MARCH 2015

VOL. 12 ISSUE II
METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN COMMUNITY MARCH 2015
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YOUTH EMBRACE THEIR CATHOLICISM
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4 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

CONTENTS MARCH 2015
THE CHALDEAN NEWS VOLUME 12 ISSUE II
22 24 38
departments
6 FROM THE EDITOR
BY VANESSA DENHA GARMO
A Lenten journey
8 IN MY VIEW
BY MICHAEL SARAFA
Obama, the Crusades and ISIS
9 GUEST COLUMNS
BY FR. ANDREW SEBA
The death of black
BY RAMSAY F. DASS, M.D.
A tale of two priests
12 NOTEWORTHY
13 COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
16 CHAI TIME
18 HALHOLE
20 RELIGION
21 OBITUARIES
34 ECONOMICS AND ENTERPRISE
BY KEN MARTEN
Dealership puts the Robins on
the road to success
36 CLASSIFIED ADS
38 EVENTS
CASAblanca
on the cover
22 A RESURGENCE OF FAITH
BY CRYSTAL KASSAB JABIRO
Chaldean youth embrace their Catholicism
features
24 BLESSINGS TO
THE NEW BISHOPS
Pictures from the ordination
26 HELPING REFUGEES
HELP THEMSELVES
BY WEAM NAMOU
Thousands pass through Chaldean
Community Foundation office
28 TALKING TURKEY
BY VANESSA DENHA GARMO
Detroit delegation visits
30 ‘LIKE GOING HOME’
BY CRYSTAL K. KASHAT
Dominican sisters travel to Iraq
32 ANOTHER FEATHER IN HER CAP
BY VANESSA DENHA GARMO
Melody Arabo tops Elite list
ON THE COVER:
FR. MATTHEW ZETOUNA,
LEADERS AND PARTICIPANTS
OF MARTYRS R US, ONE OF THE
COMMUNITY’S MANY THRIVING
CHURCH YOUTH GROUPS.
PHOTO BY DAVID REED
MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 5

from the EDITOR
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A Lenten journey
“And when you pray, do not
be like the hypocrites, for they
love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the street
corners to be seen by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received
their reward in full.”
– Matt. 6:5
As I scurried around
my house cleaning
up while helping
my daughter with homework,
I got a glimpse of
myself in the mirror. I saw the ashes,
which looked more like black dirt on
my face than an actual cross, but the
image stopped me in my ferocious
tracks of getting things done before
we called it a night.
Too busy to really settle on my
Lenten sacrifice, I wasn’t quite sure
how I would spend this solemn 40-day
journey strengthening my faith. I had
contemplated giving up television. I
normally never tell anyone what I do
for Lent because I believe it is a promise
between you and God and not one
to be shared with the world.
“And when you fast, do not look
gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure
their faces that their fasting may be
seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they
have received their reward. But when
you fast, anoint your head and wash
your face that your fasting may not be
seen by others but by your Father who is
in secret. And your Father who sees in
secret will reward you.” — Matt. 6:16
“So, what to do?” my husband said
as he turned on the TV. My daughter
sat at the kitchen table coloring
a picture to go along with the Bible
VANESSA
DENHA-GARMO
EDITOR IN CHIEF
CO-PUBLISHER
story she was assigned to
paraphrase about Lent. Not
obligated yet to participate
in Lent, she actually considered
giving up TV herself
but settled on a variation of
it.
In my frantic stress of
trying to answer texts, do
the laundry, help my daughter
with her homework
and thinking about tomorrow’s
workday, the thought
emerged. I knew exactly
what I needed to do for Lent and it was
actually something I had never done
before. But I knew it was exactly what
God was calling me to do.
It has been a personal struggle of
mine and something my father always
encouraged me to do but I was
so opposed to it in my younger years.
That is what sacrifice is about,
right? It is about giving up something
that is difficult to live without or doing
something for the glory of God
that is completely out of your comfort
zone.
It was settled in my mind and I
have committed to it. As I sit here
writing this Editor’s Note the day
after Ash Wednesday, I am actually
excited about this Lenten journey.
Where will it take me?
I often wish I knew in my youth
what I know today about so many
things, but mostly my faith.
In recent years, I have met and
talked with many high school students
and college students grounded
in faith and so Christ-centered in life
— they have been building a life on
a rock. I have been so impressed and
have admired so many of these young
people, including our young priests.
We are blessed to have them and to
have the near dozen seminarians at
Sacred Heart today.
In this issue, we share a cover
story about youth and faith. There
has been a strong movement in our
community regarding the youth and
much of the credit goes to Bishop
Francis, ECRC and the clergy in all
of our churches who have created
programs to engage the tweens and
teens in a relationship with Christ.
As adults, we sometime dismiss
kids and really don’t want to hear
them. In my experience, we can
learn so much from them — their
innocence, their open-mindedness,
their excitement and their energy.
We can learn just as much from them
as they can from us.
Perhaps your Lenten journey
could include learning from others.
None of us will ever live long enough
to make the mistakes we need to in
order to learn important lessons.
This time is about knowledge,
growth, faith, relationships and love
as we are led to celebrate the holiest
day of the year for Christians everywhere.
Alaha Imid Koullen
(God Be With Us All)
Vanessa Denha-Garmo
vdenha@chaldeannews.com
Follow her on Twitter @vanessadenha
Follow Chaldean News on
Twitter @chaldeannews
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in my VIEW
Obama, the Crusades and ISIS
At a recent Christian
prayer breakfast,
President
Barack Obama took the
stage and after criticizing
ISIS said this:
“Humanity has been
grappling with these questions
throughout human
history. Lest we get on our
high horse and think this is
unique to some other place,
remember that during the
Crusades and the Inquisition, people
committed terrible deeds in the name
of Christ. In our home country, slavery
and Jim Crow all too often was
justified in the name of Christ.”
To be sure, the Crusades and slavery
are just two of many ugly chapters
in the history of Christianity and
America. Those histories should be
and have been studied and learned
from. There is a right time and
place for that. However, that time
and place is not here or now. For an
MICHAEL G.
SARAFA
SPECIAL TO THE
CHALDEAN NEWS
American president, 800
years later, to frame the
ISIS challenge in the context
of the Crusades is ill
advised at best and raises
legitimate questions about
Obama’s determination to
dismantle and eradicate
the ISIS threat.
One of this president’s
great failures as a leader is
his inability to emote at
the proper times. Just days
after the world witnessed a video of a
Jordanian pilot being burned alive in
a cage, American Christians did not
need a lecture on the immorality of
the Crusades. This, combined with
the tepid war resolution he sent to
Congress, makes one wonder whether
Obama has the resolve to solve
this problem.
Compare the stance of our president
with the immediate actions of
Jordan in Syria or Egypt in Libya
after the beheading of 21 Coptic
Christians. I’ll leave to others to
opine about the geopolitical and
military planning reasons for those
countries to have acted so swiftly,
but sometimes leadership is action.
Sometimes action has to be swift and
sure-footed. The president likes to
over-plan and overthink things and
our enemies know it.
Even the normally Obamafriendly
Andrea Mitchell of NBC
News had this to say:
“You don’t use the word ‘crusades’
in any context right now. It’s just too
fraught … you don’t lean over backwards
to be philosophical about the sins
of the fathers. You have to deal with
the issue that’s in front of you or don’t
deal with it at all. Talk about faith.”
I agree wholeheartedly with her.
It’s not that the president was wrong
about his facts or the importance
of remembering the sins of our fathers
in the context of American or
Church history. But it is not a relevant
perch from which to unite the
U.S. Congress, the American people
or the world against the existential
threat that is ISIS. Herein lays a
massive failure of leadership that gets
exemplified not only in his words but
his actions as well.
By the same token, the Feb. 10
killing of three Muslim students in
North Carolina cannot be put in
the same context as terrorism, which
some have attempted to do. Those
murders were heinous and barbaric,
just like those committed by ISIS.
But they were not part of a systematic
movement with hierarchy, infrastructure
and shared goals and objectives
that include a worldwide Islamic caliphate
and annihilation of the West.
One is a hopefully isolated event, the
other a treacherous ideology waging
battle on an international stage.
It is true that Obama voted against
the second Bush war on Iraq. He has
been consistent in his efforts to remove
American troops from Iraq and
Afghanistan. He has also been consistent
in his hesitancy to send troops
IN MY VIEW continued on page 11
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8 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

The death of black
This January my family
mourned the
loss of my grandfather,
Aboudi Seba (my
mom’s dad). He died a very
peaceful death at home
with all of us around him,
as he wanted. He received
the anointing of the sick,
which he asked for himself.
It is never easy to lose
a loved one regardless of
age or state of health. As
plans for the funeral were underway, I
pulled my grandmother, mother and
aunts aside and asked them something
that initially appalled them. I
asked them to only wear black for the
day of the funeral, and break away
from the tradition of wearing black
for 40 days, one year, etc.
At first they were uninterested
and responded saying, “We have to
… what will people say? … I can’t
imagine not wearing black.” I told
my aunts that I would mention this
FR. ANDREW
SEBA
SPECIAL TO THE
CHALDEAN NEWS
during the homily at the
funeral, that it’s something
we need to begin bringing
to an end. They were split
in their sentiments.
Mourning the dead is
important, and dealing
with the emotions that we
have after a loss is healthy
and necessary. But how we
do it speaks volumes about
who we are as rational
Christians. Many people
wear black because “that’s how we
mourn.” We are a very expressive
people, and wearing black has become
almost second nature in regards
to mourning. However, why
does it have to be? Does wearing
black help us to remember? But how
can we forget? Do we feel guilty if we
do not wear black? Why do we do
what we do?
We are a people who value our
traditions and recognize the importance
of them and the impact certain
traditions have had on our people
and culture. However, there are some
traditions that would serve us well if
we broke away from them.
The ancient Greeks and Romans
wore black in mourning the loss of a
loved one. The tradition of wearing
black in the Muslim culture also impacted
the way we mourn. It seems
fitting since black is the absence
of color and we are mourning the
absence of someone we love. Conversely,
black simultaneously represents
darkness, hopelessness, despair
and gloom. Although that is what we
often feel interiorly after the loss of
a loved one, outwardly expressing it
in what we wear does not change the
fact that they are no longer physically
with us. Recognizing this can
be helpful in the mourning process.
God give us our emotions as a
coping mechanism. Jesus cried at the
death of Lazarus, our emotions are
real and given to us by God. How
do we deal with them? How can we
mourn? Instead of wearing black, let
us pray for the repose of the soul of
our loved ones. Let us pray in thanksgiving
to God for allowing us to have
the opportunity to create memories
with those who have gone before
us. Let us pray that the Lord gives us
the grace to honor the living through
our actions, our thoughts and our
deeds. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit
will give us the grace to live in a
way that will allow us to remember
our friends and family and perpetuate
their memory by honoring it.
As Christians we have hope in the
resurrection of the dead. One way to
help us in our mourning is by begging
the Lord to help us understand what
that means! We are called to pray for
a greater hope and to find joy in the
fact that our soul is eternal and is only
awaiting the joy of the second coming
of Jesus. Wearing black can potentially
evoke in our hearts the emotions of
loneliness and despair, which in turn
blinds us to the true joys and comfort
Jesus gives us.
BLACK continued on page 11
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MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 9

