ACN News - Christmas letters from the Middle East

Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako I—Celebrating Christmas in ‘silence and amidst tears’

The feast of the birth of Christ is one of the greatest feasts celebrated by millions of Christians around the world and particularly in Iraq. But this year Iraqi Christians will celebrate Christmas in deplorable circumstances, on the one hand because of the deteriorating condition of the situation of our country at all levels, and, on the other hand, because of what they have gone through as Christians, victims of segregation and exclusion.

On this occasion, we want to be very frank again: we will not give in to injustice. On the contrary, we will remain attached to our land and to our patriotism and we will continue to show love for our fellow citizens, simply because they are our brothers and sisters.

In Iraq, we will celebrate the birth of Christ, who will come into our hearts in silence and amidst tears, without public displays or festive gatherings; nonetheless, we continue to enjoy an inner peace with perpetuates the joy of faith, and the hope that, despite all the suffering, we are moving toward the building of a more just country and a better future.

Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria—‘celebrating the Feast of the Nativity as bombs are raining down’

Here we are, for a fifth year now, celebrating the Feast of the Nativity as bombs are raining down. I do not know how many of you have lived through such a depressing and sad experience, but I can assure you it is painful. These beautiful days, so ardently awaited each year, amidst shortages and lack of security or electricity and, to top things off, cut off from the rest of the world by a strict and very tight boycott. It gives me still more reason to step out from these confines, if only for a few moments, to draw in some fresh and pleasant air in writing you these words from the heart, invested with all the affection I have for you!

May Almighty God have pity on all of us and may He cause friendship to reign among men, mercy in our hearts and peace among all the peoples on earth.

Maronite Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus—‘This year Christmas in Damascus merges with the Resurrection’

The name of the first of three new Maronite churches in Damascus is Church of the Blessed Masabky Brothers, who were martyred in 1860. The church will be consecrated in Kachkoul, an eastern suburb of Damascus, on Jan. 8, 2015. In the middle of destruction this new chapel appears like the Star of the magi which leads to the Divine Child. 

It is a true Christmas present, an oasis of prayer and a sign of joy and of hope in the middle of a world of violence, of intolerance, anguish, fear and death. To build a Church in times of war and desolation expresses the will to overcome death and the courage of living the faith. Our modest faithful choose to row against the current and to renew their confidence in Jesus Christ in this dark night. This year Christmas in Damascus merges with the Resurrection.

                                                

With picture of Christmas in Iraq 2015 (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

"My Merry Christmas Song" - Merry Christmas Mary

A big mahalo nui loa to Father Khanh who told us about this beautiful song by Johnny Cash, this morning at the Misa de Gallo.


Merry Christmas Mary,
thank you for the Child.
Thank you for Lord Jesus.
Thank you for the Child.
Christmas time is here again,
peace on Earth good will to men.
The air is filled with joyful sounds,
merry wishing all around.
Giving and receiving gifts,
stopping by to thank all of our friends.
And we thank you Mary,
for helping give God's greatest gift to man.
Merry Christmas Mary.
Thank you for the Child.
Thgank you for Lord Jesus.
Thank you for the Child.
Merry Christmas Mary,
to often we forget.
To thank you for your part in giving the greatest Christmas present yet.
Merry Christmas Mary.

ACN News - In Baghdad’s ‘Camp Virgin Mary,” displaced Iraqi Christians get their own chapel

By Oliver Maksan

Father Luis Montes is glad and he has reason to be: “We have just consecrated a new chapel. It was high time that our refugees got their own small church. This gives them back a piece of the home they have lost. And the people can now go to Mass without risking their lives,” the Argentine missionary said

For five years now, the missionary, a priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, has been living in Baghdad, one of the most dangerous places on earth. “There were 128 bomb attacks in Baghdad in October alone,” he told international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

The priest added: “It’s hardly surprising that the people are afraid of leaving their homes to go to Mass.”

Father Montes is in charge of a camp housing 135 displaced Iraqi Christian families. He said: “Because of the danger it was important that the Church came to them in the camp.”

Most of the residents of the camp—which is named after the Virgin Mary—are Syriac Catholics. They fled northern Iraq when the city of Qaraqosh was overrun by ISIS in the late summer of 2014.

