As they approach the 16-year anniversary of their inception, the Eastern Catholic Re-Evangelization Center (ECRC) is launching a new marriage retreat. “It has been in the works for years,” said Patrice Abona, executive director. “We evaluated existing retreats and a team of people led by Pelar and Laura Esshaki who wrote this retreat from scratch.
Read MoreIt’s the annual business luncheon but the focus this year was on the business of politics. On Friday, October 20, the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce hosted their 12th annual business luncheon at Sound Board in MotorCity Casino Hotel. Moderated by Fox 2 News legal analyst, Charlie Langton, guests were able to enjoy their lunch as they listened to congressional representatives discuss pertinent topics and answer relevant questions.
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Every year, refugees to Southeast Michigan contribute up to $295 million to the region’s economy and, in 2016 alone, they created up to 2, 311 new jobs. That’s according to a new study released by Global Detroit and University of Michigan researchers.
The study estimates total annual economic impact to be between $229.6 million and $295.3 million in new spending, along with between 1,798 and 2,311 new jobs, in 2016 alone, from the over 21,000 refugees that resettled into Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties between 2007-2016.
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With few changes in the case of detained community members at-risk of deportation, the Chaldean Community Foundation has once again teamed up with retired Senator Carl Levin and the Honigman Law Firm in an effort to obtain information from Homeland Security. The foundation is hoping to obtain a copy of the agreement that was made between the United States and Iraq. The letter requesting the information is attached below.
Read MoreTen Brother Rice students took part in a mission trip to Peru over the summer, led by Spanish teacher, Kairos leader and 2002 Brother Rice High School alumnus, Andrew Ciesielski. While most took the opportunity to embark on the mission trip for the mere fact that it was a break from the everyday routine, they were met with life-changing experiences.
Read MoreOn Sunday, September 10, the Iraqi Canadian Artists Federation (ICAF) gathered with a number of Iraqi American organizations at Ali Baba in Sterling Heights to present the Amanuel Rassam Award to actor, director, and author Abed Alsenad. The award will be given annually to two artists, one in Canada and one in the United States, who worked in television.
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The Vatican announced Wednesday, August 9, that Pope Francis named Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta as head of the eparchy of Saint Peter Apostle of San Diego of the Chaldeans. “The [new] appointment was unexpected,” said Bishop Shaleta, who not long ago — in January 2015 — had been appointed to serve Mar Addai Eparchy of Toronto. “I was working in Toronto, trying to bring more priests to the eparchy. Things were moving forward there.”
Read MoreMartin Manna has talked about diversity issues for years as the president and CEO of Chaldean Chamber of Commerce and Chaldean Community Foundation, but this year at the Livonia Chamber of Commerce Connecting Cultures to Business Luncheon the focus was on the diversity of generations in the workplace. He was representing Gen X.
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As a result of the opiate/narcotic crisis, Peter’s Angels hosted a resource fair on Sunday, September 24 at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Troy. Named after Peter Alraihani, who lost his life at 27-years-old to an overdose in 2014, Peter’s Angels was formed by his aunt Iman Numan and sister Angie Toma. They wanted to raise awareness of the drug epidemic within the Chaldean community and to provide prevention through education and awareness.
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To my community,
I feel an urgent need to reach out to our community leaders and the entire Chaldean community!
Last week I buried my nephew, only 26 years old. His life ended too soon due to a drug overdose. My family is devastated by the tragic loss of our loved one. I wanted you to know that this problem has not only touched our family, but has become a problem throughout our community.
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Chaldean (Aramaic), a language dating back more than 3,000 years to the time of Christ, is scarce in the world and on the brink of extinction. With the persecution that Christians have faced and continue to face in Iraq, Chaldean proves to be a difficult language to preserve for future generations.
Read MoreAccording to the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, 28,300 people a day are forced to flee their homes because of war, conflict, persecution and discrimination based on a variety of factors, including race and religion. On a global scale, there are 65.6 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced. To date, the world is facing the highest numbers of displaced people on record. Those who flee their country of origin and enter into another nation face a multitude of obstacles because of their refugee and undocumented status. Finding stable employment that pays a living wage is oftentimes out of reach, as is finding safe and secure housing to raise a family in.
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Eminence, in your role in charge of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, what would you see as the priorities in providing support to Christians living in the vast biblical territories? “I often receive groups of Catholics led by their bishops, eager to express their generosity to their brothers and sisters of the East. Benefactors want to know our priorities. Promoting the fullness of religious freedom of Christians is part of the issues at stake, especially in Muslim majority countries.
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It wasn’t an assignment Sister Caroline Toma Semaan was seeking but the Chaldean nun speaks of her principal position at her private school with great pride. “We are sisters who run the school but our school is for everybody,” said Sister Caroline. “We have 145 teachers and our student-body is at capacity with both Muslim and Christians students.”
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He is a priest known to many Chaldeans wearing a recognizable religious garment worn by the Franciscans; Fr. Alex Kratz, OFM, along with co-founder Patti Giangrande, OFS, a secular Franciscan, and their Terra Sancta Ministries have ventured into a new project that most certainly would be of interest to the faithful.
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It is said that to truly understand someone, you have to walk a mile in his shoes. That is exactly what four Chaldean seminarians did this summer on their trip to Iraq. On one day, they walked nine miles in 100-degree weather at the edge of a war zone. Seminarians Deacon Fadie Gorgies, Deacon John Jaddou, Perrin Atisha and Rodney Abasso spent nearly a month in Northern Iraq, Kurdistan visiting displaced Christians and engaging in the life of the community at all levels.
Read MoreAfter nearly 30 years, the novelty of being a commercial airline pilot has yet to wear off for George Gorial, 54, captain at JetBlue Airlines. Gorial has been at JetBlue for 10 years, where he upgraded to captain after only three years at the airline. Before working for JetBlue, Gorial worked as a charter pilot out of Detroit City Airport for five years and then for 12 years, worked at Skyway Airlines, where he was also a captain.
Read MoreLast month, Pope Francis appointed Mar (Bishop) Emanuel Hana Shaleta eparchial bishop of Saint Peter Apostle of San Diego of the Chaldeans.Mar Shaleta is being transferred from the eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto of the Chaldeans, Canada.
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A journey abroad provides an excellent opportunity to experience new sights and to see the world as it truly is –a place as diverse as the languages we speak and the countries we call home. Students of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills know this well, as the Roman Catholic school hosts a highly regarded program called “Project Term,” which allows for students to engage in meaningful travel trips.
Read MoreHe is the eighth priest to be ordained in Chaldean Rite since 2009. Fr. Bryan Kassa, ordained just last year, was the seventh. Raw emotion was the hallmark of Fr. Patrick Setto’s ordination held on July 1 at Mother of God Cathedral. The ordination mass was presided over by his Excellency Bishop Francis Kalabat and at least four other bishops.
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