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July 1, 2024Nearly 1000 male and female workers were treated as VIPs in International Labour Day celebration hosted by St Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubai, on Sunday 30 June. The daylong event was attended by Government officials and the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, Bp Paolo Martinelli OFM Cap., and celebrated Dubai’s spirit of saluting the sacrifices of the workforce.
The champions w
ho build our city shared the limelight at a special fun sporting day out organized by St. Mary’s Church, Dubai, to celebrate International Labour Day at Danube Sports World, under the theme” Champs of the Camp” in the presence of many dignitaries from Dubai government, from the Community Development Authority (CDA), Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWC), Dubai Police, Dubai Sports Council, Dubai Municipality, and Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
“Champs of the Camp” is our way of engaging our community in serving the dedicated workforce of this city. The event has been organized by the Samaritan Ministry Dubai, the social outreach wing of St Mary’s Catholic Church Dubai, that aims at giving a helping hand to the needy, irrespective of religion or nationality, to hail the silent workers of Dubai as well as thank the Government of Dubai for making this city a safe haven for the residents.
The participants have been selected from the cate
gory of workers who earn less than AED 2,000 (545 USD) per month, from 44 companies from the sectors of construction, cleaning, facilities management and fire safety companies. They had a fun-filled day packed with sporting activities, a talent hunt, a unique platform to showcase their skill in singing, mimicry, accompanied by food, entertainment, raffle draw, and carnival style games.
“International Labour Day is a perfect occasion to salute the workers, who toil tirelessly behind the scenes,” said Rev. Fr. Lennie Connully, Parish Priest of St Mary's Catholic Church, Dubai. Owing to their hard work the city has fulfilled the dreams of so many and given residents a clean, safe and happy environment. At the same time, we want to use this occasion to express our gratitude to Dubai government for making this a better place for the residents. During this celebration we will applaud the acts of courage and determination of the unsung heroes and express our heartfelt gratitude to all for their hard work, service and sacrifice.”
Bp Paolo Martinelli OFM Cap., Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, starting by thanking all those who made this event possible, a sign of honor and closeness to all workers: H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and the Ruler of Dubai, all the different departments in the Government of Dubai, the parish of Saint Mary’s and the Good Samaritan Ministry.
He then addressed the participants: “This is a day of joy and sharing, a day of games and friendships, offered to all of us who are here in the United Arab Emirates to work and live in the labor camps. You are here as migrants for noble reasons, to support your families. You are making many sacrifices for the love of your families and seeking a better future for yourself and your loved ones.
With your work and commitment, you help in the progress of this nation which encourages the coexistence of all people who come from many different countries, cultures and religions. With your humble work
you make an important contribution to the growth of humanity. Those who work, help others and the society. God has given us life and each of us is loved by the Most High, Almighty God. We are all under His merciful gaze, called to work together to build a more fraternal and just society.
Thank you for accepting this invitation to spend this day together in friendship and joy of coexistence. Through this, we want to express our respect and appreciation for your commitment to work. Each of you is unique, is loved by God, has immense value before the Almighty God. We all receive life from God and have to spend our life on this earth by doing good with God's help.
I wish you a peaceful and joyful day. May you have fun and grow in mutual respect. We are many, all different, from different cultures, different languages, different faiths, but we are all called to live in harmony and solidarity, to treat each other with respect, as brothers and sisters. I invoke upon you and your families the blessing of the Most High and Almighty God.”
Over 130 volunteers from Samaritan Ministry Dubai have been toiling for several days to put the event together and were present at the venue to cheer the workers. Susan Jose Desmond, a coordinator of the Samaritan Ministry of the parish, said: “It is a salute to the invisible, everyday heroes. There were many memorable moments as the workers showcased their talents. The event was possible because of the tireless efforts of the volu
nteers and kind-hearted sponsors.” She said the Church plans to work with its patrons and the companies to arrange grooming sessions for the workers: “We are looking at organizing professional grooming for them so that they spend their weekends more productively and perform better next time”.
The participants expressed their joy and gratitude.
Mujahid, a Pakistani worker shared his experience: “our company’s team took part in various games and took trophies in cricket, volleyball and football. We loved the event and most of all, we liked taking back so many gifts for our team members”.
Mukesh, an Indian worker, was a member of the cricket champion’s team: “We are an unbeatable team… We have won many other matches also, but here it was different because we didn’t just play. We had a lot of fun too. There were a lot of things for entertainment. We are looking forward to coming back for the next edition of this event.”
Rachel, a security guard from Nigeria, said she was so happy to sing and get this platform, even if she couldn’t be among the top three and promised “I will sing better next time and win”.
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Full speech of Bp Paolo Martinelli OFM Cap. during the event :
Dear Eminent Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, sisters and brothers,
Good Morning. I am happy to be with you this morning for this extraordinary day of sports and fun. Champs of the Camp – this is the suggestive title for today’s sports event. This is a day of joy and sharing, a day of games and friendships, offered to all of us who are here in the United Arab Emirates to work and live in the labor camps. This day is our contribution towards the International Labor Day.
First of all, I thank in a special way His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and the Ruler of Dubai for this beautiful, safe and friendly city of Dubai and giving us this opportunity to organize such great events. I thank all the different departments in Government of Dubai who has facilitated us to have this great event.
I sincerely thank the parish of Saint Mary’s and the Good Samaritan Ministry for having organized this sports meeting once again this year as a sign of honor and closeness to all of you, dear friends who are present here today at the Danube Sports World.
We used to have such events in the past, but the pandemic forced us to limit our activities. Now, this beautiful initiative of socialization finally resumes this year.
Dear friends, you are here as migrants in this land for noble reasons. You are here to support your families and relatives. You are making many sacrifices for the love of your families and in this way, you are seeking a better future for yourself and your loved ones.
With your work and your commitment, you help in the progress of this nation which encourages the coexistence of all people who come from many different countries, cultures and religions. With your humble work you make an important contribution to the growth of humanity. Those who work, help others and the society.
God has given us life and each of us is loved by the most high, almighty God. We are all under his merciful gaze. We are called to work together to build a more fraternal and just society.
You have responded to the invitation and gathered here to spend this day together in friendship and joy of coexistence. Thank you for accepting this invitation. This day is dedicated to each of you. Through this we want to express our respect and appreciation for your commitment to work. Each of you is unique, each of you is loved by God. Each of you has immense value before the almighty God. We all receive life from God and have to spend our life on this earth by doing good with God's help.
I wish you a peaceful and joyful day. May you have fun and grow in mutual respect. We are many and we are all different, we come from different cultures and have different languages, we have different faiths, but we are all called to live in harmony and solidarity, to treat each other with respect, as brothers and sisters.
I invoke upon you and your families the blessing of the most high and almighty God. Be happy, enjoy the day and may the Almighty give you peace and happiness. Thank you.
