Easter in Abu Dhabi

I decided to head to church for Easter Sunday, and when I looked at the mass schedule for the ONLY catholic church in Abu Dhabi, this is what I saw (and note this does not include the saturday vigil). Impressive?

MASSES
07.00 a.m. English (Church)
08.30 a.m. English (Outdoor)
09.00 a.m. French (Church)
10.00 a.m. German (Assisi Hall)
10.30 a.m. Arabic (Church)
12.00 Noon Italian (Church)
12.00 Noon Polish (Assisi Hall)
04.30 p.m. English (Outdoor)
04.45 p.m. Urdu (Church)
05.30 p.m. Spanish (Assisi Hall)
05.30 p.m. Tamil (St. Joseph’s Hall)
05.45 p.m. English (Outdoor)
05.45 p.m. Konkani (Church)
06.45 p.m. Sri Lankan (St. Joseph’s Hall)
07.00 p.m. English (Outdoor)
07.00 p.m. Arabic (Church)
08.00 p.m. English (St. Joseph’s Hall)
08.15 p.m. Filipino (Outdoor)
08.30 p.m. Malayalam (Church)

So I turned up for the 5.45 Outdoor mass, and was greeted by a congregation of 2-3 THOUSAND people. It was amazing. And to think that at the same time, 4 other masses were going on in various languages around the compound. There is also a mosque next door, and as the priest was conducting one of the most sacred bits of mass, the azan call came on, so you could hear both the priest singing through the mic and the call to prayer from the mosque. Surreal, yet poignant and there could be no better reminder as to where I am living now.

There are so many catholics here, given the large Filipino population. After mass they even sell Filipino tidbits. And after mass there are private buses (illegal I'm sure) who are driven by screaming Pakistani drivers (think Malaysian pink mini buses!) who try to herd everyone into their own buses. Me included of course, as I look like I am Kabayan. I literally had to push some drivers off before I got herded into a bus. Maybe I need to start carrying some Prada or Gucci bags and start wearing much nicer clothes, or maybe start waving my car keys at them.