GUEST column
A tale of two priests
Over the past few
months, many
radio, television
and newspaper media
have published stories regarding
some Chaldean
Catholic priests and their
diocese in San Diego,
California. Unfortunately,
many of these contained
mischaracterized, misinformed
and illogical conclusions
about the priests’
safety, mission and manner in which
they arrived in the United States.
It is true that the previous Patriarch’s
administration was weakened
by internal and external events, and
many local Iraqi priests and bishops
took advantage of that by seeking
comfortable positions for safety,
prosperity and personal reasons. But
in the past two years since the installment
of His Beatitude Patriarch
Louis Sako, a movement of correction,
reconciliation and preservation
of the Chaldean Church from
a downhill spiral has taken place by
reclaiming the old rules and regulations
that every member should
follow, most of all the priests and
bishops. To this end, a new group
of young, well-educated bishops has
been elected to the Synod.
The community at large has welcomed
these changes. But unfortunately,
a renegade and mutiny of a
bishop and some priests in San Diego
has developed, especially among
those priests who left their positions
in Iraq without prior authorization
or in disobedience to the hierarchy
of their churches, monasteries and
RAMSAY F.
DASS, M.D.
SPECIAL TO THE
CHALDEAN NEWS
eparchies.
Today, there is a tale
of two priests in the
Chaldean Church. One
Chaldean priest was kidnapped
for three days in
Iraq, beaten by his captors,
and received death
threats even after he was
released during those dark
days of anti-Christian violence
that took place after
the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
This priest was officially transferred
at that time to serve his community
in the United States. But today, he
has been elected an Auxiliary Bishop
and has returned to Baghdad.
He accepted this elevation without
reluctance, leaving his comfort
zone, church followers and friends in
America with the belief that a priest
must serve wherever he is required
irrespective of the dangers he faces
or the comfort in which he lives. He
did this with the view that he is not
better than any priest, particularly
those serving in Iraq, where their
services are badly needed at this
time. He is well aware of the change
of political and social environment
there, but, as a priest, his job is to
serve wherever he is required and
needed.
Compare his story to that priest
in San Diego who is afraid to return
home to Iraq under the assumption
that he will be kidnapped and killed.
That has been his pretext. Instead
of being an obedient steward of the
image, culture and sanctuary of his
priesthood, he turned his venom
against Patriarch Sako, his superiors
and others. He has forgotten that
the Chaldean Church is a martyrs’
church and that many of his friends,
superiors and others have sacrificed
themselves for the cause of Christianity
and the church.
This tale of two priests is one
of revolt or obedience, one of selfsacrifice
or self-preservation, and
one of serving the community or
serving oneself. Regrettably, there
are those who are trying to keep
these priests in San Diego at any
cost. They have never stopped
making it an issue and projecting
it in the San Diego and California
media. As a result, they have damaged
— even temporarily — the
image of our beloved and blessed
Chaldean Church that, for thousands
of years, had the sacrifice of
her patriarchs, bishops, priests and
Christian followers.
In the final analysis, we are looking
forward to priests who have devoted
themselves to the vocation,
whether in the Chaldean Church or
elsewhere, to deprive themselves of
selfishness and fear and follow the
teachings of the church, Jesus Christ
and His ministry in this world. We
hope that what happened in San
Diego is a storm in a teacup and
that sooner rather than later, with
the help and guidance of Patriarch
Sako, the Synod and the goodwill of
the faithful will prevail.
Ramsay F. Dass, M.D., is president
of the American Middle East
Christians Congress and director
of the Iraq American Christians
Endowment Center.
IN MY VIEW continued from page 8
back to that part of the world.
But he is the president of the
United States. The situation in Iraq
was largely caused by failed U.S policy
towards that country and the failure
of the Obama administration to keep
a foothold there. It was not the Bush
administration that assisted in destabilizing
the Qaddafi regime in Libya
or the Assad regime in Syria. It was
the current administration. These efforts
have created a tremendous vacuum
in these countries and fostered an
environment for rule by a combination
of gangs and religious extremists
— a formula that has come to equal
barbarity and brutality.
Obama still has time to get his
act together on this and do his job to
protect the American people, defend
our ideals and restore U.S. leadership
in the world.
Let’s deal with what’s in front of
us, as Andrea Mitchell said. There
will be time for him to deliver lectures
later.
BLACK continued from page 9
Just because someone does not
wear black after the funeral does not
mean they are not honoring their
loved one, it doesn’t mean that they
respect them less, it does not indicate
the amount of love they had for
their family member. Some might say,
“Well, why do priests wear black?”
Sure, it’s because it is a reminder that
the priest is dead to the world, it’s symbolic
of poverty and simplicity ... but
that’s a subject for a different article.
At the end of the day, my conversation
with my mom and my aunts
was only half successful; my mom
and some of her sisters agreed not to
wear black, while the others couldn’t
take the plunge. It’s a start.
Fr. Andrew Seba is a Parochial Vicar of
St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church.
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MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 11

noteworthy
St. Mary’s
Pays Homage
Persecuted Christians of the Middle
East are the focus this Lenten season
at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in
Royal Oak.
The church is exhibiting large
images of the “N” symbol (Arabic
for Nazarene) that ISIS is using to
mark Christian property and passing
out buttons with the image, said Fr.
Steven Wertanen, who explained
the symbol in a recent mass. While
many of his parishioners were “somewhat
familiar” with the dire situation
facing Iraq’s Christians, most did not
have an in-depth understanding of
the crisis, he said.
Martin Manna, co-publisher of the
Chaldean News, is speaking on the topic
at 6:30 p.m. at the church on March
1, and St. Mary’s is asking parishioners
to fast in solidarity with Middle Eastern
Christians on March 2-4.
“The challenge is to pray for those
who are persecuted and for those who
are persecuting, and also to recognize
how we all persecute people in different
ways, and to appreciate the faith
The church is distributing these buttons.
and the parish we have and not take
it for granted,” said Fr. Wertanen.
The church is also distributing
cross placards and asking people to
display them in their living room
window.
“We want this to raise awareness,”
said Fr. Wertanen. “People
say we are afraid to put it out there
because our neighbors will think we
are a ‘Jesus freak,’ but we should be
challenged to say we love Jesus, and
other people are having their house
marked in a negative way.”
Community Marches for Life
Police Seek Tips in
Troy Killing
A year later, Troy Police
are still searching
for the person(s)
who killed Athir
Putres.
Putres, 63, was
found fatally shot
while working at
Athir Putres
the Clark gas station
at 6951 Rochester
Road on Feb. 8, 2014. He was a
resident of Rochester Hills.
Though police received many
tips, there have been no arrests in
the case. Anyone with information
is asked to contact Detective Shuler
at (248) 524-3449 or the anonymous
tip line at (248) 524-0777.
Snyder Launches
Middle Eastern
Commission
Gov. Rick Snyder signed Executive
Order 2015-6 on Feb. 18 to establish
the Middle-Eastern American Affairs
Commission.
The commission replaces the
Michigan Council on Arab and Chaldean
American Affairs, created by executive
order in 2013. The reorganization
and name change reflects the
growing diversity of new Americans
who have come to Michigan from the
Middle East, said the governor’s office.
“The Middle-Eastern American
community is growing in our state
and this reorganization will help
ensure Michiganders from multiple
backgrounds have the best opportunities
to actively work together and
participate in our comeback,” Snyder
said in a statement.
The 15-member commission will
work within the Michigan Department
of Civil Rights to monitor,
evaluate and provide recommendations
on issues facing the Middle-
Eastern American Community. They
will also work to enhance economic
opportunity, prevent discrimination
and spread awareness of Middle-
Eastern American culture.
Interested in serving on the commission?
Visit Mich.gov/Snyder and
go the Appointments tab for an application.
Archdiocese of Detroit
Completes Move
The Archdiocese of Detroit has completed
the move of its headquarters
to its new Chancery building at 12
State Street in Capitol Park.
All central offices and 183 employees
of the Archdiocese of Detroit
now operate out of the new location,
which the archdiocese is leasing from
Capitol Park Partnership LLC. The
move makes the Archdiocese of Detroit
one of the first major new tenants
in Detroit’s Capitol Park district.
“Remaining downtown and coming
into the Capitol Park district allows
the Church to continue to be
a part of the rebirth of the City of
Detroit,” said Archbishop Allen Vigneron
in a statement.
In April 2013, the archdiocese
NOTEWORTHY continued on page 14
Michigan attendees take a group picture.
Although the media attention is nowhere equal to
the size of the event, March for Life is seen by millions
as a must-take journey, even though they march in the
cold and snow year after year.
“We stand for what is right and just in the world,”
said Fr. Pierre Konja. “Thank God we have a country
that allows us the freedom to speak against the legislation,
but it’s a shame that we have a country that has
legalized the killing of their citizens in the womb.”
Two buses of 110 Chaldeans from Michigan attended
the annual March in Washington, D.C. last month. The
trip was led by Fr. Andrew Seba and Fr. Pierre Konja and
included four Chaldean nuns in the Novicate, a few families
with their kids, young adults and people of all ages.
The three-day trip included a one-night hotel stay
and two nights sleeping on the bus. “We didn’t hear any
complaining,” said Fr. Pierre. “We offered our discomfort
and sufferings with that of Jesus for the end of abortion.”
It was an educational trip but one with a purpose:
“to bring political awareness to the tragedy of abortion
in our country,” said Fr. Pierre. “What’s beautiful to see
is how a stance against such a terrible issue has drawn
people together.”
It’s a mostly Catholic-attended event and attendees
are able to meet different Catholics from across the
country with the same faith and the same drive against
abortion.
“One of the fruits of the trip is bringing Chaldeans
from different areas of Detroit together to meet each
other and to share some laughs, exhaustion and faith,”
said Fr. Pierre. “We also got a chance to have a Chaldean
mass with the Chaldeans who live in DC. They
were really appreciative and we were happy to help
keep them connected with the community.”
Donor Needed
Andrew Jappaya is seeking the
community’s help in his search
for a new kidney.
Jappaya, 41, learned in May
that he has chronic polycystic kidney
disease. Currently, his kidney
is functioning at only 9 percent.
Jappaya is married and the father
of two daughters ages 6 and 12.
“The only way I could feel
better and live my life normal
[is to] get a kidney transplant,”
he said.
Jappaya’s little brother is the
only family member to match
his kidney, but, because the
disease in inherited, he is not a
suitable donor as he could contract
it himself.
Jappaya has blood type O.
To be tested for a match, contact
him at (248) 939-0556 or
andysoccerman@aol.com.
12 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

