All masses and activities at the two Catholic churches in Dubai — St Mary’s Catholic Church in Oud Metha and St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Jebel Ali — are suspended from Friday, April 3, and will remain so until further notice.

“Parishioners are requested to refrain from visiting the church premises, in the interest of safety and community well-being,” St Francis Church posted on its website on Thursday evening, citing directives from government regulatory authorities. "The church will remain closed and no livestream will be available," it said.

St Mary's Church posted a similar announcement on its social media page, informing visitors that its premises would be closed until further notice. Good Friday services will be streamed online, it said.

The announcement comes amid Holy Week celebrations — considered the holiest week of the entire liturgical year for most Christians, as they celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday. This year, Palm Sunday was observed on Sunday, March 27, while Easter is set to be celebrated on Sunday, April 5.

Take a look at the official notices below:

St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Jebel Ali, Dubai issues notice cancelling all masses from April 3

St Mary's Catholic Church in Dubai issued an official notice on April 3 announcing its closure until further notice

At the time of publishing, no announcement had been made yet by other churches in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain regarding any changes to their onsite prayer services this Holy Week.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (Avosa), which governs the Catholic churches in the UAE, Oman and Yemen, has yet to issue an official statement.

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