A Tale of Two Priests

Father Eahab Ishak and Father Joseph Naji Nannoshi

New spiritual fathers ordained

By Michael Antoon

Father Eahab Ishak
Ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ on July 5, 2025.

Eahab Ishak was born on June 18, 1981, in Baghdad, Iraq, into a loving and faithful Chaldean Catholic family. One of six children—five sons and one daughter—Eahab was the second-youngest in a household where faith was a constant presence. As a child, his family attended Mass at the Church of Our Lady Guardian of Plants (Our Lady of the Fields) in Baghdad, and from his earliest memories, he was drawn to the Church. He recalls begging his family to take him to church even on weekdays, only to be told, “That’s not until Sunday.”

In 1989, the family moved to Kirkuk, where Eahab continued his education. It was in Kirkuk where his vocation began to take shape. After receiving his First Holy Communion in ninth grade, he told the late Sr. Elizabeth that he wanted to become a priest. She encouraged him to speak to his parish priest, Fr. Stephan Rabban, who advised him to wait a little longer. That same desire to serve stayed with him throughout high school. By eleventh grade, Bishop Andrawis Sana personally brought him to Baghdad to visit the seminary and arranged for him to begin studies there following his senior year.

In 1999, Eahab entered the Minor Seminary in Baghdad. In 2001, he transitioned to the Major Seminary of St. Peter. There, he completed a preparatory year and then two years of philosophy. He began theology studies but decided to leave in October 2004 due to the poor security situation during the Iraq War. The three-hour journey between Baghdad and his hometown of Kirkuk became too dangerous, and his family urged him to return home.

Eahab worked briefly in Kirkuk before his family fled to Turkey as refugees in 2008. After more than a year of waiting, they immigrated to the United States in 2010. The Ishak family moved to Oak Park, Michigan, where Eahab began working in automotive repair, eventually opening his own tire and mechanic shop.

It was during these years that Eahab grew even more deeply connected to the Church. He began attending Mar Addai Church regularly—Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He says, “Whenever the doors were open, I was there.”

Fr. Stephan Kallabat, Pastor of Mar Addai church, encouraged him to join the deacons in prayer and service, which reignited his sense of vocation. Though he had stepped away from the seminary for a time, his internal call to the priesthood had never left. He began to understand that his desire to serve could not be ignored, it had just been delayed through his long journey.

One moment that stayed with him was watching Fr. Stephan, in his older age, slowly ascending the steps to the altar during Mass. Deacon Eahab mentioned he was struck by the image — this priest, even in his older age and even in pain, did not abandon his service, saying “After only some hardship, I did not complete my service.”

With the encouragement of friends and clergy, Eahab approached Bishop Francis Kalabat and Fr. Bryan Kassa to explore the possibility of returning to seminary. Though his early formation in Baghdad had been significant, the path forward in the U.S. would require many additional years due to differences in language barriers.

It was decided that Eahab would return to Iraq to complete his studies at the Chaldean Patriarchal Seminary of St. Peter. There, he was welcomed back by the rector—who had once been his classmate. Patriarch Sako, who had once been his bishop in Kirkuk and his seminary rector, welcomed him with open arms and expressed joy at his return. Eahab resumed theology studies and earned his bachelor’s degree in theology in June 2024.

Along the way, he was ordained a lector and subdeacon in Kirkuk in October 2021 by His Beatitude Patriarch Louis Sako and later ordained a transitional deacon in 2024 by Bishop Francis Kalabat—alongside his classmate Deacon Joseph Nannoshi.

Reflecting on his journey, now Fr. Eahab says that as far back as he can remember, he has always been in the Church. He grew up surrounded by prayer, attending youth programs, Rumsha (evening prayer), and devotions with his mother, who belonged to the Sodality of the Sacred Heart. Even when transportation meant taking multiple buses, the family always made it to Mass.

Now, after years of formation, struggle, and unwavering faith, he is finally receiving the grace he always desired—the priesthood. His story is one of perseverance, sacrifice, and the quiet strength of a lifelong calling that never truly faded. From Baghdad to Detroit and back again, Fr. Eahab Ishak’s journey reminds us that God’s call may wait patiently—but it never disappears. God will never give up on us.

Father Joseph Naji Nannoshi
Ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ on July 5, 2025

Joseph Naji Nannoshi was born on December 10, 1996, and raised in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The oldest of three brothers, Joseph grew up in a warm and faithful home, the son of Namir and Balsam Nannoshi.

He was baptized by Fr. Boji at Mother of God Church and received his First Holy Communion at

St. Thomas Church from Bishop (then Fr.) Francis (Frank) Kalabat. As a child, Joseph regularly attended catechism at St. Thomas and was involved in parish life. But it wasn’t until his high school years that his involvement in the Church deepened. He began volunteering, teaching catechism, helping with First Communion prep, and assisting wherever he was needed—even in the parking lot.

Joseph graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School and went on to study biology at Wayne State University, where he was on the pre-med track. While in college, he became active in the Catholic Newman Center on campus, attending daily Mass and participating in faith-based events. It was here that his faith truly took root. Joseph said that being surrounded by holy and committed priests and good Catholic friends, he began to seriously practice and own his faith.

During this time, he also began to experience a deeper restlessness in his heart. While working toward a promising future in medicine, he found himself asking: what will truly fulfill me? He enjoyed his studies and had dreams of a career and family, but the deeper he went, the more he realized that worldly success couldn’t satisfy the longing in his soul.

Fr. Joseph recalls approaching a priest on campus—not because he wanted to become a priest, but because he felt spiritually unfulfilled. Through their conversations, and as he gave his faith more room in his life, clarity began to form. He realized that what he was seeking wasn’t just happiness, but holiness. And the call to the priesthood, which had never before crossed his mind, would start to become known to him.

After several meetings with Fr. Bryan Kassa, the vocations director, it became clear that the Lord was calling him to take the next step. Joseph entered the seminary in August 2019. He completed two years of philosophy and earned his bachelor’s degree, followed by four years of theology, earning his Master of Divinity in May 2025. He was ordained a subdeacon in December 2023 at Mart Mariam Church in Chicago, and a transitional deacon in July 2024 at Mar Addai Church in Oak Park.

Joseph says that growing up under priests like (then) Fr. Frank and Fr. Boji, he saw firsthand that a joyful and fulfilling priesthood was possible. Their own happiness in their priesthood encouraged him and helped him realize the life of a priest is fulfilling.

Recalling his journey to the priesthood, now Fr. Joseph reflects on the weight and beauty of this calling. “The priesthood is a gift that humanity is unworthy to receive, yet is freely given,” he says. “It requires God’s help to live up to the service of the people.”

Fr. Joseph says he hopes to be a priest who is a true father to his people, to be generous with his time and available to those in need. He hopes to be a priest for the entire community. To be a father who really loves his people. For him, one of the most humbling experiences is when someone comes to you for help—not because of you, but because they sense something greater working through you. “It’s a gift to walk with people through their struggles and help them become not just better Christians, but better people.”

To any young man considering the priesthood, Fr. Joseph offers this advice: “God didn’t create us to be miserable. If you feel like the priesthood might be your path to fulfillment, don’t ignore it. His ways are perfect. We owe it to Him—and to ourselves—to say yes.”