A Pastoral Program in Northern Iraq

Strengthening families, grounding the young in their faith, providing a Christian education: these are the great priorities of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Najib Michael Moussa of Mosul and Akre, Iraq, in the cradle of Christianity in the Middle East. Accordingly, he has increased family care and catechetical instruction.

One of these projects is the Jesus the King Catechetical Center in the autonomous region of Kurdistan, where many Christian families are now living, including those who fled Mosul when ISIS invaded in 2014. The Center serves many families who arrived as refugees.

Once a week, about 60 children between the ages of four and 12 gather here for religious instruction. During the summer, there is a two-month intensive course that meets three days a week. Archbishop Moussa explains, “These meetings are important in progressively introducing Jesus into the lives of the children, according to age and ability.” Parents are often too overwhelmed with work to provide their children with a solid Christian education, he adds. And it is important to the archbishop that children are brought up in a social environment, rather than being isolated. These classes give them an opportunity to play together and experience a sense of community.

And the program is not only for children. The parents also need to be accompanied and made aware of their children’s religious needs. So there are women’s meetings, with about 65 participants, and larger gatherings, with about 45 families in attendance.

The archbishop has asked our help, and we are planning to support the valuable work of the catechetical center with a contribution of $11,038. In doing so, we are also encouraging Christians, who have lived here for 2,000 years, to keep the Faith alive in the Middle East. The more involved they are in the life of the Church, the less likely it is that they will emigrate to other parts of the world. Let us help strengthen them!

Code: 319-00-49