Community Bulletin Board
Mass Appeal
He’s the Man
Faisal M. Arabo has been named
Agent of the Year by New York Life
Insurance Company. The award goes
to the agent who achieved top production
commissions in the company’s
Greater Detroit General Office. Arabo
has been a New York Life agent since
1968 and is a lifetime member of the
Million Dollar Round Table, an international
association of the world’s leading
life insurance and financial services
professionals. He’s pictured here
with Managing Partner David Hoory
and his wife, Virjean Arabo.
People Power
Marian’s High School seniors Morgan Garmo
(far right), Jacquelin Doman and Molly Swayze
took first place in the state for Unit I at the We
the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
competition held in January at the state capitol
in Lansing. More than 180 students from
nine high schools across the state tested their
knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of
Rights during the state competition.
Tod Machover, creator of Guitar Hero,
was in town last month in search of
unique sounds from all around Metro
Detroit. He took an interest in the Chaldean
community and wanted to include
the sounds, including Aramaic, of the
Chaldean mass. Thanks to the coordination
of Sue Kattula, Machover and
his team attended mass at St. Joseph
Church in Troy and recorded both the
service and choir for use in an upcoming
PBS special, “Symphony in the D.”
Have an item for the Bulletin Board? Send it to Chaldean News,
30850 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, Michigan 48025
or e-mail info@chaldeannews.com.
Unity Urged at Chaldean Synod
The Special Synod of the Chaldean
Church was held Feb. 7 in Baghdad.
The prelates, who called for unity and
communion in the Chaldean Church, agreed to
continue plans to create a “Chaldean League”
and a patriarchal appeal court to examine cases
involving the Chaldean clergy. Participants
also decided to set aside a day each year, the
first Friday after Easter (April 10 this year), to
remember “the martyrs and confessors of the
faith” who died in the Assyrian
Genocide (also known
as Sayfo) in 1915.
The synod “demanded the central
government and the Kurdistan Regional
Government allocate funds to
support displaced families who were
robbed of their property and money
Mar Sako
by Daeesh (ISIS).” The Chaldean
Church “will employ all its capabilities
to serve and lift their spirits, and
to plant hope in their heart.”
Speaking to AsiaNews, Mar Sako said he was happy
with the synod’s work. “Perfect harmony emerged
among us and we share the same goal of continuing to
help refugee families” since, so far, “the government has
promised a lot but done very little. Only the Church has
really helped.”
The new International Chaldean League will “defend
and help displaced Chaldeans, promote the protection
of the Chaldean heritage, and defend persecuted
The synod participants.
Christians,” he said. The Patriarch appointed Bishop
Shlimoon Wardoni and Bishop Basil Yaldo to prepare
for the founding conference.
At the end of the synod, participants expressed their
“deep regret” for the absence and “non-cooperation” of
Bishop Sarhad Jammo and Mgr. Bawai Soro of California,
who are in conflict with Mar Sako’s demand that
some priests return to Iraq. A meeting on the issue was
to be held at the Vatican later in February, but no news
was released by press time.
“The synod calls for all the faithful of the Diocese of
St Peter to hold firm to their true faith and to be loyal
to their Chaldean church and to rely on love and wisdom,”
said an official statement by Archbishop Joseph
Thomas, secretary general of the synod.
The fathers also “expressed their pain” regarding
Bishop Saad Sirop, who left his post at Babyl Pontifical
College before receiving an answer to his request
for a one-year sabbatical leave. Dr. Samer Souresho was
named acting dean of the college at the synod.
Rumor of Murdered
Priest Unfounded
Reports that a priest was executed in
Mosul are untrue, Chaldean Church
leaders said in a statement on Feb. 5.
The statement read, in part, that
Mar Louis Sako “strongly denies recent
news stories that report a priest being
executed by Islamic State militants
in Mosul.” The rumor had concerned
the murder of a “Fr. Paul Jacoub,” who
was supposedly detained for more than
eight months by jihadists.
However, the statement signed
by Mar Sako reads, “There has never
been a priest of this name in the
Iraqi Church, Catholic, Orthodox or
Protestant.” He added that presently,
“there are no more Christians in Mosul,”
the second-largest city in Iraq
and since last June an ISIS stronghold.
Mar Sako asked the media not
to circulate these false rumors. “At
the very moment we spread them …
we end up playing into the jihadists’
hands,” he said.
He noted that the two religious kidnapped
in Mosul last July were released
after two weeks and that, to date, there
are no priests kidnapped in Mosul or in
the hands of Islamist militias.
– Joseph Mahmoud, Asia News

noteworthy
calling for safe haven
Former congressman offers six-point plan
BY TIMOTHY C. MORGAN AND RUTH MOON
Frank Wolf, the recently retired congressman,
is urging six steps to protect
Christians and other religious
minorities from genocide, including
creation of a safe haven in Nineveh
in northwest Iraq.
In a letter to Congress on Feb. 11,
President Barack Obama said, “If left
unchecked, ISIL will pose a threat
beyond the Middle East, including to
the United States homeland. I have
directed a comprehensive and sustained
strategy to degrade and defeat
ISIL. As part of this strategy, U.S.
military forces are conducting a systematic
campaign of airstrikes.”
Yet, on the same day, Wolf in a
statement said Christians and other
groups are on the “edge of extinction”
due to terrorism and policymakers
must do more.
“If the Islamic State is not defeated
and ultimately destroyed, there
will be no future for these ancient
faith communities who now face an
existential crisis and genocidal onslaught
in lands they have inhabited
since antiquity,” Wolf said.
The retired Virginia congressman
recently co-founded the 21st
Century Wilberforce Initiative and
accepted an appointment to a newly
endowed chair for religious freedom
at Baylor University.
In January, Wolf and several others
from the Wilberforce Initiative
traveled to northwest Iraq to meet
with refugees from the region. The
Wilberforce delegation said they
were within 1.5 miles of the Islamic
State frontline. They spoke with
dozens of Christians and Yazidis (another
at-risk minority group) and
met with top officials in the Kurdistan
Regional Government, religious
leaders and humanitarian groups.
On return, the Wilberforce group
developed six proposals to secure the
future of Christians, Yazidis and others:
• Create the Nineveh Plains province
in Iraq to shelter Christians
and other minorities.
• Establish the Nineveh
Protection Unit, a defensive
National Guard. (This is already
in formation.)
• Allow faith-based relief
and development groups to
operate openly in the region.
• Require the return of
Frank Wolf
property, especially churches
and monasteries, confiscated
by the Islamic State.
• Require the Kurdistan Regional
Government to insure religious freedom
for all groups.
• Prosecute terrorists for crimes
against humanity, war crimes, and if
needed, for genocide.
“A decade ago, Iraq’s Christian
population numbered 1.5 million,”
said Randel Everett, Wilberforce
Initiative president and former Texas
pastor. “Today, roughly 300,000
remain, and most have no jobs, no
schools, and no places of worship.
The Nineveh Plains had been one
of the last relatively safe havens for
Christians, Yazidis, Shabak, Turkmen
and other minority groups. With the
fall of Mosul and surrounding areas
last summer, Iraq’s minorities want to
remain in their homeland, but have
no place to go.”
In the new position at
Baylor, Wolf will be responsible
for outreach on
Christianity’s role in addressing
social issues and
will collaborate on international
projects and how
to integrate religious freedom
in foreign policy.
Wolf, then 74, announced
in 2013 that he
would not seek reelection
after serving in Congress for 34 years.
He was lead sponsor for the Religious
Freedom Act (which led to the creation
of the U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom) and
ambassador-at-large and special adviser
for international religious freedom
in the State Department. During his
time on Capitol Hill, Wolf traveled
to Africa, Asia and the Middle East
to raise awareness of religious persecution
and human rights abuses.
– Christianity Today
NOTEWORTHY continued from page 12
announced it was selling three buildings
— the former chancery at 1234
Washington Boulevard, the Gabriel
Richard Building at 305 Michigan
Avenue, and a printing and mailing
facility in Corktown — to consolidate
under a single roof. The
consolidation, which also includes
personnel who had been stationed
at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, is
a cost-cutting move; office space has
been reduced from about 150,000
square feet to approximately 44,000
square feet.
In other diocese news, Pope Francis
has granted the title of Minor Basilica
to the National Shrine of the
Little Flower Church in Royal Oak.
The title is given to churches around
the world to denote a particular importance
in liturgical and pastoral
life and a closer relationship with the
pope. The title of Major Basilica is
reserved to churches in Rome. The
art-deco Shrine had to demonstrate
its heightened liturgical activity and
architectural stature.
It’s Scholarship Time
The Chaldean Federation’s 33rd Annual
Scholarship Program is being
held this year in honor of Michael J.
George, who died on June 24.
Chaldean high school seniors
and college graduates can apply for a
scholarship at ChaldeanGrads.com.
The deadline for applications is May
22. Recipients will be notified.
For more information, contact
Rula at (248) 406-2052 or rula@
chaldeanfederation.org.
Kohl’s Seeks
Good Kids
Nominations for a Kohl’s Cares
scholarship are being accepted
through March 13.
Parents, teachers and friends can
nominate kids ages 6-18 who are doing
inspiring volunteer work in their community.
Top winners receive $10,000
for higher education while nearly
2,000 local winners will get $50 Kohl’s
gift cards. Visit KohlsKids.com.
Football Fan?
St. William is inviting Catholic
young men in grades three to eight to
join its Crusader Football program.
Registration is $180 per player, and
scholarships are available.
The St. William Crusaders is also
offering co-ed flag football spring
leagues for kids from kindergarten
to third grade. It runs April 26-mid-
June and costs $100 per player. All
games are on Sundays at Brother
Rice and Gabriel Richard.
Learn more about both programs
at SaintWilliam.net, or call Scott
McKee at (248) 469-3650.
Ziyad I. Hermiz
People
Virginia Yatooma-
Krolczyk
Butzel Long attorney Ziyad I. Hermiz
has been elected as a Shareholder of
the firm. Based in Butzel Long’s Detroit
office, Hermiz concentrates his
practice in the area of business litigation
and was named a Michigan Super
Lawyers Rising Star in the Business
Litigation category from 2012-2014.
Virginia Yatooma-Krolczyk has
obtained a Doctor of Management
and Executive Leadership from Walsh
College. She was the only Chaldean
student in the doctorate program.
14 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

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MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN 12/19/14 NEWS 12:16 PM15

