Sydney, AUSTRALIA – Australian Chaldeans in Sydney have been wildly celebrating World Youth Day.  The excitement, exhilaration, and energy has been intoxicating says Joshua Shami, a Chaldean pilgrim from Europe.  Chaldean youth from around the world have gathered in Sydney in celebration of World Youth Day. 

“We continue to pray for our Chaldean brothers and sisters stuck in Iraq,” says Shami.  For many Chaldeans in Austrialia, the joy of welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the World Youth Day celebration was dampened by the absence of a Chaldean Catholic delegation from Iraq.  “For months people have been working on getting the Iraqi Delegation to Sydney, but it is one thing after another stopping them.” 

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Michigan, USA - A handful of Chaldean-American Wayne State University (WSU) students were recently able to do something that not a handful of Catholic churches could do: attain approval of 24-hour Adoration sessions, something many churches overall, have not yet had.

Rasha Kashat, 20, a pre-medical student at WSU, is one of the students that made efforts to allow one 24-hour Adoration session to be held at St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church per week.

Kashat said that "Adoration" is a meaningful gathering of individuals at the church to encourage religious practices, as well as have a great time while committing to such practices.

Catholic News Agency reports that the Australian Embassy in Amman, Jordan has issued 27 visas which will allow some young Iraqis to participate in World Youth Day.  Initially 170 Chaldeans applied for Visas to participate in the largest gathering of world youth Christians in history.  True to their faith, the Chaldeans still expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the Australian government for allowing 27 delegates.

“I would like to thank the Australian government for everything they have been able to do and also the Australian embassy to the Holy See which has contributed to this positive ending,” Father Philip Najim, Chaldean Prosecutor to the Holy See, said.  “Many in Iraq were waiting for this.  It is a symbolic number of visas but our youngsters will be in Sydney too and that’s what counts.”

The Catholic News Agency reports that the Australian government has denied visas to dozens of Chaldean World Youth Day pilgrims from Iraq.  Australian officials say they are concerned that participants will not return home and instead will seek asylum in Australia. One Chaldean Catholic priest called the decision “a slap at young people who wanted to go to witness to the faith and the joy of the church’s living in Iraq despite sufferings.”

Initially the Australian government denied visas for nearly 170 pilgrims, allowing only ten visas to aspiring World Youth Day participants, the SIR News Agency says. According to the website Baghdadhope, there are now only about 30 total visas available that will be granted “in extremis.”

Father Rayan P. Atto, parish priest of Mar Qardagh Church in Erbil, told SIR News Agency that the concerns about asylum seekers were unfounded, arguing that, “for young Christian Iraqis, taking part in the WYD in Sydney was not a way to leave their country.”

This article is the third in a seven series discussion on the attributes of a Chaldean apostle.  A Chaldean apostle is patient and perseverant.  They are willing to accept in their mind and heart that they will be required to wait and endure for His sake.  By having such faith the Chaldean apostle’s behavior will naturally change and begin to better reflect the Kingdom of God.  Therefore, this series will examine the attributes of behavior that demonstrate the grace of our Lord and our choice to be a follower of Christ.  

The term "patience" has several meanings in the dictionary.   It can mean the bearing of pain or trials calmly and without complaint; not being hasty or impetuous; or being steadfast despite opposition or adversity and showing forbearance under provocation or strain.

Most think of patience as something benign, like not being hasty or impetuous.  However, unlike the popular definition of patience, the Holy Bible teaches us that pain, trials, adversity, and strain are also involved (James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 2:20, Romans 5:3-4, 12:12).   In the Bible, perseverance is often mentioned in the same verse as patience (Matthew 24:13, Romans 5:3-4, Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 10:23, 10:36, James 1:2-4). Why do these two traits go hand in hand? What is the difference between them?

الذكرى الاربعين للرسامة الكهنوتية للاركذياقون صبري قج

في الاول من حزيران احتضنت خورنة مار ميخا احتفالا بمناسبة الذكرى الاربعين للرسامة الكهنوتية للاركذياقون صبري قجبو. اقام الاحتفال اعضاء المجلس الخورني ، علامة شكر وتقدير للخدمة والعمل الدؤوب الذي يقوم به المونسنيور صبري خلال حياته الكهنوتية بدءا ببغداد مرورا بديترويت وانتهاءً بسان دييكو.

