Filipinos donate money to help runaway maids

The Filipino tradition of 'Simbang Gabi' (Dawn Masses) began yesterday in Kuwait to usher in Christmas. This year's dawn masses in Kuwait will be dedicated to runaway housemaids, Father Fred Micua announced. Dawn Masses are held all over Philippines for nine days to welcome the arrival of 'baby Jesus' on Christmas Day. In Kuwait, Filipinos attend a church mass during the early hours every day (usually four or five in the morning). The masses are divided among the faithful to cater to about 160,000 Filipinos, most of whom are Catholics. The dawn masses have been organized in the Holy Family Cathedral starting at 5 am. The Ahmadi Church follows almost the same schedule. Meanwhile, Salmiya Catholic Church organizes night masses, (9:30pm) called 'anticipated Simbang Gabi' (mass). 'Simbang Gabi' has been famous in the Philippines since the time of Spanish colonization of the Philippines for 400 years. Farmers and fishermen were told to listen to daily masses to seek God's blessings before taking up work. Since then, this has become a tradition. During the remaining seven days to come before Christmas, Father Fred Micua will be celebrating a mass in Tagalog. In a sermon given during the first day of 'Simbang Gabi,' he called upon Filipinos in Kuwait to celebrate the birth of Christ, and remember 'His great mission to save the world from sins.' He talked about respecting parents and the sacrifices they made "for us to live. A separate 'alms collection' will be arranged everyday to help the Filipino runaway housemaids currently housed at the Filipino Workers Resource Center in Jabriya, who according to him needed financial help. Last time I spoke to embassy officials, I was told that it managed to provide runway housemaids with food," he said, elaborating that the embassy did not succeed in collecting petty cash for maids that would help facilitate their return to their respective provinces. "We appeal for some 'fils' to help them," he said.