CHAI time
CHALDEANS CONNECTING
COMMUNITY EVENTS IN AND AROUND METRO DETROIT MARCH 2015
[Friday, March 6 – Sunday, March 8]
Retreat: “Praying Your Life Story with
Jesus and St. Ignatius” is the theme
of a weekend retreat directed by Fr.
Fran Daly. This is the first time Manresa
is offering a retreat for both men and
women. (248) 644-4933.
[Friday, March 6 – Sunday, March 8]
Cars: The 63rd Annual Autorama,
billed as “America’s Greatest Hot Rod
Show,” motors into Cobo Hall. Tickets
are $6 for kids, $19 for adults. View
a schedule at Autorama.com/Attend/
Detroit.
[Saturday, March 7]
Gala: Chaldean American Ladies of
Charity’s 2015 gala has the theme
“Peace Around the World.” The event
includes a four-course dinner, live entertainment,
dessert bar and live and
silent auctions. 7 p.m., Shenandoah
Country Club. (248) 528-0130.
[Thursday, March 12]
Art: Manresa Jesuit House enjoys a
private tour of the Detroit Institute of
Arts’ Renaissance collection, including
marble panels from the Florence
Cathedral. Meet at the John R entrance
of the DIA at 1:30 p.m. The tour
is free but you must RSVP by March 7
by calling (248) 644-4933 or emailing
office@manresa-sj.org.
[Friday, March 20]
At last: Spring begins!
[Saturday, March 21]
Racing: AMA Supercross zooms
around Ford Field at 6:30 p.m. Doors
open to watch practice and qualifying
races at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $15-
$200. SupercrossOnline.com.
[Tuesday, March 24]
Seminar: “Who’s In Your Space? A
Reflection on the Book of Ruth” is
the topic of a free seminar and dinner
from the Ashland Theological Seminary.
7 p.m. at the Seminary’s Detroit
Center, 24901 Northwestern Highway,
Suite 600, Southfield. Register
at WhosInYourSpace.EventBrite.com
[Wednesday, March 25]
Fundraiser: Greater West Bloomfield
Community Coalition Fundraiser begins
at 5:30 p.m. at Huerto in West
Bloomfield. (248) 321-8642.
[Sunday, March 29]
Shopping: All Things Detroit returns to
the Eastern Market from noon-6 p.m. in
Shed 3. There will be Detroit apparel,
handmade jewelry, artisan food products,
custom artwork, door prizes and more.
Send items for Chai Time to
info@chaldeannews.com.
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16 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

CHALDEAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
TWELFTH ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2015
SHENANDOAH COUNTRY CLUB
5600 WALNUT LAKE ROAD,
WEST BLOOMFIELD, MICHIGAN 48323
OPENING REMARKS
The Honorable Rick Snyder – Invited
Governor, State of Michigan
HONORING
Rafed Yaldo with HelpIraq.org
Humanitarian of the Year
Anmar K. Sarafa
Steward Capital Management and
Frankenmuth Brewery
Businessperson of the Year
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HALHOLE!
[Birth]
Alessandra
BRIDAL
&
FORMAL WEAR
29214 Hoover Road, Warren Michigan
29214 Hoover phone: Road, 586.574.2233 Warren Michigan
e-mail: phone: alessandrabride@aol.com
586.574.2233
e-mail: web: alessandrabride@aol.com
www.alessandrabride.com
web: www.alessandrabride.com
Store Hours: Monday-Thursday-10:00am-8:00pm / Friday-Saturday-10:00am-5:00pm
Clarice Mary
Christmas came early for the
Salha family when God blessed
them with the most precious
gift of all, Clarice Mary. She
was born on December 6, 2014
at 8:14 a.m. weighing 6 lbs., 5
oz. and measuring 19 inches.
Proud first-time parents are
Loeay & Sandy Salha. Clarice
is the first grandchild for
Klades Yousif Salha and the
second for Faik & Nadhima
Koza.
[Engagement]
Natalie and Michael
Natalie Sako and Michael
Jaboro became engaged to be
married on January 5, 2015.
Natalie’s parents are Mike &
Theresa Sako and Michael
is the son of Harry & Lilian
Jaboro.
Clarice Mary
Natalie and Michael
18 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

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PHONE: 248-996-8360 FAX: 248-996-8342
MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 19

eligion
PLACES OF PRAYER
CHALDEAN CHURCHES IN AND AROUND METRO DETROIT
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
Bishop: Francis Kalabat
Retired Bishop: Ibrahim N. Ibrahim
HOLY CROSS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
32500 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334; (248) 626-5055
Rector: Msgr. Zouhair Toma Kejbou
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, noon; Saturdays, 5 p.m. in Chaldean and
English; Sundays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean and Arabic, noon in English
HOLY MARTYRS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
43700 Merrill, Sterling Heights, MI 48312; (586) 803-3114
Rector: Fr. Manuel Boji
Parochial Vicar: Fr. Matthew Zetouna
Bible Study: Mondays, 7 p.m. in Chaldean; Thursdays, 8 p.m. Seed of
Faith in English;
Saturdays, 7 p.m. Witness to Faith in Arabic
Youth Groups: Wednesdays, 7 p.m. for High Schoolers
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 9 a.m. in Chaldean; Saturdays, 5 p.m. in
English; Sundays: 9 a.m. in Chaldean and Arabic, 10:30 a.m. in English,
Morning Prayer at noon, High Mass at 12:30 p.m. in Chaldean; 7 p.m.
Arabic and Chaldean
MAR ADDAI CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
24010 Coolidge Highway, Oak Park, MI 48237; (248) 547-4648
Pastor: Fr. Stephen Kallabat
Retired Priest: Fr. Suleiman Denha
Adoration: Last Friday of the month, 4 p.m. Adoration; 5 p.m. Stations of
the Cross; 6 p.m. Mass; Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Bible Study: Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m. in Arabic and Chaldean; Thursdays,
7-9 p.m. Jesus Christ University High School and College Bible Study-
Youth Group; Fridays, 8-10 p.m. Arabic, Chaldean and English
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, noon; Sundays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean and
Arabic, 12:30 p.m. High Mass in Chaldean
MOTHER OF GOD CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
25585 Berg Road, Southfield, MI 48034; (248) 356-0565
Pastor: Fr. Basel Yeldo
Parochial Vicar: Fr. Pierre Konja
Bible Study: Mondays, 7-9 p.m. in English; Wednesdays, 7 p.m. for
college students in English
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m.; Tuesdays, 8:45 p.m. in English;
Saturdays, 4 p.m. in English; Sundays: 8:30 a.m. in Arabic, 10 a.m. in
English, noon in Chaldean, 7 p.m. in English
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
11200 12 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48093; (586) 804-2114
Pastor: Fr. Fadi Philip
Bible Study: Thursday, 8 p.m. for ages 18-45; Friday, 8 p.m. in Arabic.
Teens 4 Mary Youth Group: Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Confession: 1 hour before mass or by appointment.
Adoration: Thursday, 5-7 p.m. Chapel open 24/7 for adoration.
Mass Schedule: Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. in Chaldean; Thursday,
1 p.m. in English and 7 p.m. in Chaldean; Friday 7 p.m. in Chaldean;
Sunday, 10 a.m. in Arabic and 12:30 p.m. in Chaldean.
SACRED HEART CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
310 W. Seven Mile Road, Detroit, MI 48203; (313) 368-6214
Pastor: Fr. Sameem Belius
Retired Priest: Fr. Jacob Yasso
Bible Study: Tuesday, 8 p.m. at St. Joseph in Troy
Mass Schedule: Sunday, 11 a.m.
ST. GEORGE CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
45700 Dequindre Road, Shelby Township, MI 48317; (586) 254-7221
Pastor: Msgr. Emanuel Hana Isho Shaleta
Parochial Vicars: Fr. Anthony Kathawa
Youth Groups: Disciples for Christ for teen boys, Tuesdays, 7 p.m.;
Circle of Friends for teen girls; Thursdays, 6 p.m.; Bible Study for college
students, Wednesdays 8 p.m.
Bible Study: Wednesdays, 8 p.m. in English; Fridays, 8 p.m. in Arabic
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean; Wednesdays, 7
p.m. Adoration; 8-10 p.m. Confession; Saturdays, 6:30 p.m. in English
(school year); 6:30 p.m. in Chaldean (summer); Sunday: 8:30 a.m. in
Chaldean, 10 a.m. in Arabic, 11:30 a.m. in English, 1:15 p.m. in Chaldean;
7:30 p.m. in English
ST. JOSEPH CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
2442 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI 48083; (248) 528-3676
Administrator: Fr. Rudy Zoma
Parochial Vicor: Rev. Bashar Sitto
Bible Study: Mondays, 7 p.m. in Arabic; Tuesdays, 7 p.m. in English;
Thursdays, 7 p.m. Chaldeans Loving Christ Youth Group for High
Schoolers
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean except Wednesdays,
10 a.m. in Arabic
Saturdays, 6 p.m. in English and Chaldean; Sundays, 9 a.m. in Arabic,
10:30 a.m. in English, noon in Chaldean, 2 p.m. in Chaldean and Arabic,
7 p.m. in Chaldean
Baptisms: 3 p.m. on Sundays.
ST. PAUL CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
5150 E. Maple Avenue, Grand Blanc, MI 48439; (810) 820-8439
Pastor: Fr. Ayad Hanna
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 6 p.m.; Sundays, 12:30 p.m.
ST. THOMAS CHALDEAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
6900 Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; (248) 788-2460
Pastor: Fr. Wisam Matti
Parochial Vicars: Fr. Jirgus Abrahim, Fr. Andrew Seba
Retired Priest: Fr. Emanuel Rayes
Bible Study: Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. in Arabic
Youth Groups: Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Girls Challenge Club for Middle
Schoolers; Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Chaldeans Loving Christ for High
Schoolers; Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Boys Conquest Club for Middle
Schoolers
Other: First Thursday and Friday of each month, 10 a.m. Holy Hour; 11
a.m. Mass in Chaldean; Wednesdays from midnight to Thursdays midnight,
adoration in the Baptismal Room; Saturdays 3 p.m. Night Vespers
(Ramsha) in Chaldean
Mass Schedule: Weekdays, 10 a.m. in Chaldean; Saturdays, 5 p.m. in
English;
Sundays, 9 a.m. in English, 10:30 a.m. in English, 12:30 p.m. in Chaldean,
2 p.m. in Arabic
Grotto is open for Adoration 24/7 for prayer and reflection
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ______________________________
CHALDEAN SISTERS, DAUGHTERS OF MARY IMMACULATE
24900 Middlebelt Road
Farmington, MI 48336; (248) 615-2951
NOVITIATE HOUSE
31855 Allison Drive
Farmington Hills, MI 48334; (248) 987-6731
CONVENT
43261 Chardennay
Sterling Heights, MI 48314; (586) 203-8846
EASTERN CATHOLIC RE-EVANGELIZATION CENTER (ECRC)
4875 Maple Road, Bloomfield Township, MI 48301; (248) 538-9903
Director: Patrice Abona
Daily Mass: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.
Thursdays: 5:30 Adoration and 6:30 Mass
First Friday of the month: 6:30 p.m. Adoration, Confession and Mass
Bible Study in Arabic: Wednesdays 7 p.m.
Bible Study in English: Tuesdays 7 p.m.
ST. GEORGE SHRINE AT CAMP CHALDEAN
7000 Clements Road, Brighton, MI 48114; (888) 822-2267
Campgrounds Manager: Sami Herfy
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ______________________________
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: Sundays, 9 a.m. in Assyrian; noon in Assyrian and
English
ST. TOMA SYRIAC CATHOLIC CHURCH
25600 Drake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48335; (248) 478-0835
Pastor: Fr. Toma Behnama
Fr. Safaa Habash
Mass Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 6 p.m.; Sunday 12 p.m.
All in Syriac, Arabic and English
Submission Guidelines The Chaldean News welcomes submissions of obituaries. They should include the deceased’s name, date of birth and
death, and names of immediate survivors. Please also include some details about the person’s life including career and hobbies. Due to space constraints,
obituaries can not exceed 300 words. We reserve the right to edit those that are longer. Send pictures as a high-resolution jpeg attachment.
E-mail obits to info@chaldeannews.com, or through the mail at 30850 Telegraph Road, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025.
Biblical
references to
a Lenten fast
Romans 8:15-18: For you did not
receive the spirit of slavery to fall
back into fear, but you have received
the spirit of sonship. When we cry,
“Abba! Father!” it is the Spirit himself
bearing witness with our spirit that we
are children of God, and if children,
then heirs, heirs of God and fellow
heirs with Christ, provided we suffer
with him in order that we may also be
glorified with him. I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not
worth comparing with the glory that
is to be revealed to us.
1 Peter 4:13: But rejoice in so far as
you share Christ’s sufferings, that you
may also rejoice and be glad when his
glory is revealed.
1 Peter 5:8-9: Be sober, be watchful.
Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour. Resist him, firm
in your faith, knowing that the same
experience of suffering is required of
your brotherhood throughout the
world.
Luke 5:35: The days will come,
when the bridegroom is taken away
from them, and then they will fast in
those days.
Mark 9:27-28: And when he was
come into the house, his disciples secretly
asked him: Why could not we
cast him out? And he said to them:
This kind can go out by nothing, but
by prayer and fasting.
Matthew 6:16-18: And when you
fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For
they disfigure their faces, that they
may appear unto men to fast. Amen
I say to you, they have received their
reward. But thou, when thou fastest
anoint thy head, and wash thy
face; that thou appear not to men to
fast, but to thy Father who is in secret:
and thy Father, who seethe in secret,
will repay thee.
Lent — A name that means
springtime, a time of new growth, a
time for getting in shape spiritually.
The Catholic Church has chosen fast
and abstinence as the method for doing
that. In so doing for 40 days of
Lent (Sundays in Lent do not count),
the faithful imitate Christ’s fasting in
the desert for 40 days, which occurred
immediately after his baptism. At the
baptism of Jesus, the Holy Trinity was
manifested on earth all at once —
The Father spoke out loud, the Holy
Spirit descended like a dove, and Jesus
was in the Jordan River.
20 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

