FEBRUARY 2022

CHALDEAN DIGEST
Kirkuknow
Chaldean Bishop: Return to
Mosul, the city is safe!
Six months after his return to Mosul,
Najib Mikhail, bishop of the
Chaldeans of Mosul, Nineveh Plains
and Aqrah (Akre), calls on the Christians
to return to the city of Mosul,
describing it as a “safe” city.
Bishop Najib Mikhail has returned
to the city of Mosul, the
center of Ninewa province, six
months ago and decided to stay
there, eight years after he left the
city due to the threats of the militants
of the Islamic State in Iraq
and Levant ISIL.
“The father must reunite with
his children, so I returned to Mosul
to see closely the work of restoring
churches. Mosul is my
city. I am the first bishop to return
to Mosul after its liberation and
live here,” says Bishop Mikhail,
who was born in Mosul.
“During my return, the people
of Mosul in general rejoiced and
received me warmly. The people
of Mosul wish the Christians to
return to the city, so that they can
live together in harmony as they
lived in before the advent of ISIL.”
According to the statistics of
both the Iraqi federal government
and the Kurdistan Regional
Government, there are tens of
thousands of Christian families
who have not yet returned to their
homes and are living in a state
of displacement, in addition to
that thousands of other families -
24,000 families from Ninewa only
- have emigrated abroad.
Catholic Sentinel
Chaldean bishop visits,
discusses divine love
St. Mary Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception in Portland
echoed with energetic chants in
Syriac, a language closely related
to the tongue spoken by Jesus.
Bishop Emanuel Shaleta of
the California-based St. Peter’s
Chaldean Catholic Diocese visited
Oregon to preside at a Chaldean
Catholic Divine Liturgy. On
the snowy afternoon, about 80
worshippers attended, many with
roots in Iraq. The Chaldean rite
emerged there about two millennia
ago among the descendants of
ED LANGLOIS/CATHOLIC SENTINEL
the ancient Babylonians.
“We feel the love of God for us
and we are happy,” Bishop Shaleta
said, having walked up to the
pews to deliver his homily.
Chaldean Catholics have
faced centuries of persecution.
Persians, Mongols, Ottomans,
and Arab Muslims all have targeted
the group. Recently, the
Chaldeans withstood the ire of
the Islamic State.
Over the years, these trials
caused many Chaldeans to immigrate.
There are an estimated
Right: A $120 million,
203-home lakefront
community is coming
to Commerce Township
from Franklin
Property Corp.
and Whitehall Real
Estate Interests.
Left: Dr. Grace Jazrawi
holds son Ephrem
as Bishop Emanuel
Shaleta blesses him
during a Chaldean
Catholic baptismal rite
December 26 at St.
Mary Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception
in Portland.
“Some of the families who returned
to Mosul returned after my
arrival... The reason behind the
reluctance of the displaced Christians
to return to Mosul is due to the
failure to rebuild their destroyed
homes and religious places.”
Five churches are currently
being restored in Mosul. “In total,
20 churches in Ninewa province
are awaiting rehabilitation.”
About his decision to return to
Mosul, Archbishop Najib Mikhail
said, “My goal is first to encourage
Christians to return to their
homes, secondly to monitor the
process of rebuilding churches,
and thirdly I want to send a message
to the whole world and to
Christians that Mosul is safe and
it only needs reconstruction and
services so that all the displaced
can return to their homes.”
– Ammar Aziz
250,000 to 400,000 Chaldean
Catholics in the United States.
Bishop Shaleta’s diocese,
headquartered in San Diego, is
made up of the western half of
the country, with small communities
of Chaldeans spread widely.
Larger groups live in Texas and
California. Bishop Shaleta leads
20 priests. The eastern diocese includes
larger populations, mostly
in Michigan.
After Mass, Bishop Shaleta
baptized Ephrem Jazrawi, the
infant son of Drs. Saad and
Grace Jazrawi. Saad, a leader of
a local group of Catholic doctors,
is from Iraq.
– Ed Langlois
FRANKLIN PROPERTY CORP.
Dbusiness
A $120M waterfront
community coming
to Commerce
Township
Representing one of the largest luxury residential
developments announced in recent years,
Franklin Property Corp. in Farmington Hills, in
partnership with Whitehall Real Estate Interests
in Novi, will break ground in February on a
$120-million, 203-home lakefront community in
Commerce Township.
The Reserve at Crystal Lake, which replaces
a former sand and gravel operation that began
operations in the 1950s, will see homes priced
from $475,000 to $1.2 million along and near the
42-acre lake. Each home along the water will include
a white-sandy beach and a dock, while the
community will have access to a private beach
with a cabana-style clubhouse.
The development, which was owned by the
Chaldean Church, has been approved by the
township. The land was brokered by Randy
Thomas, president and CEO of Insite Commercial
in Commerce Township. The sewer and
water lines will be brought in from 1.5 miles
away, and the community is in the Huron Valley
School District.
The lake has a sandy bottom, and Milia says
there is no pollution on the site. “The lake is literally
crystal clear, having been created from the
former sand and gravel operation,” says Milia.
“Over the years, birds have brought in fish. The
lake itself will be passive, meaning you can have
electric boats, kayaks, and other non-motorized
boats.”
He adds the housing mixture will provide
for multiple generations. People who may buy
a large home could scale down to something
smaller in their later years. In addition to the
private beach, residents will enjoy a handful of
pocket parks in the neighborhood.
The homes will range in size from 2,000
square feet to 5,000 square feet. Milia says the
land will be reshaped so it has a slight slope toward
the lake. The average price of the homes
will be around $600,000.
“There’s a shortage of lots in the region, and
we see this project taking five years to build out,”
says Milia. “It’s a unique piece of property.”
– R.J. King
14 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2022