ONE Magazine December 2018

one

December 2018

God • World • Human Family • Church

The Caregivers

Supporting the Work of the Church in Egypt Upholding Dignity in India Welcoming Refugees in Lebanon

one COVER STORY

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Signs of Hope Catholic institutions help communities flourish in Egypt text by Magdy Samaan with photographs by Roger Anis

FEATURES

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Windows to the World Caritas Ukraine brings life and light to the elderly text by Mark Raczkiewycz with photographs by Ivan Chernichkin

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A Letter From Ethiopia

by Teshome Fikre Woldetensae with photographs by Petterik Wiggers

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Healing the Forgotten A mobile clinic visits people on the margins in India text by Anubha George with photographs by Meenakshi Soman

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A Refuge in Lebanon How one community of faith cares for Syrian refugees

by Doreen Abi Raad

DEPARTMENTS

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Connections to CNEWA’s world Focus on the world of CNEWA

by John E. Kozar

t An Ethiopian Catholic prays at the celebration of the feast of the Holy Savior in Addis Ababa.

OUR WEBSITE onemagazinehome.org OUR BLOG cnewablog.org

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION CATHOLIC NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION

Volume 44 NUMBER 4

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We are healing We are hope We are there 30

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Front: Susanna Akram teaches classes for the deaf in a ministry of the Coptic Catholic Church in Minya, Egypt.

CNEWA Founded by the Holy Father, CNEWA shares the love of Christ with the churches and peoples of the East. CNEWA works for, through and with the Eastern Catholic churches to identify needs and implement reasonable solutions.

Back: Faithful pray at Holy Savior Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the feast of the Holy Savior.

Photo Credits Front cover, pages 3 (far right), 6-13, Roger Anis; pages 2, 20-23, back cover, Petterik Wiggers; page 3 (top), CNS photo/Paul Haring; pages 3 (upper left), 14, 16-19, Ivan Chernichkin; pages 3 (upper right), 24-29, Meenakshi Soman; pages 3 (lower left), 31, 33-35, Tamara Abdul Hadi; pages 3 (lower right), 4, 36-39, John E. Kozar/CNEWA; page 5, CNEWA; page 32, Michael J.L. La Civita; ` page 35, Carl Hetu.

Publisher Msgr. John E. Kozar Editorial Staff Paul Grillo Deacon Greg Kandra Michael J.L. La Civita Elias Mallon, S.A., Ph.D. J.D. Conor Mauro Timothy McCarthy

CNEWA connects you to your brothers and sisters in need. Together, we build up the church, affirm human dignity, alleviate poverty, encourage dialogue — and inspire hope.

Officers Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Chair and Treasurer Msgr. John E. Kozar, Secretary Editorial Office 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022-4195 1-212-826-1480 www.cnewa.org ONE is published quarterly. ISSN: 1552-2016 Š2018 Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

All rights reserved. Member of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada.

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connections

to CNEWA’s world

A New Dawn in Ethiopia decided to study and to come to school. A good number of parents are supporting them.”

There are currently 422 students, boys and girls, attending the first through fourth grades.

CNEWA’s support includes helping to provide daily breakfast and lunch, medical checkups and school uniforms.

Sister Nora expressed tremendous gratitude to CNEWA’s donors, noting that because of this vital support, “children are more active during lessons, become less sick, and interest to attend school is improving year after year.”

During a 2015 visit to the Gumuz people of Ethiopia, Msgr. John E. Kozar photographed CNEWA’s Thomas Varghese meeting local children.

In October, CNEWA visited the New Dawn Catholic School in remote western Ethiopia, near the border with Sudan, where the Comboni Missionary Sisters are providing education and — almost literally — a new dawn for children of the Gumuz people.

Sister Nora Camacho, the head of the school, was proud to point out that after several challenging years, the number of students grew, adding, “the girls have

Seeing Possibilities For decades, CNEWA has supported the Shashemene School for the Blind in Ethiopia, which is administered by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Mary of the Angels. In October, we received an account of some of the school’s recent activities.

