For the past five years, Salvatore and Lucia have chosen to celebrate Christmas at St. Joseph’s Church in Abu Dhabi. Italian, parents of five children, they share what this experience has come to mean for their family: “When we come here, we find the silence, the time, the listening we usually lack.”

What began five years ago as a chance encounter — discovering that a Mass was celebrated in Italian in Abu Dhabi on Christmas Day — has become an eagerly awaited appointment.

“It’s beautiful to continue along this path, which helps us step out of the usual rush of daily life,” they say. “In Father Luca, who celebrates the Mass in Italian, we found someone who always welcomes us with open arms, who makes us feel special and truly called. And that’s how we feel when we come here: called, welcomed by a generous community, despite the difficulties it faces.”

Salvatore and Lucia wanted to involve their children in this experience of richness and gratitude. “Like all young people, they have a thousand distractions,” they explain, “but for them it’s a powerful witness to see this church filled with faithful. Here we find a sense of recollection that we have lost in Italy. There is order, waiting, respect, punctuality.”

They recall a moment during Communion: “One of the boys wondered why no one was standing up. Then they realized there was an order — row by row, from the front to the back, people rose and went to receive the Eucharist. We believe that taking part in moments like this is a true witness. These experiences will remain in their memory far more than many words.”

This Christmas journey has also become a family one. Salvatore’s parents and his brother’s children joined them on the holiday. “We are all believers, and we care about honoring at least the major feasts,” they say. “Even when we travel, we make room for this. Wherever we go, we look for a church to celebrate Mass on Sundays or feast days.”

Salvatore expresses deep gratitude for the Church he encounters in Abu Dhabi: “The courage we see on the faces of these brothers and sisters pushes us to become more aware of the gift we have in knowing Jesus. Their faith fills us with joy and admiration, seeing how much effort they make to honor and live the Eucharist.”