 360 and the fitness Zumba session was led by the vibrant youth of our parish

Our Parish dedicated this day to help support children with special needs across Dubai. There were about 15 special needs children from our parish and around who attended the sporting day.

Snacks and refreshments were sponsored by various generous contributors. There was also a lucky dip with gifts for the top 3 lucky participants. Health and fitness checks were organised by Emirates Hospital

The special fun filled day engaged youth and families of our Parish and the community to raise awareness of the importance of sports with a spirit of unity.

The church formally handed over Dh525,000 collected through the initiative to Emirates Red Crescent earlier this week, which will now be used to cover treatment costs of the needy cancer patients belonging to various nationalities and religious background.

The funds were collected through a charity walkathon, ‘Mercithon’, organised by the Church in January. The highly successful charity event attracted over 12,000 people, who helped raise the funds

Mercithon was organised at Dubai Creek Park on January 24 as part of the church’s golden jubilee celebrations and also to mark the UAE’s Year of Giving initiative.

The full treatment for the patients, belonging to nationalities of Pakistan, the Philippines, India, Syria, Morocco and Lebanon, will be offered at New Medical Centre (NMC), according to the church.

A tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Fr Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubai; Mohammad Al Zarouni, general manager, UAE Red Crescent; and Prashant Mangath and Dr Diab, CEO and head of Oncology, respectively, of New Medical Centre.

Fr Connully said the walkathon was hosted to mark the Golden Jubilee of our Parish “It’s a time to celebrate God’s grace-filled providence, express gratitude to the rulers and people of this nation and pay back to society for all the graces received.”

NMC, as part of its humanitarian activities, is treating needy cancer patients and has pledged to do more for those who cannot afford treatment. The involvement of NMC is targeted at broadening the engagement to bring more needy patients from the parish under the NMC treatment programme.

September 2017  for the labour  work force of Dubai at Dubai International Bowling centre, Mamzar. More than 500 labourers (male and female) earning less than AED 2,000 a month from 41 different companies; including construction, cleaning facilities management & fire safety companies came together to enjoy a fun filled day comprising of a bowling tournament accompanied by food, spot prizes, raffle draws, skill based games and a variety of entertainment activities. Over 150 volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubai were involved in facilitating “Salam Dubai”^rdIn harmony with Year 2017 being declared as the Year of Giving, the Samaritans Ministry of St Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubai organized a “one of a kind” fun filled event called “Salam Dubai” on 23  

Several dignitaries including Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of DNRD,   Dr Omar Al Muthanna, CEO of the Regulatory & Licensing Sector of the CDA, to name a few were present for the event and interacted with the labourers. In the Opening Ceremony, Fr. Lennie J. A. Connully OFM Cap, welcomed the gathering and stated that this event was in support of the Year of Giving campaign declared by the U.A.E. President; H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and St Marys Catholic Church, Dubai is proud to honour the Government of Dubai & these deserving labourers from different sectors as they play a vital role in keeping the city of Dubai safe, happy and clean.

From friendly dance-offs to a competitive bowling competition, the workers received free food and drink the whole day as well as spot prizes - from shopping vouchers to washing machines, TVs and flight tickets. When the day drew to a close, all in attendance walked away with a 'blessing bag'  filled  with an array of provisions including a 1kg rice, olive oil, tinned food and hygiene bags, among others. For one of the laborers; seven-year Dubai resident, Manzour Hossein, the day gave a chance to forget any stresses and connect with his friends. "This has been such a good experience for all of us. It has allowed me to re-energise myself so I'm ready for the working week again," the Bangladeshi national said. Working as a cleaner in Dubai, Hossein and his colleague, Indian expat, Jayasing P.K, said for workers like them, days like these are always welcome. And like many, they hope to see more events pop up like this again in the future.

The Samaritans Ministry wishes to extend its heartfelt gratitude to the sponsors for their generous contributions, the participating companies for their valued time, the media for their detailed coverage and all the volunteers involved; without whom this day would not be possible. Sponsors & participating companies will be awarded with a Certificate of Appreciation / Participation by CDA & St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubai.

Under the guidance of Fr. Lennie J. A. Connully , the Samaritans Ministry of St. Mary's Catholic Church in line with the Government of Dubai, will continue to support the UAE community through initiatives which value the less fortunate and  help bring everyone together.

Event Reports: 
Gulf News & Khaleej Times
 

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers that you do unto me……."

These words ring out loud and clear in the Year of Mercy. And what better way than hosting Shukran Dubai to thank and appreciate the government and authorities of Dubai for this  blessed city.

The event was dedicated to our workforce who keep Dubai safe, clean, secure & to acknowledge and appreciate them for all their hard work.

This event was held on Friday 27th May at United Pro Sports

Over 450 laborers from over 40 companies joined, irrespective of their culture, religion or nationality for an afternoon full of fun, excitement, games & good food. Some of the participating companies were Dubai Municipality, Brookfield Multiplex, Al Habtoor etc.

The afternoon started with the National Anthem and welcome address by Rev Fr. Lennie. Other dignitaries from Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Sports council, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Anti-Narcotics/CID, Dubai Foundation for Women and Child graced the event and spoke briefly. This was followed by a dance recital by the youth of our Parish and an energetic African drumming performance. To mark the day a tribute video appreciating the workforce for the hard work and an encouraging note from H.E Bishop Paul Hinder and other well-wishers.

It was a fierce competition all round with true team spirit evident at each match. The participants competed in games of cricket, football, volleyball, table tennis and basketball. There were various game stalls and other activities held during the event. “Knowledge Village” was created to give a brief history of Dubai and then quizzed on their knowledge. We had Rodeo bull and Sumo wrestling which was a very big hit with all the participants. Many walked away with spot prizes or won prizes showing off their talents in singing and dancing.

The lucky dip was the highlight as many waited eagerly for their names to be picked for prizes ranging from air tickets, gold pendants, washing machines , laptops, refrigerators to rice cookers, bags, shirts and perfumes.

Snacks were available all through the afternoon with juices and ice creams to cool them down. The sumptuous dinner packs were enjoyed by all. The Event ended with each participant going back with a grateful smile, a food hamper in one hand and their prizes in the other.

We, the Samaritan Ministry extend our sincere gratitude to all the priests, nuns and staff of St Mary’s Catholic Church, for the support rendered throughout the preparation period of this event.

This event was only possible due to the 150 volunteers and our very generous sponsors & Parishioners. Special mention must be made to Sage, Global Link West Star Shipping and Arabian Park Hotel.

We thank and praise the Lord that the event gave us the opportunity to serve those who are less fortunate than each of us are and for this wonderful city that we live in.

News reports from the Gulf News