Amid a busy calendar of events, the school sponsored a “Day of the Differently Abled,” offering students a chance to “show that they are gifted and on a par with any sighted person.” On another occasion, the children enjoyed a picnic at a local park, where they had a chance to savor the outdoors and sport tee shirts that proclaimed, “Disability is not Inability.”

Thanks to the generosity of CNEWA’s donors and other partners, the

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As our regional director in Addis Ababa, Argaw Fantu, noted, “support for these girls offers them the gift of a brighter future — empowering educated Gumuz mothers, wives and professionals who in turn will help their own people in the future.”

Perhaps most inspiring, 12 students completed their elementary education and for the first time took part in a graduation ceremony, complete with blue caps and gowns and a procession before friends and family.

Light in Haifa CNEWA was privileged this year to play a part in the renovation of an important church in Haifa, the Church of the Carmelite Sisters of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

The church marks the birthplace of the Discalced Carmelites and serves as a venue for local ceremonies and celebrations of the feasts of the order. It is also a place of solace and reflection for spiritual retreats as well as the site for weddings and baptisms for the local Christian community.

“We the students, staff and sisters,” the report concluded, “owe a deep debt of gratitude to our many kind and generous benefactors, both individuals and groups, without whom our work would not have been possible.”

In October, CNEWA’s regional director in Jerusalem, Joseph Hazboun, attended a celebration for the consecration of the renovated church and altar.

Thanks to our donors, CNEWA provided funds to improve the

school was also able to do some important maintenance work: buying new water tanks, some furniture, mattresses and blankets, and replacing some pipes in the water system.

OUR WEBSITE onemagazinehome.org OUR BLOG cnewablog.org interior lighting and sound system — both of which are designed to reduce significantly the consumption of electricity and improve the quality of worship in this important site in the Holy Land.

Visitors to Mother of Mercy CNEWA’s Mother of Mercy Clinic in Zerqa, Jordan, welcomed Louis and Maryse Azzaria of the Good Samaritan Relief Fund, a Canadian organization that assists refugees in the Holy Land, in October. And in November, members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre from the Netherlands visited as part of their annual trip to the Holy Land.

All were pleased to meet with the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, who have been running the mother and child clinic for more than 18 years.

CNEWA’s regional director in Jordan, Ra’ed Bahou, wrote: “The visitors offered their gratitude for the great work of CNEWA, which provides so much to the underprivileged without regard to race, nationality or religion.”

of Toronto, focused on the storied history of Christians in Iraq. In keeping with a Chaldean Advent tradition, he will make a special gift to CNEWA, donating his salary during Advent to support our work.

The national director of CNEWA in Canada, Carl Hétu, closed the evening to speak about dialogue, compassion and caregiving; all these, he noted, help bring about our greatest desire for the region and the world, which is peace.

And in the United States, CNEWA team members visited Colorado, Louisiana and Washington, speaking with our donor family and in local parishes. We are always eager to share our story with members of our donor family, or to introduce others to our vital work around the world.

If your parish is interested in hosting CNEWA for a speaking event, you can contact our office at 1-800-442-6392.

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CNEWA on the Move In the middle of November, the Archdiocese of Toronto and CNEWA Canada organized a benefit that focused on the plight of Christians in the Middle East, and the work of the churches for the common good of all. Cardinal Thomas Collins, who is a member of the board of CNEWA Canada, spoke about our need to support our brothers and sisters so as to prevent these ancient communities from vanishing.

