JULY 2020

RELIGION
Meet the New Priests
Kevin Yono
Ordained by Bishop Francis, July 4
Age: 33
Parents: Karim and Nahla Yono
Home Parish: St. Thomas Chaldean
Church (West Bloomfield, MI)
First Assignment: St. George Chaldean
Church (Shelby Township, MI)
Mass of Thanksgiving (First Mass):
Sunday, July 5, at 10:00 AM (English
Mass) at Mother of God Cathedral in
Southfield, Michigan.
Who is your favorite Saint and why?
The Blessed Virgin Mary is my favorite
Saint because she has always
made her presence strongly known
to me since I was a child. I see her
strong intercession and motherly
care for my vocation. No other Saint
has brought me closer to Jesus the
way she does. I truly can say she is
my Mother and Jesus has revealed
His love for me through her.
What were you doing before you entered
the seminary?
I worked in the family dollar store for
many years before entering the seminary
and went to college for about a
year. It wasn’t until a few years of having
a deeper conversion to my Catholic
faith that I began to discern more fully.
When did you first start to think about
the priesthood?
I started thinking about the priesthood
around the age of 13 after
Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim spoke about
vocations and God put it in my heart
that day. It wasn’t until my deeper
conversion around the age of 22 did
I more fully seek to know God’s will.
How did your parents/family react
when you entered the seminary?
Most of my family was supportive
from the beginning. My parents were
not initially on board but they came
around after some prayer and discernment,
realizing it was God’s will. I have
a very close relationship with my family
and am blessed by God to have so
many people who love and support me.
What will you miss most about the seminary?
I will miss the people at Sacred Heart
Major Seminary who have prayed for
and supported me all these years. I
will especially miss the beautiful oratory/chapel
to pray in. Sacred Heart
has been a home to me for the last 7
years, but at the same time, I’m excited
about ministry.
What do you think is the greatest challenge
facing the Chaldean community in
America?
I think one of the greatest challenges
for the Chaldean community is that
many families have done a lot to fit in
economically in America but when it
comes down to handing down their
faith, we at times fall short. The majority
of Chaldean families do not go to
Sunday Mass, even though they would
consider themselves to be Catholic. I
think more families need to take time
to reflect on their faith and stir up the
grace they received at their Baptism
and follow Christ more closely.
Before being able to address serious
moral topics such as drugs, natural
family planning, sexual immorality,
abortion, lack of Father’s spiritual
leadership in the home, and all the
other social issues, we need to first
go back to basics of, “who is Jesus to
me? What does it mean that He is my
Lord and my savior? Have I reflected
on my Baptismal vows that my Godparents
made in my name as a baby?”
If I haven’t entrusted my life to
Jesus Christ and begun to learn and
experience what he has done for me
on the cross, everything else will just
sound like noise and won’t resonate
with us. Our hearts need to be become
unhardened by Jesus’ grace before
we can face serious moral issues.
What excites you the most about becoming
a priest?
I’m looking forward to celebrating
Mass the most. God has truly humbled
me with the honor of one day being
able to change bread and wine into
the Body and Blood of Christ through
His Holy Spirit. I’m truly looking forward
to doing my best to reflect Jesus
in my life to others. If God uses me
to help one person get closer to Jesus
then I will be a happy priest.
Marcus Shammami
Ordained by Bishop Francis, July 4
Age: 26
Parents: Khalid and Muna Shammami
Home Parish: St. Thomas Chaldean
Church (West Bloomfield, Michigan)
First Assignment: Holy Martyrs Chaldean
Church (Sterling Heights, Michigan)
Mass of Thanksgiving (First Mass):
Sunday, July 5, at 10:30 AM (English
Mass) at St. Thomas in West Bloomfield,
Michigan.
Who is your favorite Saint and why?
One of my favorite saints is St. Isaac
of Nineveh. He was a monk-hermit
who lived in southern Mesopotamia
during the 7th century. One of the
early Chaldean Church patriarchs,
while visiting his region, met Isaac
and was struck by his holiness, so he
brought him back to be the bishop of
Nineveh. He only remained bishop
for a few months, leaving his seat to
return to the mountains in solitude
once more.
His writings and homilies are filled
with much spiritual richness and wisdom,
often speaking of the mystery
of God and about the all-enveloping
love that God has towards creation.
What were you doing before you entered
the seminary?
I was a student at Wayne State University
studying History while working
as a waiter at a steakhouse. After
three years at Wayne State, I stopped
pursuing my degree and entered the
seminary.
When did you first start to think about
the priesthood?
It was a gradual process, but I first
started thinking about the priesthood
late in high school when I began
to explore my faith in a deeper
way and became more involved with
the Church. The more I began to
know the person of Jesus Christ, the
more I wanted to give my all and
serve Him.
How did your parents/family react
when you entered the seminary?
They weren’t as receptive to the idea
at first, especially considering that I
am the only son in the family, but
now they’re really happy about my
decision and have come around full
circle.
What will you miss most about the
seminary?
I enjoyed the community aspect of
seminary life, including the friends
I’ve made, the classes, and the
structured lifestyle. I am going to
miss seminary a great deal but at
the same time, you’re not called to
be a seminarian, you’re called to be
a priest.
What do you think is the greatest challenge
facing the Chaldean community
in America?
One big challenge facing our
community in America is losing
our cultural uniqueness in the
midst of “American Culture.” It’s
one of the side effects of becoming
more Americanized. If we
don’t preserve our heritage and
traditions in the United States
and abroad, we may risk losing
that which binds us so closely to
our Church and faith. We must
understand what the Chaldean
Catholic Church is, what makes
it unique, and to keep fast and
close to those traditions.
What excites you the most about becoming
a priest?
I am most excited about being able to
celebrate the Sacraments, especially
celebrating the Order of the Divine
Mysteries (Mass) and the sacrament
of reconciliation (confession). These
are two Sacraments which helped me
to realize the love and mercy of God
in my own life.
18 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020