NOVEMBER 2020

Chaldean Churches in France
• Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle in Sarcelles
• Church of Our Lady of the Chaldéens Notre-Dame de Chaldée in Paris
• The Church of Saint John the Apostle in Arnoville
• Holy Trinity Church in Sarcelles-Lochères
• Church of Saint François d’Assise in the région of Junes
• Church of John XXIII in Clichy-sous-Bois
• The Assyrian Chaldean Church (Notre Dame Chaldean - Saint Mark) –
Eglise Assyro-Chaldéenne Notre-Dame de Chaldée-Saint-Marc in Marseille (12th arrondissement)
• The Chaldean Church of Saint Ephrem in Vau or Flan (Église Saint-Éphrem des Chaldéens à Vaulx-en-Velin)
Church of Our Lady of the Chaldeens -
Notre Dame de Chaldee, Paris, France
or in the Church of Saint-Hanna
in the new Saint-Jean-d’Arnouville
district, which opened recently near
Sarcelles.
Most young Chaldeans in France
immerse themselves in the Chaldean
culture from birth. Their parents
came from Turkey in the 1970s, or
more recently from Iraq, but they
brought their traditions and beliefs
with them. Chaldean youth in France
is engaged in their faith, not just by
committing to attend Mass but also
in group activities for university and
high school students. There is also
the catechesis, meetings of young
clergymen appointed to serve mass,
or regular film screening followed by
spiritual discussion.
floor. Once a month, the parishioners
gather for lunch, and everyone
brings an Iraqi dish.
The Church of Saint
John the Apostle
The Church of Saint John the Apostle
was inaugurated in Arnoville on
March 6, 2016. The Chaldean patriarch
Cardinal Louis Sako came
especially from Iraq to dedicate the
third Assyro-Chaldean church in
France. The French minister of Interior,
Bernard Cazeneuve, attended
the ceremony with the Cardinal of
Paris, Monsignor André Vingt-Trois.
The Chaldean Community
in Sarcelles
With 8,000 members in Sarcelles,
the Chaldean community is well established
in the Val-d’Oise region.
But more and more members are concerned
about the future of their faith.
“It’s a huge fear on a daily basis,” says
Jocelyn Zerrin, one of the leaders of
Church of St. Thomas the Apostle in Sarcelles, France
the parish choir. She regrets the lack
of cultural transmission to young
people. “The problem is that the new
generation is fully integrated into
French culture, at the expense of our
Chaldean culture and customs. Children
begin to speak French before
Aramaic, which is good for integration
in France. But we do not want
our culture to disappear!”
Christophe Yalbir, a 22-year-old
devout Christian, understands this
danger. Born in France to parents who
arrived in Paris in 1991, he feels that
his religion and culture are threatened.
“I speak French more than Aramaic,”
admits the young man.
Hence the need to teach Aramaic
to young people, says Father Narsai
Soli, himself a second-generation immigrant.
“Aramaic is a precious language;
it is part of the transmission
challenge we face towards young people,”
explains the 35-year-old pastor.
“Young people are essential. Without
them there might be a missing link.”
Bernadette Yildiz, 28 years old,
strictly exercises her faith. “For us, going
to mass is just like going to work,”
the young woman says. “It’s normal.”
In the church front yard, Bernadette
speaks and discusses religion with
other practicing youth. They were all
born in France and know each other
directly or indirectly. They participate
in the survival and continuation
of their sect in terms of religion and
culture and the traditions that they
learned within their families.
“Our role is to help our society
maintain its roots,” says Zeren. “This
goes through many little things in
everyday life. For example, learning
to cook a traditional dish.” This
30-year-old volunteer has two children
from the third generation of
immigrants. A new wave, according
to Jocelyn, must be learned by young
people themselves. “We are kind of
a bridge between old and young. We
need to integrate them as best we can
into society.”
The Notre-Dame de Chaldée
The Notre-Dame de Chaldée Chaldean
Church is in the 18th arrondissement
of Paris. Construction
on the four-floor structure began in
1987 and was completed in 1992. In
a sad twist, the architect, a Chaldean
engineer, was killed in Turkey during
a visit to his deported family during
Saddam’s war against the Kurds.
The church receives Chaldean
parishioners from Iraq and Turkey,
Chaldean and Assyrian refugees from
Syria. Parishioners may also come
to learn French, except on Sunday,
when mass is held.
Every Sunday at the eleventh
hour, the parish comes to participate
and listen to the ritual of the mass
that is recited in both Chaldean
and French languages. Afterwards,
tea, coffee and biscuits are distributed
to the attendees on the ground
NOVEMBER 2020 CHALDEAN NEWS 31