obituaries
RECENTLY DECEASED COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Shammama
Kejbo Karmo
May 22, 1922 -
February 17, 2015
Hazim
Kajachi
July 1, 1934 -
February 16, 2015
Imad Mikho
Gasso
February 1, 1954 -
February 16, 2015
Bertty
AlKass
February 15, 2015
Mawafaq
Bashir Salem
July 1, 1942 -
February 14, 2015
Yazi George
Jamoua
July 1, 1927 -
February 11, 2015
Amel Jahad
Kashat
July 1, 1942 -
February 11, 2015
Terriz Yousif
Dallo
July 1, 1932 -
February 10, 2015
Basil Jamil
Kinaia
September 26, 1954 -
February 8, 2015
Matthew Maher
Shounia
March 28, 2005 -
February 7, 2015
Wadi Dawood Deza
Wadi Dawood Deza was born on
July 1, 1927 and passed away on
January 30, 2015. He is survived
by his wife, Shamamta Konja Deza, and by
his children, Wijdan (Fasial) Fachou, Loui
(Taghrid) Deza, Ghada (Mason) Yaldo,
Wajid (Ghada) Deza, and Raghda (Kusay)
Abbo. Wadi had 16 grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren. He was a wonderful,
loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
We were so very blessed to have him
in our lives.
We can honestly say, in our eyes, he was
truly a saint and nothing less. He was a man
who never put himself before anyone. Not
once has he ever failed to make everyone
around him smile with joy and laughter. His
presence was always so comforting, welcoming,
peaceful and of course – enjoyable.
Wadi was one of the most religious and
faithful men. He was constantly praying the
rosary, and he did it out of the love of his
heart. All day and night, he would pray.
These prayers were not for himself, but for
everyone else he knew. It is never easy to see
someone go, especially someone so close,
although we have to realize he truly is in
a better place. God was ready to bring him
home, and so He did. We all will miss him
dearly and love and remember him forever.
Regina Marogi
Al Rayas
July 1, 1927 -
February 6, 2015
Elham Sitto
Shaya
October 8, 1963 -
February 2, 2015
Amel Petrus
Kaspaulis
February 20, 1944 -
January 28, 2015
Rafat Daood
Al Saiyad
October 5, 1949 -
February 6, 2015
Taghreed
Bodi Gatta
February 27, 1970 -
February 2, 2015
Suhail (Steve)
Saba
December 9, 1949 -
January 28, 2015
Norman Hanna
Keriko
November 21, 1979 -
February 6, 2015
Mariam Jajo
Kenoo Sitto
July 1, 1914 -
January 31, 2015
Hassina Acho
Semma
January 27, 2015
Najiba
Barbat Sesi
December 5, 1931 -
February 6, 2015
Shemi
Ablahad
July 1, 1929 -
January 28, 2015
Saleemah
Mansoor
July 1, 1942 -
January 24, 2015
Ghasan F.
Yossif Dally
February 9, 1960 -
February 4, 2015
Faisal “Frank”
Daoud
November 11, 1959 -
January 28, 2015
Hani Shamoun
Munssor
May 1, 1944 -
January 24, 2015
MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 21

PHOTOS BY DAVID REED
1
a resurgence of faith
Chaldean youth embrace their Catholicism
BY CRYSTAL KASSAB JABIRO
Matthew Zetouna did not always
want to be a priest. A
year after he graduated from
high school in 2003, he was pressured
by his family to attend a Kairos retreat
because, they said, he needed a wakeup
call that was long overdue.
That Kairos retreat inspired him
to be a better Catholic. “It helped me
come to a realization that the life I
was living was leading me to a horrible
place,” he said.
He became involved in the youth
group Chaldeans Loving Christ
(CLC), which started at Mother of
God before moving to St. Thomas.
Shortly thereafter, he began studying
to be a priest. Now, at age 30, Fr.
Matthew is parochial vicar at Holy
Martyrs in Sterling Heights.
There seems to be an increasing
interest in faith by today’s Chaldean
youth. Twelve Chaldeans are currently
seminarians studying for the
priesthood, and each church has at
least one flourishing youth group.
Fr. Matthew believes this resurgence
is attributed to the new kinds of
retreats being offered like Journey of
Light and Two Foundations that appeal
to the community’s younger generation.
They are designed to appeal to
high-schoolers, college-aged people,
young professionals and even couples.
The youth group Martyrs R Us
(MRUS), for instance, attracts some
85 high-schoolers each Wednesday
evening at Holy Martyrs.
All different kinds of kids attend,
and they never know what the topic
of discussion is going to be. The leaders,
who meet weekly, choose a subject
that is relevant to teens, especially in
that particular moment. After a prayer
and a few words from Fr. Matthew, the
meeting breaks out into activities and
small groups before sometimes ending
in adoration. If teens wish, they can
do confession afterwards.
Fr. Matthew handpicks the diverse
group of leaders. He treats it
like a job, and they have to sign a
contract to commit. Their messages
are powerful and their activities are
fun and engaging, which keeps the
kids coming back for more, including
two middle school groups that boast
about 100 kids collectively.
“We have an infinite amount
of faith we can draw from,” said Fr.
Matthew. “God’s message is deep and
powerful. I want people to see the
faith as it should be — not boring!”
Rayman Hannish, one of MRUS’s
12 co-chairs, said the high amount
of young priests in the Chaldean
community has helped spur the resurgence
in faith. Fr. Matthew had
seen Hannish in action at CLC at
St. Joseph Church in Troy and liked
his leadership style and initiative.
Hannish asked himself if he could
handle it, so he prayed on it and finally
accepted the offer. After all,
he admitted, he did not always live
religiously.
“I lived a typical Chaldean guy’s
lifestyle,” said Hannish, 27. “My
parents made me go to church every
Sunday and I grew up Catholic without
really getting into it. I worked,
I hung out. Then, one of my uncles
was doing Bible Study at my grandma’s
house and my mom insisted I go.
It intrigued me.”
That was a step. Then Hannish
heard that Fr. Rudy Zoma was doing
Bible Study at St. Joseph — but
admits that his motivation to attend
partly focused on the amount of girls
who would be there.
That changed quickly when Fr.
Rudy asked him and his friends, “But
what are you really doing to serve
God?” Hannish thought, “Absolutely
nothing.” On that note, Fr. Rudy asked
him to teach catechism, and Hannish’s
church work snowballed into CLC,
Parish Council, and finally MRUS.
“The church became an addicting
drug and I lost a lot of friends
because they were hindering me
from getting closer to God,” said
Hannish, an engineer.
Fr. Andrew Seba from St.
Thomas also recognizes the leaders’
efforts at CLC. Without their help,
he said, teens would not be able to
open up about the real issues they or
their peers may be struggling with.
A recent guest speaker from Washington,
Fr. Michael Parris, talked to
the group about his interesting conversion
from drug addict to priest.
Fr. Andrew believes hearing such
stories serves not as a warning but as
a chance to “spiritually refresh” lives.
Increasing the opportunity for
confession is also keeping youth
involved in faith. Fr. Andrew has
begun offering Thursday night confession
at 11 p.m. and staying until
all confessions are heard. This has
proven to be convenient for people
on their way home from work or after
a dinner out, or who do not want to
wait in a long line on Sundays during
mass. A lot of those people are in
their 20s and 30s — still considered
“the youth” by Chaldean elders.
“There’s a thirst for truth and a
desire to know,” said Fr. Andrew, 27.
“The more people want to seek Jesus,
the more they will want to reconcile
through confession.”
The many programs that churches
offer now give way for greater opportunities.
On January 21, Frs. Andrew
and Pierre Konja from Mother of
God took three buses to Washington,
D.C., for the annual pro-life rally.
Sr. Christine Foumia, 28, grew
up attending St. Thomas and was
inspired by Father Frank’s (now
Bishop Francis) adoration hours as
22 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

