MARCH 2008

RELIGION
PLACES OF PRAYER
THE DIOCESE OF ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE IN THE UNITED STATES
ST. THOMAS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE
25603 Berg Road, Southfield, MI 48033, 248-351-0440
Mar (Bishop) Ibrahim N. Ibrahim
www.chaldeandiocese.org
MOTHER OF GOD CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
25585 Berg Road, Southfield, MI 48034; 248-356-0565
Rector: Rev. Manuel Boji
Parochial Vicar: Rev. Wisam Matti
Mass Schedule: Weekdays except Tuesday, 10 a.m.;
Tuesday, St. Anthony prayer at 5 p.m. followed by mass at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, 5:15 p.m.
in English; Sunday: 8:30 a.m. in Arabic, 10 a.m. in English, 12 noon in Chaldean
SACRED HEART CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
310 W. Seven Mile Road, Detroit, MI 48203,
313-368-6214
Pastor: Rev. Jacob Yasso
Mass Schedule: Friday, 6 p.m. in Chaldean,
Sunday 11 a.m. in Chaldean
MAR ADDAI CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
24010 Coolidge Hwy, Oak Park, MI 48237, 248-547-4648
Pastor: Rev. Stephen Kallabat
Parochial Vicars: Rev. Fadi Habib Khalaf, Rev. Suleiman Denha
Mass Schedule: Weekday masses at 12 noon.
Sunday 10 a.m. in Sourath and Arabic; 12:30 p.m. in Sourath
CHALDEAN CHURCHES IN AND AROUND METRO DETROIT
ST. GEORGE CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
45700 Dequindre Road, Shelby Township, MI; (586) 254-7221
Pastor: Rev. Emanuel Hana Isho Shaleta
Assistant Pastor: Rev. Basel Yaldo
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m.; Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday: 8:30 a.m. in Chaldean, 10 a.m.
in Arabic, 11:30 a.m. in English, 1 p.m. in Chaldean. Baptisms: 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.
ST. JOSEPH CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
2442 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, MI 48083, 248-528-3676
Pastor: Msgr. Zouhair Toma (Kejbou)
Parochial Vicar: Rev. Ayad J. Hanna (Knanjaro)
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean; Saturday, 5 p.m. in English and Chaldean;
Sunday, 8 a.m. in Chaldean, 9:30 a.m. in Arabic, 11 a.m. in English, 12:30 p.m. in Chaldean
ST. MARY HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST
4320 E. 14 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48092; 586-825-0290
Rector: Fr. Benjamin Benjamin
Mass Schedule: Sunday, 9 a.m. Assyrian; noon Assyrian and English
ST. THOMAS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
6900 Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322, 248-788-2460
Pastor: Rev. Frank Kalabat
Rev. Emanuel Rayes (retired)
Parochial Vicar: Rev. Jirgus Abrahim
Mass Schedule: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. in Sourath, Saturday 5 p.m. in English,
Sunday 9 a.m. in English, 10:30 a.m. in English, 12:30 p.m. in Sourath
ST. TOMA SYRIAC CATHOLIC CHURCH
2560 Drake Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48335, 248-478-0835
Pastor: Rev. Toma Behnama
Mass Schedule: Sunday 12 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 6 p.m.
All masses are in Syriac, Arabic and English
obituaries
Victoria Mona-Arabo
Born on July 1, 1923, Victoria Mona-
Arabo departed this life peacefully
on a day dedicated to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, the first
Friday of the month, May 4,
2007. This devotion, together
with a deep love for the
Blessed Virgin Mary through
her daily recitation of the
rosary and lit candles, deepened
Victoria’s faith in our Lord
and Savior.
Victoria lost her beloved
husband David S. Arabo and
became a widow in the prime of her life
after God called him home at the
young age of 49. Her faith in God sustained
her to be both mother and father
to her children, whom she raised with
tender love and devotion.
Victoria was a deeply compassionate,
loving, kind and gentle soul. Her
hospitality was well-known among her
family and neighborhood friends. She
always greeted with love and warmth
those who entered her home. In fact,
her home was the central gathering
place for her friends and neighbors to
partake of her hospitality. She was
known for her exceptional culinary
Victoria Mona-Arabo
skills and consistently cooked delicious
meals, two of which, karee m’tabagh
and yellow rice, were often requested
favorites during family gatherings.
She never turned down a
request to help anyone and
did so with a charity born
from love for Jesus. She
always said, “I do this for
Jesus.” Many acquaintances
were saddened to hear of her
loss and it comforted her children
to know that they recognized
her genuine goodness.
Victoria is survived by her
beloved children, Edmond (Wafa),
Emile, Mona (Luigi) Cervi and
Jacqueline; her grandchildren,
Claudio, Marco and Fabio Cervi and
Venus, David, Jennifer and Emile
Arabo; and her brother, Ghazi. She
was preceded in death by her beloved
husband David S. Arabo, her parents
Jirjis and Naima Mona, her twin brothers
Nasser and Edward Mona, and her
infant son Ayad, our angel in heaven.
Mom, we thank you for being a loving,
devoted and selfless mother who
guided us in the Christian way of life.
The good life you lived is your legacy to
us. We think about you and send our
prayers to God throughout the day for
you. You left us so quickly and without
you, our lives will never be the same.
We miss you so much. You are truly in
our hearts forever.
Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her
and may she rest in peace. May her
soul and the souls of all the faithful
departed through the mercy of God
rest in peace. Amen.
Ellen Georgis Deddeh
Heaven gained an angel the day Ellen
Georgis Deddeh was laid to rest on
February 13, 2008. She was born on
September 12, 1919. She
was in and out of the hospital
for many months until she
couldn’t fight anymore. Now
she is smiling down on us with
her husband, Elias, playing
cards and laughing like we
remember her.
Whether young or old,
Ellen had a way of touching
people’s lives that is unexplainable.
She was the glue
Ellen Georgis
Deddeh
that held the family together. She was
a person that thought of others before
herself. Everyone who met her, be it
friends of her grandchildren or people
in the hospital, called her Nana. She
truly was everyone’s Nana.
Ellen was a widow at a young age
but you could never tell. She lived
every day to the fullest. She loved to
go out and socialize among the relatives.
She would be the first to go and
the last to leave. Everyone enjoyed
being in her company.
She is survived by her sister, Violet
Metti; six children, Nidhal Bodiya,
Madiha (Munib Murad), Kamal
(Khalida), Raja, Riadh (Lulu) and Fatin
Kouza; 13 grandchildren, Karen
(Roger), Anita, Dina (Paul), Allen,
David (Mae), Brian, Claude, Robert
(Melody), Lian (Phil), Lydia,
Candace, Alana and Connie;
and seven great-grandchildren,
Eric, Nicole, Alex,
Matthew, James, Kaylee and
Brooke.
We miss her terribly but
know she is in a better place
looking down on us. Not a
day will go by where we don’t
think of her. All the tears in the
world cannot mend our broken
hearts. Mama, Nana, Big Nana,
we love you and wait for the day to see
you again.
52 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2008