Visita Iglesia: Catholic Churches in UAE

Me and my wife had the opportunity to join the Visita Iglesia on Good Friday organized by the elders of the Couple for Christ here in Abu Dhabi. Without hesitation we joined the said event to make it as our way of doing sacrifice in this lenten season and of course the opportunity to see all the churches of the seven emirates of UAE. Catholics in this country is very lucky and grateful that the ruler of this middle east sheikdom allowed Christians to exercise their faith as well as giving space to build churches for prayers.

The said trip also followed the way of the cross that our Christ suffers up to crucifixion as we remembered and prayed. Two stations of the cross in every church we visited.

We kick off the said event around 6am in the morning starting with the first and second stations in our very own St. Joseph Cathedral here in Abu Dhabi. 

The facade of the Cathedral upon entering on its compound

According to their site this Parish has over 100,000 expatriate Catholics from all over the world.

With the growing economy within the region, the Church has also witnessed a steady increase in the number of faithful. Masses are celebrated in a number of different languages and the Church is generally seen packed to full capacity at most services.

Inside the St. Joseph Cathedral during a mass celebration

 After commemorating the first and second station of the cross we hurriedly boarded to our assigned buses that would bring us to our next church to be visited. There were seven buses with approximately 30 faithfuls in each bus. 

We boarded bus number 5, with us is our co-participants of the CFC-Christian Life Program, our couple DGL, our CFC Elders and some CFC members. 

Our convoy of buses getting ready at the break of dawn for the Visita Iglesia

  

Our next stop: St. Francis of Assisi church

The St. Francis of Assisi Church is located just off of Sheik Zayed road beside the village of Jebel Ali, in the emirates of Dubai. It is near the Ibn Batuta Mall and The Gardens in Jebel Ali interchange.

The St. Francis of Assisi church was inaugurated in November 2001 as part of the Vicarate of Arabia, presently pastored by Bishop Paul Hinder. It is a parish comprised of many nationalities from around the world. We are diverse communities united in one body of Christ

The entrance to the church of St. Francis of Assisi, Jebel Ali Dubai

To GOD be the glory....

The Grotto inside the church compound.

Inside the St. Francis of Assisi Church

Inside the compound of the church.

We stayed at St. Francis church approximately 30 minutes. We prayed and did the third and fourth station of the cross. After that we were given 10 minutes to take pictures and check out the church vicinity before we leaved to our next church destination.

 ... to be continued  --->>>   jump to PART 2 

GRATEFUL OF 2010

I never write any year end reviews or any rewind about what happen after the year is finished. But since today I am greatly bored and 2010 events always flashes on my mind, I ought to try to write something about how was it in 2010 for me.

For a starter we start the 2010 with a bang, an all out party with our flat mates complete with games, singing, and a lot of dancing with the help of tons of booze. So it's a great and way too loud to start the 2010. It was indeed a great year for us.

I don't have any complains about 2010, there's a bit down moment for us but we survive. God's guidance was with us and will always will. So instead of counting our downs I will enumerate how God made our 2010 great according to His plan.

We are grateful to God of His blessings we received in 2010:

• -         we sent 2 large balikbayan boxes back home (it was a bit delayed in arrival but nevertheless it still on time for us to be there)
• -         we were both given a vacation together (me and my wife)
• -         safe flight on our vacation
• -         seeing some good friends back home
• -         seeing our families
• -         and of course seeing our daughter SAM after 2 years of not seeing her
• -         and the flashes of her eye how happy she was during her birthday
• -         wife's new job (of course a bit higher pay)
• -         new flat
• -         and good health for us and the whole family
• -         And a lot of simple thing that makes us comfortable even we are very far from home.

In general God give us a great year not only for me but for the whole family. We are so thankful for His blessings. I will also pray that this 2011 He will continue to guide and protect us and bless us. My prayer also to the less fortunate ones that this year they may find solitude and blessings, that they should always put in mind that God is always with them.

May this 2011 will also be a good year for us under God's plan!

Rated BISDAK

(i just stumbled this one pero wa nako kahibawo diing suoka... pwerti nakong katawa tungod kay naka relate ko...suwayi ninyo ug ka relate ba mo...so nag suwat ani salamat ha...repost nako sa ako blog)

BISAYA KA'NG DAKO KON...

1. You feel insulted when a non-Bisdak ridicules someone by saying "Bisaya", but it's okay if another Bisdak uses it to another Bisdak, as in "ah, Bisayaa sab oy!"