2 3
Church-Sponsored Youth Groups
ECRC, Bloomfield Township
(248) 5388-9903
Ignite the Spirit praise and worship night with live music, fourth Friday of each
month, 7 p.m.
Holy Cross, Farmington Hills
(248) 626-5055
Youth Group, Mondays, 8 p.m.
1. Fr. Matthew makes a point while others look on.
2. A casual tone attracts youth to Martyrs R Us.
3. Marvin Alhakim, Joseph Saleem, Alvin Hermez,
Reno Humu and Sebastian Adam pose after a MRUS meeting.
4. Vanessa Alexander and Jonathan Francis enjoy a comment.
5. Rayman Hannish is one of a dozen co-chairs.
4
well as the formation of the Eastern
Catholic Re-evangelization Center
(ECRC). Like Fr. Matthew, Sr.
Christine attended Kairos during her
freshman year at Mercy High School
and believes that was a changing moment
in her life.
She started going to adoration and
Bible Study, went to Rome for her senior
spring break trip, and during her
college years became a CLC leader.
“The greatest thing kids need nowadays
are better examples,” she said.
“We think we know it all but we don’t.
Now that I’m living the religious life,
I’m now really learning what it is.”
Sr. Christine remembers what it
is like to be a young teenage girl influenced
by the media, and said girls
nowadays have a lot of pressure on
them. She also believes that a lot of
time is wasted on social media.
“Is social media forming your character?”
she asked. “If you see things
through the face of God, you could
work through challenges better.”
The first American-born Chaldean
sister hopes that these youth
groups can catch the kids as teens,
when their hearts are pure, to help
build up the virtue necessary to navigate
through adulthood.
“You have to work on your faith every
day,” she said. “You’ll be thankful.”
While credit is given to the
amount of young priests and sisters
and the number of programs being
offered, one cannot forget the sacrifices
that have been made in the
past year by the Christians in Iraq
who have risked their lives in Jesus’
name. That too has fueled a fire in
the hearts of the Chaldean community
of Metro Detroit.
Said Fr. Matthew, “It’s the blood of
the martyrs that keeps us going.”
5
Holy Martyrs, Sterling Heights
(586) 803-3114
Martyrs Are Us for high schoolers, Wednesdays, 7 p.m.
Girls Haven for middle schoolers, Tuesdays 6:30 p.m.
KEPA for middle school boys, Tuesdays 6:30 p.m.
Mar Addai, Oak Park
(248) 547-4648
Jesus Christ University Bible Study for high school and college students,
Thursdays 7 p.m.
Mother of God, Southfield
(248) 356-0565
Dot.Com (Chaldeans of Mary) for high schoolers and dot.com.jr for middle
schoolers, both Mondays 7 p.m.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Warren
(586) 804-2114
Teens 4 Mary for high schoolers, Saturdays, 10 a.m.
St. George, Shelby Township
(586) 254-7221
Disciple of Christ for teen boys, Tuesdays, 7 p.m.
Bible Study for college students, Wednesdays, 8 p.m.
Circle of Friends for teen girls, Thursdays, 6 p.m.
St. Joseph, Troy
(248) 528-3676
Chaldeans Loving Christ for high schoolers, Thursdays, 7 p.m.
St. Paul, Grand Blanc
(810) 820-8439
High School Group, Thursdays, 6 p.m.
St. Thomas, West Bloomfield
(248) 788-2460
Girls Challenge Club for middle schoolers, Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m.
Chaldeans Loving Christ for high schoolers, Wednesdays, 7 p.m.
Boys Conquest Club for middle schoolers, Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.

1
5
6
7
2
PHOTO BY GALIA THOMAS
8
3 4
blessings to the
new bishops
Msgr. Emanuel Shaleta and Fr. Basilio Yaldo were
elevated by Mar Louis Sako on Feb. 6 at St. Joseph
Chaldean Cathedral in Baghdad. Bishops and
other clergy gathered from around the globe for the mass.
Bishop Shaleta has been appointed Bishop for the Diocese
of Mar Addai of Toronto & Canada. Bishop Yaldo has
been appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Babylon & Titular Bishop
of Bethzabda in Iraq.
1-2. Scenes from the ordination mass.
3. The new bishops celebrated mass back in Michigan on Feb. 15 at
Mother of God Church.
4. Bishop Thomas Meram of Iran and Syriac Bishop Petros Moshe
5. Bishop Emanuel Shaleta
6. Bishop Basilio Yaldo
7. Syriac Bishop Yousif Abba with Bishops Francis, Shaleta and Yaldo
8. Bishop Shaleta and Mother Superior, Sr. Philip Kirma
9. Bishop Francis checks out the latest news with an Iraqi priest.
9
24 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

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A limited number of tuition
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Pay in full by June 30, 2015 to lock in
the 2014-15 tuition rate! All enrollment
materials are available on our website,
www.bloomfield.org/tuition. For more
information call 248.341.6390.
MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 25

From left:
Caseworkers Sue
Kattula and Jumhoria
Kaskorkis assist a client.
Program Manager
Sharon Hannawa poses
with the inaugural
Model of OneMacomb
award, which the CCF
received for outstanding
achievement in
cultivating an
environment where
diversity and inclusion
are valued. She’s seen
here with Macomb
County Executive Mark
Hackel on Feb. 10.
helping refugees help themselves
Thousands pass through Chaldean Community Foundation office
BY WEAM NAMOU
About a dozen people – some
sitting and others standing –
cram in a small area waiting
for their turn. A man steps up to the
gate door and announces nonchalantly
to one of the case workers, “I
had an appointment at 9 a.m.”
The case worker looks at the
clock on the wall, and says, “It’s one
o’clock right now.”
He explains why he is four hours
late, and the case worker patiently
asks him to have a seat.
This is a typical busy day at the
Chaldean Community Foundation
(CCF), the not-for-profit arm of the
Chaldean American Chamber of
Commerce. Located on the corner of
15 Mile and Ryan Road in Sterling
Heights, people are taken on a walkin-basis
as well as by appointment.
“I always tell the case workers to
extend to the clients the same courtesy
you want someone to extend to
you,” said Program Manager Sharon
Hannawa. “People are human. Life
happens. So if someone is late to their
appointment, we listen to their reason
and when possible fix the situation.
At the same time, if this is a recurring
excuse, we must address it. We want
people to take ownership of things.”
This means that while CCF case
workers are happy to fill out the immigration
application, the client is
responsible to get to the fingerprint
appointment on time, to study for the
naturalization test, and to pass. Sometimes
it’s small details, like not checking
their mailbox on a daily basis or not
taking the tests seriously, that hinder
clients from obtaining their objectives.
“I always tell my clients that we’re
here to help them help themselves,”
said Hannawa.
Several programs are available to
do that. RAST (Refugee Acculturation
and Sustainability Training) is
geared to help free refugees of government
assistance after the first 90
days they are in the United States.
Clients are offered ESL classes, career
services, housing solutions, and even
low-interest loans to purchase a car
through the Chaldean Loan Fund.
The Fund is funded entirely by community
donations and applicants must
meet certain criteria and go through
an evaluation process to get approved.
“This program teaches refugees
how in America, you really live and
die by your credit score,” said Hannawa.
Once clients establish credit and
pay off their obligation, the next
time they need a loan they can go
to a bank themselves and get it. This
also teaches about paying it forward;
perhaps in the future they will also
donate to help someone else.
Another program is Breaking
Barriers, which has more than 180
participants. It provides assistance
and advocacy to the disabled and respite
to their caregivers. Offering free
monthly events for families, Breaking
Barriers wants families to feel and understand
that just because they have
a disabled child does not mean that
they cannot participate in whatever
everyone else in America does.
“In Iraq, people with disabilities
generally feel like they’re a burden,”
said Sue Kattula, the program’s case
manager. “Here, they feel they can
contribute to their families through
communication and money. They
feel they’re special.”
The number of services CCF offers
brings people from as far as Port
Huron and Grand Rapids. At least
15 percent of their clients are non-
Chaldeans. In 2014, they served approximately
16,000 people.
“The building we’re in right now
is not enough to house all our employees
and the amount of traffic
that comes in,” said Hannawa.
This challenge will soon be resolved
when CCF moves into the
11,500-square-foot community center
currently under construction at
the same intersection.
CCF is still working on its other
major challenge – combatting misinformation.
“There are a lot of rumors spread
throughout the community and it’s
usually wrong information,” said
Hannawa. “So we try to develop relationships
with experts to clear up
any confusion.”
For instance, a representative
from the Department of Human Services
Agency comes to their office
every Friday to address issues that
individuals may have.
“She’s just here to troubleshoot,”
said Hannawa. “Most of the time the
issue is a matter of communication.”
Some people, however, are convinced
that what their relative,
friend or neighbor told them is more
accurate than the information from
their case worker. Someone might
know someone who receives more
food stamp benefits and assumes that
should be the case with them as well.
Someone else, for instance, is adamant
that although his son is incarcerated,
he can still collect and cash
his son’s unemployment checks. He
got his facts from a friend.
The case workers try to keep their
clients on the right track by having
honest conversations with them.
They explain how each Social Security,
DHS or unemployment situation
is different and that just because
someone else is doing something that
might be illegal and is not yet caught,
does not mean another person should
risk following that same route.
Other people have a very difficult
time asking for help, especially with
mental health matters. For CCF, it’s
crucial that they facilitate the help
in a culturally sensitive way.
“You can see the effects of war
and stress in their faces,” said Hannawa.
“We have to have empathy, to
give them credit for going through
what they went through. It’s not like
they woke up one day and decided,
‘I’ll be an Iraqi refugee.’”
When she asks how they like
America so far, clients often say it’s
good but very different. In Iraq, the
father was able to support a household
of seven children. In America,
a family is barely able to make it with
all seven children working.
“They have gone through a culture
shock and it’s important to give
them a vote of confidence, a word of
encouragement,” said Hannawa. “It
might be something little but it will
make an impact in their life.”
26 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

efore
after
Be You ... Only Better
before
Dr. Vasileff
Plastic Surgeon
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MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 27

talking turkey
2
Detroit delegation visits refugees
BY VANESSA DENHA GARMO
After spending nearly two
weeks in Turkey, a delegation
of Chaldeans from Metro
Detroit reported to Bishop Francis
and community members the grim
conditions faced by displaced Iraqi
Christians. The men spent several
hours talking with refugees living in
horrific conditions and in desperate
need for support.
Representing the church on the
trip were Fr. Fadi Phillip and Fr.
Wisam Matti. The group also included
Shoki Konja from the Chaldean
Voice and Basil Bacall from helpiraq.
org and Adopt-a-Refugee-Family.
“They need so much,” said Bacall
of the refugees. “They are void of basic
necessities such as enough food,
sufficient shelter and spiritual direction.
Many people are unable to seek
medical care for chronic diseases as
well as basic health issues.”
The Stats
According to UN reports, there are
about 100,000 Iraqi refugees in Turkey
of which 42,000 are Christian.
More than 30,000 of the 42,000 refugees
arrived after August 2014, after
ISIS took over much of the Northern
Iraqi territory.
The refugees are located throughout
Turkey. As a part of the admitting
process, refugees must check
in with the main office in Ankara
where they are assigned a UN number
and a city in which to live. The
delegation visited: Samson, which
has about 200 Chaldean families,
Amasaya (about 250 families), Tokat
(270 families), Yazgat (250 families)
and Afyon (300 families). These
numbers reflect only families, not
single men and women.
Refugees are classified in two categories.
“Refugee Status” allows the
families to get some government assistance
such as health care and food,
and some cash assistance depending
on the city. These are generally people
who came before August 2014.
The rest are considered “Displaced
People” and do not qualify for any
assistance. However, the group was
1. The delegation arrives in Sansun: Shoki Konja, Fr. Fadi Phillip, Basil
Bacall and Fr. Wisam Matti. 2. Fr. Wisam Matti and Basil Bacall visit a
family with three handicapped members in Samsun. 3. Fr. Phillip and
Fr. Wisam celebrate mass in Tokat. 4. At a refugee house in Alqosh in
northern Iraq, where the group also traveled.
told about a new government program
that will be implemented in a
month that will treat all registered
Displaced People as Refugees.
The health care provided by the
government is good but slow. As a result
many patients must wait months
for surgeries, and there is minimum
psychological care available for the
many traumatized refugees.
“The conditions of the refugees
are poor,” said Bacall. “Many of them
are in dire need of not just medical,
food and spiritual help but they need
help from the government and the
church.”
The Spirit
Turkey’s population is 99.7 percent
Muslim and Christians are not receiving
the spiritual support they desire.
“In Turkey, Christians in general
are viewed as infidels,” Bacall said.
“There is a deep-rooted negative resentment
of the Christians among
many Turks.”
However, he added, there are
some Turks who are very receptive
and accepting to Christians. The
Chaldean Church in Turkey currently
has two priests, Fr. Yakan and Fr.
Ramzi, who serve them.
But Chaldean refugees outside
of Istanbul and Diarbekir have not
seen the priests and many have not
attended mass or received the Holy
Eucharist in years. Basic services
such as masses and baptisms have
not been conducted in any of the cities
the delegation visited. There are
more than 25 kids as old as 8 months
who have never been baptized, and
teens as old as 16 have not received
First Communion. If refugees have
a sacramental need, such as mass,
baptism or burial, they must travel to
Istanbul, a 10- to 15-hour drive. This
is costly in terms of transportation,
hotels and other expenses.
“This is not realistic,” said Bacall.
“These people do not have the financial
means.”
The Government
The UN in Turkey is very slow. Some
families are given initial interview
dates of 2021 and 2022. Often that
date is moved forward to 2018 or
2017.
“In some cases, the UN would
postpone an interview for one year
or more without any explanation,”
noted Bacall in his report. “This is
a concrete sign that most of these
people will be living in Turkey for a
long time and a spiritual, long-term
1
plan must be enacted.”
Turkish officials were accommodating
and respectful to the delegation
and the Christians living in Turkey.
“They went above and beyond,
on every level, to accommodate us
including providing security, places
to pray and granting us all permits
needed to conduct the prayer service,”
said Bacall. “We were very
impressed by their organization,
kindness and genuine respect and
willingness to help as much as their
budget would allow.”
The Needs
The spiritual, medical and financial
needs are great. Despite the Turkish
government’s assistance, many refugees
are still in dire straits. “Therefore,
we recommended to start the
Adopt-a-Refugee Family program
with 150 families, beginning with
the most needy, such as the widows,
the handicapped and the elderly, yet
assuming that all are in need,” said
Bacall. “This can only be established
by a committee there that works in
a formal manner with the local government
to achieve such things as
permits.”
Visit HelpIraq.org to help.
3
4
28 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

