The Syro-Malabar Day in St Mary's parish began with a Holy Qurbana concelebrated by Raphael Thattil, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar church. Bp Paolo addressed him a welcome speech at the beginning of the celebration.
Advent reminds us of the first coming of the Lord, and of his coming at the end of time and while waiting, he does not stop coming among us. He never leaves us alone. Let us not weigh down our hearts with distractions and useless worries. Let us say every day with our hearts: come Lord Jesus, come among us, we need you, we love you.
Bp Paolo celebrated mass on 2nd December , emphasizing how the readings bring interesting light to celebrate the UAE national Day. He invited all to pray for this nation that promotes tolerance, hospitality and prosperity, in which we are welcomed, for the rulers, that they may always be guided by divine wisdom. As Catholics, we want to give our strong contribution to the building up of a more fraternal and human world.
Bp Paolo Martinelli addresses a message to the faithful of the Vicariate of Southern Arabia for Advent, a time of waiting in which we are invited to recognize our deepest needs, our highest desires and purify our hearts, and a time of hope.
Jesus conquered evil and death. We are certain that divine providence does not abandon us and works so that the kingdom of God comes on earth, in our heart, as we say : your kingdom come! The kingdom of God begins among us when we are united and when we are loved, when we make the gospel our rule of life.
On Sunday 3rd of November, the ceremony of the blessing of St Francis of Assisi church at the Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi, and the dedication of its altar, was presided over by H. E. Arch. Christophe El-Kassis, Apostolic Nuncio to the UAE and Yemen, and the homily was given by H.E. Bp Paolo Martinelli, the Apostolic Vicar.
On the 2nd of November, Bp Paolo inaugurated the new outdoor gathering area of St Anthony's parish in Ras Al Khaimah, "that will favor the joyful gathering of the faithful to pray, to share gifts and to walk together".
We too are called to be saints, to be united with God in love and to love one another as Jesus loved us. When we think of the saints, we must not think of heroes, distant from us and unreachable. The saints are men and women like us who have lived their vocation to holiness and have walked together towards the fullness of divine life.
Coming to this country in the Gulf as migrants we become an indivisible part of the history of this Church of Arabia, rooted in the Apostolic testimony and watered by the blood of the martyrs. This extraordinary jubilee has been a great occasion of joy for all of us. This jubilee concludes but the joy does not end.
"It is right to want to be great, we are made for great things. But Jesus tells us that only he who lives in humility is truly great. He who loves is great, he who serves his brothers and sisters is great."
Bp Paolo was invited to speak about the role of forgiveness, reconciliation and compassion for peace. Taking the example of Jesus and St Francis, he stressed how reconciliation and forgiveness are the road to peace, breaking the cycle of violence and revenge, and opening up to fraternal life. The forum was organized by by the Maitribodh Organization and Etisalat Academy.
Who is Jesus for you? Your whole life will depend on how you answer this question. We have never finished discovering who Christ is for us. We must let ourselves be surprised by Christ. We are on a permanent journey of conversion. As catechists, be witnesses of the good life of the Gospel. In this way, you will also be credible teachers.
"The meaning of the year of prayer in preparation for the jubilee" was the theme chosen by Bp Paolo Martinelli OFM Cap. As the Jubilee Year of Saint Arethas and companions martyrs draws to a close, Bp Paolo invites us to turn towards the jubilee of the Lord 2025 : as Pope Francis has invited us to prepare for this fundamental event with a time of prayer, the bishop explains why and how.
Bp Paolo Martinelli, OFM Cap., installed Fr. Joby Vengappally, OFM Cap., as the new parish priest of St John the Baptist parish in Al Dhannah (Ruwais), succeeding Fr. Thomas Ampattukuzhy, OFM Cap.
The word of God this Sunday reminds us of the true value of God's law. It is not a burden to be avoided but a gift of God's wisdom to live well every day, trying to realize God's will in all our actions.
With this celebration Pope Francis wanted to recall the importance of the relationship between all generations. Bp Paolo explains why this relationship is so important, fundamental for our life, especially in our Vicariate where many of us live far away from their grandparents and elderly relatives.
During this summer break, Summer Camps for the children are being organized in our parishes throughout the Vicariate thanks to the dedication of our priests and hundreds of volunteers who are mostly teenagers and young adults.