2. You feel proud when Matud Nila is sung and you sing along with it bisan dili nimo memorize.

3. Hibal-an nimo kung unsa ang "habal-habal" bisan wala pa ka kasakay niani.

4. Common usages kung ga-tinagalog: the use of "kuwan" as interjection, ang superlative nga pirmi gamiton mao ang "masyado", i.e., maingay masyado, sobra masyado, bilisan mo masyado (read: paspasi lagi) adunay tendency nga pulihan lang ang "o" or "a" og "i", i.e., ang atop into atip, ang kan-on into kan-in, ang sud-an into sud-in ug ang utan into utin)

5. You know what "itlog mo 'noy orange" means.

6. You know that the karaang "bayle" aron mahimong modern gipulihan na og "disco" (discoral).

7. Aduna kay hibaw-an nga at least usa ka kanta ni Yoyoy Villame like Bongsuela! or Max Surban bisan sa tono lang.

8. You can use varied terms of endearment for friends and relatives like bay, parts, paparts, migo, parekoy, pareng, choy, higala, kid, gaw, gaweks, manoy, nong, inse, ditse, iyo, iya, palangga, pangga, gang.

9. You call someone "Inday" and/or "Dodong" as a term of affection and hate it when other non-Bisdaks use the term as if its a title given for a househelp.

10. You know what "maninghag" is?

11. You know Vino Kulafu and Fighter Wine...sometimes you even know their jingles!

12. Instead of Stork, you chose Snowbear or you buy Timbura when you mean Corniks.

13. You're familiar with the brand Loalde in clothing.

14. You crave for inun-unan, paklay, ginamay, halang-halang, kinilaw, ginamos, buwad, binignit, sikwate paresan sa puto maya.

15. Esteban Escudero and Golyat are folk heroes.

16. "Handumanan sa Usa Ka Awit" is closer to your heart than "Maalaala Mo Kaya" TV show.

17. At ...pag-nagulat-nabigla ang mga Bisdak ang biglang sigaw ay "ay bilat" o kaya "ay otin sa kabayo"

18. SUTUKIL is as common as TAPSILOG; in fact you know that SUTUKIL came first (Sugba-Tula- Kilaw).

19. Your common pulutan for tuba drinking is "TARGET" - asin nga targeton lang nimo sa imong tudlo.

20. You have at least once in your lifetime experienced "Ang Mysterio sa Paglawig sa Barko Padulong Manila", a phenomenon that when the boat is approaching Manila, everybody around you suddenly becomes Tagalog speaking nga adtong miaging adlaw lang pwerting Bisaya pa ninyo! Nakatilaw sab ka ug sakay ug "Kukalyong" paingon sa Cebu.

21. You whisper Bisaya to a fellow Bisdak in the midst of a Tagalog crowd ...and he replies loudly to you in Tagalog!

22. The first question you ask when you found out that someone is Bisdak, "taga-asa man diay ka?"

23. You usually use the warning phrase "Hala Ka!"

24. You know the meaning and proper usages of the following (irreverent) words/phrases: pesteng yawa, usapa na, pastilan, lat-inanag, butalo, way kurat, hastang, puslan man, buing, kuwangol, libod-suroy, ligas-paka, way kuha, ka-ubo, kolera, burikat, duha singko, balang, palag, wa ka kyapi?, ok pas olrayt, haybol, ang pahak!, jer-jer, way blema, pagarpar, giro, kalandrakas, ambot sa langaw pilay idad sa ok-ok, bugnawg simod, bagdok, gi-atay!, gi-ahak, gibangkong, tibak (tiguwang bakla), NPA (nawong puros agtang), tira pasagad, basin diay pilay pad sa ungoy, banat kay awaaw, mat-an pas pinya, ngitngit pas alkitran, gi-bangkuliya, tak-om pas tuway, malalim mo na!, sus!

25. Sigurado ko nga naa pa kay ikadugang ani: miembro ka sa GKK no? "gagmayng ki-at ki-at", LKK (Looy Kaayo Ka), bayntchenge (.25), sewewen (.50), wesiwesi (P1), eskina lang noy, pamokong, bahala na'g ligsan basta in-shirt, ug ering-ering DUHA! Sa mga lugar, kahibalo ka asa ang Larsian, Bukid, Boulevard, Sammy's, ka Monette, kandingan, Sutukil, Duawon, original Ngo Hiong (kadtong orange nga plato nga puwerting ka mantikaon).

Be proud that you are a BISDAK!!! PAK! Ana lang!