CALL US TOLL FREE:
866.423.6552
OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
JOHNPAULHOMECARE.COM
LET JPHC MEET ALL YOUR NEEDS
Help make a difference Donate to MERCI
In Light of the recent situation
in Iraq, The Chaldean American
medical community, which
consists of the Chaldean
American Association for Health
Professionals has formed a
program called MERCI with the
medical practitioners in Iraq.
There are at least seven clinics in
northern Iraq who are in need of
medical assistance.
We have created the $20 for MERCI
program
This is a monthly payment program,
where an individual can donate $20
a month to help fund and keep these
clinics running. Partner up with
your doctor’s office or study groups
to make a “Team” and you can adopt
your own clinic! Donations can be
made online or by mail.
MERCI encourages everyone in the
medical field to participate in this
humanitarian cause in helping our
brothers and sisters back home.
Thank you in advance
for your kindness and generosity.
God bless!
- A letter from MERCI
As many of you know, I am adamantly
committed to do what it takes to see the
Iraq crisis through on many different
levels. As president and CEO of John
Paul Home Care, I have encouraged our
employees to make a monthly donation
of $20 or less, in which John Paul Home
Care will match all of their generous
monthly donations.
– Rafed Yaldo
President and CEO,
John Paul Home Care
PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
Adopt-A-Refugee
Memo: Merci
30777 Northwestern Highway #300
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Chaldean Catholic Church
Memo: Merci
25603 Berg Road
DONATE ONLINE:
Go to merci.helpiraq.org
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MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 29

‘ like going home’
Dominican sisters travel to Iraq
BY CRYSTAL K. KASHAT
It was early 1999 when the Dominican
Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena
in the U.S. were surprised to learn
that they had counterparts in Iraq in
the same order, but with their own
independent governing structure. Despite
U.S. sanctions, the sisters visited
Iraq three times from 1999 to 2001.
“The purpose of the trips was to
say to the U.S. that you could not
keep us from going where we want
to go to see our family,” said Sister
Durstyne (“Dusty”) of the congregation
of Adrian Dominicans in
Lenawee County. “For a long time
we had family in Iraq.”
Although the delegations stopped
in 2001 due to violence and unrest, it
was enough to establish a relationship
between the sisters to last a lifetime.
Fast forward to January 2015,
when Sr. Dusty, along with two other
nuns from separate congregations,
went on a 10-day trip to Iraq. They
wanted to show solidarity and support
to their sisters who, on Aug. 6,
were forced to flee from ISIS on foot
from Qaraqosh to Erbil in Kurdistan.
Sr. Dusty met with Bishop Francis to
receive a blessing the day before she
left for Iraq.
Despite having lived in Africa for
nearly seven years and traveling to
various countries in the Middle East
and even to Taiwan to work with indigenous
religious communities, this
trip to Iraq felt different, she said.
“It actually felt like I was going
home because I knew so many of
these sisters and they were so happy
that we came to experience what
was happening,” said Sr. Dusty as her
eyes began to well with tears. “The
uncertainty — I think that’s the
thing that’s so difficult. They are living
with such uncertainty and temporariness.
Nothing is permanent
there. This is not a place to stay.”
The sisters stayed in a convent
in Ankawa and traveled with their
hosts to Dohuk, Erbil, Shaykhan and
Mangesh to assess the needs of the
internally displaced refugees.
“I saw the saddest faces I’ve seen
in many years and the faces are the
sadness of total loss because you cannot
separate the people from their
hometown. Their identity is tied
up with their homeland – their little
village,” said Sr. Dusty. “The thing
that is fascinating to me is that I
don’t think you can separate an Iraqi
Christian from their town.”
The refugees had only what they
could carry to Erbil. They left behind
their businesses and homes with no
money, and they can’t access their
funds. The people landed in the streets
of Erbil until tents finally arrived from
the UN. Now, most of the refugees live
in “homes” that were built hastily in a
three-month time span.
“When it rains the walls are stained.
Sometimes the water works, sometimes
it doesn’t,” said Sr. Dusty. “Some of the
housing is far from the center of Erbil
so if you don’t have transportation, it’s
hard to get what you need.”
There is no governing body to
protect Iraq’s Christians, and Sr.
Dusty said there is a lingering mistrust
of the Peshmerga, Kurdistan’s
military force.
“It’s not that Kurdistan has done
nothing; they have done some things
but they’re also making money off of
this crisis … exorbitant rent, to the
point that people exhaust whatever
funds they have to stay in a little
apartment,” Sr. Dusty said.
Though some Christians are forming
their own defense troops, Sr. Dusty
said she believes there is an aspect of
faith that Americans can learn from
the Christians in Iraq. “There’s a
Clockwise from left:
The Dominican sisters pose
for a picture.
Sr. Dusty (in blue) chats with
internally displaced persons.
Life is bleak in a refugee
camp in Ankawa.
disinterest in weapons as a way to defend
oneself as their faith is how they
defend themselves,” said Sr. Dusty.
“There’s something we can learn from
Iraqi Christians about what it means
to be a person of peace … to be a nonviolent
person in these times.”
The living conditions varied at
the camp she saw outside of Ankawa,
she said.
“What amazes me is the different
structures people are living in. Some
are living in a parking lot and you walk
in and you realize stuff isn’t finished.
Some units were totally open and exposed
to the elements,” said Sr. Dusty.
“This one family knew we were coming
and they wanted to make bread for
us, and here’s this father who’s running
around like crazy trying to find a connector
for this [shared] stove.”
In fact, Sr. Dusty was astonished
to find that everywhere she went she
was offered bread, which she believes
is a sign of life. “If you want to talk
about experiencing the Eucharist, we
were offering Eucharist many times
… people who have nothing to offer
you but bread, the body of Christ, so
you’re sharing that together.”
30 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

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MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 31

Melody Arabo addresses the crowd at the State of the Union.
another feather in her cap
Melody Arabo tops Elite list
BY VANESSA DENHA GARMO
Michigan’s reigning “Teacher
of the Year” has been bestowed
another great honor.
Melody Saroki Arabo, a teacher
in the Walled Lake Consolidated
Schools district, was selected by a
public online vote as winner of the
Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40
under 40 Class of 2015.
The announcement was made
at Oakland County Executive L.
Brooks Patterson’s State of the
County (SOC) address held at the
Marriott Auburn Hills Pontiac at
Centerpoint. As the winner, Arabo
was given the honor of introducing
Patterson to the crowd of about 500
people following a brief video about
Arabo.
“It is a true honor to represent the
2015 Class of Oakland County’s Elite
40 under 40, especially considering
the caliber of talent, dedication and professionalism
of my fellow class members,”
Arabo said. “I take great pride in calling
Oakland County my family’s home and I
am thrilled to be an ambassador for all it
has to offer.”
Arabo, 35, is a third-grade teacher
who has been employed by the Walled
Lake Schools since 2002. In 2014, she
was named 2014-2015 Michigan Teacher
of the Year by the state Department of
Education. She was named Teacher of the
Melody Arabo
Year at her school, Keith Elementary, in
2008 and was runner-up for Walled Lake
Teacher of the Year in 2009.
Married and the mother of three children,
Arabo is an author who recently
published her book, “Diary of a Real
Bully.” It tells the story of a school bully
from the bully’s perspective, with the ultimate
goal of helping identify the bully
in all of us and making a change. She is
the founder of Keith Caring Community
Club, which encourages upper elementary
students to get involved in service-oriented
events to teach them about
leadership, empathy and generosity.
Arabo is also a founding member of
TEACH, which helps displaced
families in Iraq.
“I’m anxious for the people to
meet our Elite 40 under 40 winner
for the year,” Patterson said
the night of the SOC. “She’s an
unsung heroine who wrote a book
about bullying and quietly emerged
as Teacher of the Year in Michigan.
Her talents are many and my job
as county executive is to keep her
here in Oakland County.”
Nearly 500 applications and
nominations were reviewed by a
panel of judges, looking for the top
40 young professionals and thought
leaders who live or work in Oakland
County. The 40 honorees
have achieved excellence in their
field and contributed to the quality of
life in their communities. Of that group,
the three highest scoring candidates were
placed before the public for consideration.
This is the fourth year of the Elite
40 program.
“There are so many talented young
people who are a vital part of Oakland
County,” Patterson said. “Their innovation,
talent, leadership and ideas will help shape
this county for years to come. I’m thrilled
with the class that was chosen.”
Noteworthy
Another Chaldean
made the Elite 40
list: Attorney Channelle
Kizy-White,
33, of Farmington
Hills. She was nominated
by Judge Michael
Warren and by
Kristen Pursley.
32 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

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MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 33