The majority of these faithful are bent on leaving Iraq for the West. “None of them still harbor hope that they will be able to return to their hometowns. After all, there are no signs of liberation.”

“And furthermore, the people have lost their faith in Iraq and in the Arab world in general,” Father Montes explained.

The process of obtaining a visa for a Western country has only gotten harder in the wake of the Nov. 13, 2015 terror attacks in Paris. The people are living in limbo.

Said Father Montes: “The people are suffering. Not all have found work here. In particular, the fathers of the families feel useless.”

“However, when I look at our people, I am still looking into happier faces than those in the West. They still have their faith in God. This supports them and fills them with confidence.”

Father Montes refers to the new chapel as “our little container church.” There will be a vigil liturgy according to the Syriac Catholic Church every Saturday night.

“I only saw thankful faces at the consecration. It shows them that they have not been forgotten, that benefactors in the West are thinking of them.”

“Every sign of solidarity is worth a great deal to them in their situation. And we are all one in the Mystical Body of Christ. What we do for each other becomes a blessing for all. The small church is helping the people here.”

“The benefactors, however, and all believers are blessed by the suffering of these confessors of the Christian faith. They are the true treasure of the Church—one we have to take care of.”

With pictures of Father Luis Montes hears confession in the back of the new chapel in 'Camp Virgin Mary,' Baghdad (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org

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ACN News - Syrian priest recalls harrowing months as ISIS captive

ACN-USA News

12/16/2015

Syrian priest recalls harrowing months as ISIS captive

By Marta Petrosillo

“Masked men came into the monastery of Mar Elian and abducted me along with a volunteer. They forced us into a car and then left us in the middle of the desert for four days, blindfolded and chained up. Then they took us to Raqqa, the capital of ISIS."

So began the account of Father Jacques Mourad, the Syrian priest kidnapped by ISIS May 21, 2015 and released Oct. 2015. He spoke at a press conference here organized by international Catholic charity. This marked the first time the monk spoke publicly about his ordeal.

"In Raqqa they kept us shut up in a small bathroom,” the priest continued; "they deliberately chose this place in order to humiliate us – but then our mission is to be humble, even in the face of violence." Father Mourad would spend a full 84 days in that space.

"The jihadists frequently insulted us, but what was most difficult is when they tried to intimidate us, saying: 'Either you convert to Islam or we cut off your head.’”

During the long months of imprisonment Father Jacques found comfort in reciting the Rosary and in the prayers of abandonment composed by Father Charles de Foucauld, "a victim of violence who devoted his entire life to Christian-Islamic dialogue.”

For Father Mourad interreligious dialogue has also been at the very heart of his mission; he spent 15 years supporting the families in Qaryatayn, Christians and Muslims alike. He believes that this work on behalf of religious dialogue may be what prompted ISIS to abduct him.

"Though undoubtedly the good I was able to do for the population was a determining factor in my liberation; I am certain it was one of the reasons that prevented ISIS from killing me."

On Aug. 11, 2015, ISIS fighters put Father Mourad in a car and drove off for four hours. "I thought my last hour had come," the priest said.

Once the car stopped and he got out, the monk recognized a young man from his own parish. Behind him were the 250 Christians abducted by ISIS just a few days earlier from Qaryatayn.

Father Mourad and his flock were now close to Palmyra, where they would stay until Sept. 1, 2015, at which point the group was brought back to Qaryatayn, where the priest would remain in captivity, though he said that "we almost went back to a normal life, but we were absolutely forbidden from leaving the city."

During the 40 days he spent in Qaryatayn, he was able to celebrate Mass in underground places, "both in order not to be seen while we were praying and in order to take shelter from the bombings.”

Then on October 10, with the help of a Muslim man and a Syrian Orthodox priest, Father Mourad succeeded in escaping the city.

"Life in Qaryatayn had become impossible – with no food, no water, no electricity. Little by little all the Christians left the town.”

“There are just 11 faithful left there, still in the hands of ISIS, while eight of the Christians have been killed by the jihadists."

With pictures of Father Jacques Mourad (© ACN)

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.  ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work in over 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information contact Michael Varenne at michael@churchinneed.org or call 718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street, PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384.  www.churchinneed.org