"A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent." While there's a lot of Starbucks out there each offering the same coffee, as far as location and view are concerned, no one offers a view so panoramic, heavenly, dreamy and divine that is Starbucks Domicillo Hotel. Imagine sipping your favorite Chocolate Cream Chip Frappucino overlooking the ethereal Taal Volcano, how dope must that be? Today me and my friend decided to have a quick one-day-only getaway to escape stress in the nearby Tagaytay City. Adulting can be very tiring so we both needed to replenish before we get consumed by exhaustion. A friend of mine recommended this new Starbucks and upon seeing pictures online, I died. The superb view is something poets would draw inspiration! The exterior looks so mundane and quite appalling at some point. Inside is just another Starbucks with tables and chairs and couches and as go further, Taal is already waving at you and i...
If you're a Catholic and have learned that you'll be staying in a Muslim country like the UAE in the next 2 years of your life (like me), you might think that your faith will be doomed and will be idle throughout your stay. But those thoughts changed when I've learned about the St. Mary's Catholic Church existence, a haven for hundreds of thousands of Filipino Catholics in Dubai.
Doing some research, I found out that the church was founded by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the late father of the current ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In 1966, he donated land to build the church and was inaugurated on 7 April 1967. This quite impressed me knowing that the Sheikhs are Muslim.
I have always wanted to visit this church when I first learned about its existence but it took me over a year before doing so. The church is inundated by Catholic expats mostly Filipinos and Indians to my surprise.
I have always wanted to visit this church when I first learned about its existence but it took me over a year before doing so. The church is inundated by Catholic expats mostly Filipinos and Indians to my surprise.
Attending the holy mass felt like my faith was renewed and my soul was rejuvenated. Working and living in a place thousands of miles away from your loved ones, this place is a refuge to the loneliness that we are all feeling and that somewhere in the middle of a desert, God is with us and we are not alone after all.
![]() |
Grotto |
There is this grotto outside the church where Catholics offer prayer to St. Mary under the flickering heat of the sun. Just beside this grotto is a house where you can light your candles which are available on the spot and just donate any amount from your heart in the donation box.
![]() |
Facade of St. Mary's Church |
For more information about mass schedules and others, you can visit their website HERE.
How to get there?
Located in Oud Metha Street Opp. Indian High School Bur Dubai، Umm Hurair 2 - Dubai, just take the Metro Green Line and get off at Oud Metha Station. If your nearest station is a Red Line, you can get off at either Union or Burjuman Station and from there hop on the Green Line.
ReplyDeleteWow!! great Post.
Thanks for providing this amazing information. I think we can expect better success with these tips.
Day care in bur dubai
Keep Posting:)