ECONOMICS and enterprise
Dealership puts the Robins on the road to success
BY KEN MARTEN
Superior Buick GMC has been
selling cars for more than 30
years. New owners Basam and
Tanya Robin plan to continue for at
least 30 more.
The Clarkston couple bought the
dealership, on Michigan Avenue in
Dearborn, from original owner Walter
Schwartz and officially became
its proud owners on January 16.
“This is very, very different for
General Motors,” Bas said. “Usually
dealerships are dynasties, passed
from father to son, or to other family
members. There’s almost no way in
the world you can get a GMC dealership.”
Tanya recalls that on the day the
sale was finalized, as they were sitting
in Schwartz’s office and signing
papers, people kept calling Schwartz
and begging to buy the dealership.
One of 12 siblings, Bas first entered
the automobile business in
1995, buying a nursery in Detroit
from Tanya’s father and converting
the property into a used car dealership
named BT Auto. Older brother
Tony provided Bas with a loan. Tanya
said it was a struggle at first, but
BT Auto ultimately became a going
concern and they sold the business
in 2005.
From there, the Robins began
wholesaling used vehicles to dealerships.
That’s how Bas met Schwartz
and founded a fruitful relationship.
“One day I told him, ‘I want to
buy the dealership,’” Bas recalled.
“Walter said, ‘stay with me. When
I’m ready to retire, I’ll sell it to you
and help you through the process.’”
Bas continued wholesaling for
several more years. Schwartz taught
Bas how to operate a new car business.
“He was very loyal to my husband,
but my husband was very loyal
to him also,” Tanya said.
Dearborn may seem an odd location
for a Chaldean-owned GM
dealership. After all, the city is home
to the headquarters of the Ford Motor
Company, and holds the largest
population of Arabs anywhere outside
of the Middle East. But the situation
is anything but tense.
“I went to Catholic school, and
I was raised to see division,” Tanya
said. “They [Dearborn’s Arab
Basam and Tanya Robin.
Americans] have been nothing but
welcoming. They taught me that
the values are the same. They see
no difference between us. They’re
good people. They’re hardworking.
They’re honest and nice. They’ve
taught me that there shouldn’t be
any division.”
Tanya admits to being initially
shocked at the community embrace.
Bas, who speaks Arabic and had
been on site routinely for years as
the dealership’s wholesaler, was not.
As for running a GM dealership
in the heart of Ford country? So far,
it isn’t an issue.
“The GM product line is very
strong,” Bas says. “They’re building
a brand and buyers are responding.
People walk in here and they only
want a GMC or a Buick.”
However, buyers have changed
the way they shop for vehicles, and
where they buy them.
“Dealerships used to only get
people from their zone, about a 15-
mile radius,” Tanya said. “Now with
the Internet, it has changed the
game of the market. People come
from all over, like from Ohio and
the Upper Peninsula. “
Although they’ve been part of
the GM dealership family for just a
few months, the Robins are pleased
with the reception they’ve received.
The various GM dealerships actually
work as a team, not as competitors.
They trade inventory to ensure
that customers get exactly what
they want in a new vehicle.
A car dealership is actually six
businesses operated under one roof:
New cars, used cars, collision repair,
service and maintenance, parts, and
financing. More than 50 employees
work at Superior, and the Robins
said there was minimal turnover as
a result of the change in ownership.
“We are a team,” Tanya said.
“When someone would call me
‘boss,’ I would cringe. Do not call
me ‘boss.’ My name is Tanya. His
name is Bas.”
Teamwork, the Robins say, leads
to pleased customers.
“Number one is customer service,”
Bas said. “That leads to more
sales. I want customers to be so happy
that they bring us their friends,
family, whoever, to us.”
Retaining customers also means
supporting the community that supports
the dealership by donating to
worthy causes. Beneficiaries thus far
include ACCESS and CALC.
The Robins have no immediate
plans for renovation or expansion.
However, Bas explained that General
Motors requires dealerships to
renovate their interiors every few
years to coincide with new sales and
brand-building strategies. But there
is one aspect of the dealership that
is certain to remain.
“The name is Superior Buick
GMC,” Bas said. “We’re never, never
going to change the name.”
Car buying tips
from the Robins
• Search the Internet for carbuying
websites and read
automobile reviews. For starters,
try edmunds.com or
autos.jdpower.com.
• Match the automobile to your
daily needs. A mother with four
kids and a dog should steer
clear of smaller vehicles. Instead,
consider an SUV or minivan.
• Buy or lease? Lease agreements
come with mileage limitations.
People who drive 25 or more miles
to work one way every day should
buy rather than lease.
34 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015

CHALDEAN COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
Now Hiring!
The Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization
dedicated to advancing the needs of the Chaldean American community and the
communities in which they live and work through education, charitable giving and
advocacy. Among its missions is to provide Iraqi and Chaldean refugees with necessary
medical, psychological and social services to assist with American acculturation.
The Chaldean Community Foundation is hiring qualified
candidates for the for the following full-time positions:
IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY
Research and review federal, state and private grant guidelines and eligibility,
communicate with US Citizenship & Immigration Service and local officers regarding
more complex legal matters, occasional immigration court representation may be
needed, comply with policies and best practices for nonprofit immigration law
practice, provide other civil law representation, and make legal inquiries to courts
offices and health/human services departments as needed.
CASE MANAGERS - REFUGEE ACCULTURATION & SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING (RAST)
Assists clients in receiving social services related to immigration, unemployment,
job placement/career counseling, English as a second language (ESL), housing,
transportation, financial aid, mental health services and medical care.
Full job descriptions and application instructions
can be obtained at www.chaldeanfoundation.org
Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce
and Chaldean Community Foundation
30850 Telegraph Road, Suite 200
Bingham Farms, MI 48025
248-996-8340
www.chaldeanchamber.com
Chaldean Community Foundation
– Sterling Heights Office
4171 15 Mile Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48310
586-722-7253
www.chaldeanfoundation.org
WAAD
MURAD
ADVOCACY
FUND

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brianyaldoo.realtor.com
BuyingOrSellingRealEstate.com
Individually Owned and Operated
PHOENIX REFRIGERATION, INC.
Commercial Refrigeration•Heating & Cooling
Mechanical Contractor
STEVE ROUMAYAH
29333 LORIE LANE
WIXOM, MI 48393
steve@phoenixrefrig.com
PHONE: 248.344.2980
FAX: 248.344.2966
TOLL FREE: 877.856.5800
Detroit • Grand Rapids • Lansing • Flint
www.phoenix-refrigeration.com
Palladium
Financial GrouP, llc
MOrTGaGE brOKEr NMLS 128686
GabE GabriEl
NMLS 128715
30095 Northwestern Hwy, ste. 103
Farmington Hills , Michigan 48334
Office (248) 737-9500
Direct (248) 939-1985
Fax (248) 737-1868
Email MortgageGabe@aol.com
www.palladiumfinancialgroup.com
BMW of Rochester Hills
Sammi A. Naoum
Client Advisor
Street Address
45550 Dequindre Road
Shelby Township, MI 48317
Telephone: (248) 997-7519
Mobile: (248) 219-5525
Fax: (248) 997-7766
Email: sammi.naoum@bmwofrochesterhills.com
Website: www.bmwofrochesterhills.com
Parking Lot Lighting
Tamou’s
Electrical Contractors
Commercial & Industrial
Installation & Service
Generators for Large Facilities
Tom Tamou
Cell: (810) 560-9665
tamouselectric@sbcglobal.net
Office/Fax (586) 803-9700
ADVERTISE
FOR AS LITTLE AS $ 85
IN OUR NEW BUSINESS DIRECTORY SECTION!
To place your ad, contact us today!
$79 SPECIAL
Exam, Xrays, Cleaning, Whitening
5% Discount When You Mention this ad
Dr. Kathleen Abate DDS
Advanced General Dentist
PHONE: (248) 996-8360 FAX: (248) 996-8342
29850 30850 NORTHWESTERN Telegraph Road, HIGHWAY, Suite SUITE 220 250 Bingham • SOUTHFIELD, Farms, MI 48025 48034
www.chaldeannews.com
ww.chaldeannews.com
Millennium Family Dental
16655 15 Mile Rd., St. A
Clinton Twp., MI 48035
(586) 791-2100
dr.kathleenabate2@gmail.com
www.dentistinclintontwp.com
Tell them you saw it in the Chaldean News!
MARCH 2015 CHALDEAN NEWS 37

event
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CASAblanca
PHOTOS BY RAZIK TOMINA
Black and white were the colors of the night on Feb. 20 as
CASA at Oakland University presented its sixth annual
fashion show at Shenandoah. Proceeds benefitted CALC’s
Special Needs Children Endowment Fund.
1. Lenna Ferhadson, Reem Israel
and Christine Sokana
2. Dressed to the nines
3. On the runway
4. Working the dessert bar
5. Gabby Attisha
6. DJ Christopher Hesano
7. Aziz and Vanessa Kenaya
8. Melody Hallaq and Kristin Khoshaba
9. On the runway
10. Theresa and Omar Ammori
11. Lauren Ayar and Christina Yasso
12. On the runway
38 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2015
5

Dear Entrepreneur,
Wireless Exclusive is the fastest growing and one of the nation’s top preferred T-Mobile
Master Dealers. If you would like to be part of T-Mobile’s new innovating, exciting,
prosperous and Exclusive Prepaid Program, this is the time!
T-Mobile is planning tremendous growth in this area and we want you to be a part of it.
Currently, there are aggressive marketing development funds for new owners and conversions
provided by T-Mobile/Wireless Exclusive and this opportunity will not last forever!
Therefore, right now is the best time to join the T-Mobile family.
If you are interested in finding out more or starting a new business with T-Mobile, please contact
Naseem Shayota @ Mobile: 586-942-0399 / Email @ nshayota@wirelessexclusive.com or Wireless Exclusive @
Office: 248-812-4000 / Email: opportunity@wirelessexclusive.com for further details on owning and operating
T-Mobile Exclusive Pre paid location in your area.
We can convert your existing location. Call for more details.
• T-Mobile offers subsidized devices to Exclusive Prepaid Program
• Port in Spiffs and programs are continuous
• Earn Residual Income
• Earn bonus money for meeting goals
• Family Plan, 4 lines for $100 (NO Credit Check/NO Contract)
• Offer T-Mobile / Go Smart / Ultra Mobile / Simple Mobile & Univision Mobile
• Gray Market Phones allowed from Master Dealer
• T-Mobile Website listing
• Plus many more options
Naseem Shayota, J.D.
31333 Southfield Rd, Suite 250A
Beverly Hills, MI 48025
(248) 812-4000 Office
wirelessexclusive.com

40 YEARS OF
SERVICE
FOUR GREAT
BRANDS
SERVICE IS OUR
#1 PRIORITY
PORSCHE OF THE MOTOR CITY
24717 Gratiot Ave.
Eastpointe, MI 48021
Sales: Ray Crawford
866-981-3878
www.porscheofthemotorcity.com
MOTOR CITY MINI
29929 Telegraph Road
Southfield, MI 48034
Sales: John Nazzal
877-207-7281
www.motorcitymini.com
AUDI OF ROCHESTER HILLS
45441 Dequindre Rd
Rochester Hills, MI 48307
Sales: Elie Daher
(888) 524-8551
www.audiofrochesterhills.com
BMW OF ROCHESTER HILLS
45550 Dequindre Rd
Shelby Township/Rochester, MI 48317
Sales: Sammi Naoum
(888) 696-1850
www.bmwofrochesterhills.com
ONE STANDARD
OF EXCELLENCE