حضر الحفل كل من سيادة راعي الابرشية مار سرهد يوسب جمو، والاباء ميخائيل بزي، وبولس خمي، وفيليكس الشابي، واندرو  يونان. كما وايضا عدد من الاخوة الشمامسة، وجوق الكنيسة، وعدد من ابناء الرعية.

تضمن منهاج الحفل كلمات القاها كل من السادة كامل سالم رئيس مجلس الخورنة، والدكتور سامي جهاد اذ قرأ نبذة مختصرة عن حياة الاب صبري وخدمته الكهنوتية، ثم قام الشماس الانجيلي عصام يدكو بتلاوة التبريكات على راعي الخورنة، ثم قدم  الجوق هدية جميلة الى راعي خورنتهم.
واختتم سيادة المطران المنهاج بكلمة مؤثرة عن الخدمة الكهنوتية، اعقبها بصلاة ومباركة العشاء. 

مبروك للاركذياقون صبري قجبو ذكرى رسامته الاربعين، نتمنى ان يعينه الرب لتتميم مشواره ويعضده لخدمةكلمة الانجيل الح

California, USA - The Chaldean Diocese of the American West (St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Diocese for Chaldeans and Assyrians) celebrated the 40th anniversary ordination of Msgr. Sabri.  The event was hosted by St. Michaels Parish. 

Among the guests were Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, Fr. Michael Bazzi, Msgr. Paolis Khami, Msgr. Felix Shabi, and Fr. Andrew Younan, diocese deacons, parish choir, and both invited and faithful guests.

London, UK - The Lord's Prayer will be read in Aramaic at a special Mass celebrated by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor at Westminster Cathedral next week in support of Iraqi Christians.

At a time when many of Iraq’s Christians have been forced to flee the volatile situation in their homeland, the Mass at 5:30pm on June 16 will offer an opportunity for bishops and worshippers to come together and stand in solidarity with the country’s Christian community.

In addition to the Lord’s Prayer being read in Aramaic – the language closest to Christ’s dialect – the Gospel will be sung in Arabic. The Mass will also allow people to pray for peace in Iraq and also for Iraqi communities here in England and Wales.

Baghdad, IRAQ – "Violence should not call for more violence! We are on the side of justice, not the death penalty,” Chaldean Bishop Warduni affirmed from Iraq.  "If he were still alive, Archbishop Rahho himself would not permit that someone would die for him.”

Contentions rise high as Chaldeans call on the Iraqi government to spare the life of the man convicted of killing the Archbishop on February, 29 outside of a church.  The Archbishop was leading the Way of the Cross during Lent when Ahmad Ali Ahmad, a ilitant from al-Qaida, led a group to abduct the Archibishop and kill his sub deacons. 

Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad said, "Let us recall that the principles that have always inspired the Church are forgiveness and reconciliation."

Michigan, USA - Hakim Denha, Joseph Haji, Namil Karrumi, Imad Katchel, and Amir Jarjosa were honored for their faithful dedication and service to the Chaldean people.   The newly ordained men stood before the public and proclaimed their commitment to the church and community.  An overflowing crowd with standing room only stood in reverence as the Bishop of the Chaldean Diocese in Michigan presided over the ordination of the deacons.  Alongside the faithful leaders the diocese also inducted new Eucharistic ministers. 

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, deacons have played a vital role in serving the needs of the community.

Mousul, IRAQ- Pope Benedict made an emotional appeal for an end to violence and massacres in Iraq, as he recalled during Palm Sunday services the death of a kidnapped Chaldean Catholic archbishop.  "His beautiful testimony of faith to Christ, the Church and his people that he did not want to abandon despite numerous threats, pushes me to raise a strong and sorrowful cry: enough with the massacres, enough with the violence, enough with hatred in Iraq!" he said.

Speaking to thousands of pilgrims clutching palm fronds and olive branches -- symbols of peace -- in St. Peter's Square, the Pope called on Iraqis to "raise their heads" and rebuild their nation with reconciliation, forgiveness and justice.

Rahho, 65, was kidnapped during a shootout in which three of his companions were killed, as he returned home after mass in Mosul on February 29.  The killers later telephoned church authorities on Thursday to announce where the archbishop’s body could be found.  The body of the Bishop was recovered from a shallow grave within a garbage dump area further inflaming passions

Along with the Pope the Chaldean Patriarch urged Iraq to resolve peace in their hearts.  Hundreds gathered at the church in the village of Kramleis, just north of Mosul, to memorialize the highest-ranking Christian cleric to be targeted by Islamic fanatics since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq five years ago.