There is more to discover about CNEWA’s world online:

More than a third of the attendees, which totaled more than 300 people, were from the area’s Chaldean community. Bishop Bawai Soro, of the Chaldean Eparchy of Mar Addai

THESE AND MUCH MORE CAN BE FOUND AT CNEWA.ORG FOR DAILY UPDATES, CHECK OUT CNEWA’S BLOG, ONE-TO-ONE AT CNEWABLOG.ORG

• Read a poignant letter of gratitude to CNEWA from an archbishop in Damascus, Syria, at: www.cnewa.org/ web/maroniteletter • Learn how CNEWA recently showed solidarity with Coptic Christians facing discrimination in Jerusalem at: www.cnewa.org/web/copticsupport • Discover CNEWA’s connections to the newly canonized St. Paul VI, and his enduring legacy in the Holy Land at www.cnewa.org/web/stpaul

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Care for Marginalized

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Signs of Hope The church in Egypt rises again, reaching out to those on the margins text by Magdy Samaan with photographs by Roger Anis

Editors’ note: Through countless efforts across Egypt, the Coptic Catholic Church — although numerically small — works tirelessly to elevate lives and promote the flourishing of communities. The challenges are great, particularly when serving those who are marginalized.

But some of the success stories offer inspiration and, in so many ways, signs of hope.

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efi Abdel describes the home life of her youth with a sense of isolation and sadness. “My parents do not know sign language,” the 24-year-old says. “When I used to live in their house, I didn’t feel well; nobody understood me and I didn’t understand what was going on around me.”

When she goes on to say the Better Life ministry changed her life, it is easy to see why. The program, which addresses the needs of deaf and hearing-impaired Egyptians, has provided her not only with care, but also a sense of community.

“When I come here, I feel connected to the world. I’m very happy when I’m amongst them,” she says, signing her words faster than Mariam Nassif, the leader of the program, could translate.

Through this community, the young woman even met her husband, 22-year-old Dawood Milad.

“I liked him in secret for a long time, and he liked me in secret,” she says, face shining with a shy smile. “He proposed to me at a conference in Alexandria.”

Employed in a limestone quarry in Minya, a city south of Cairo, Mr. Milad works hard but earns Susanna Akram conducts a class in sign language organized by the Better Life ministry.

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The CNEWA Connection t A Coptic Catholic sister leads a study session at the Church of the Resurrection in Minya. u Hanna Zakaria, right, discusses his participation in the Better Life ministry. y The Rev. Boulos Nassif strives to serve marginalized communities.

The Egyptian Church began with the preaching of the Apostle Mark. Today, the country is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, but Christians — called Copts — include up to 10 percent of the population, the largest Christian community in the Middle East.

Increasingly, Copts are targets for violence and even murder.

Regardless of their hardships, Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Christians reach out to all as they strive to live the Gospel. CNEWA accompanies them, partnering with the local churches to address those facing hardship and pain.

In Minya, we have provided assistance to students of the Better Life ministry, funded the training of teachers and provided catechism. In Beni Suef, CNEWA is funding the construction of the Franciscan Sisters’ School and has provided furniture and laboratory equipment. Thanks to CNEWA’s donors, Bishop Botros Fahim’s spiritual center has been revived and is now hosting retreats and other pastoral activities of the eparchy.

To join us in this vital work in Egypt, call: 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or 1-866-322-4441 (Canada).

little money — a limitation felt all the more acutely now, as the couple is expecting their first child.

“God has chosen Dawood for me,” Mrs. Abdel says. “We will live happily in peace, even with little money.”

Fefi and Dawood are just two out of about 100 hearing-impaired

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people who are served by the Better Life. Established by the Rev. Boulos Nassif — Mariam Nassif’s brother — the ministry has been serving the Coptic Catholic Eparchy of Minya directly for more than 20 years.

To the group’s members, the Nassif siblings are pillars —

practically parental figures, as some say — always willing to discuss problems and share advice.

“The ministry here is not only spiritual,” Ms. Nassif says. “The families bring us their children early on and we become everything for them.”

Every Friday, two buses arrive at St. Joseph School in Minya around 11 a.m., after collecting participants from surrounding villages. The program begins with some recreational time, followed by group prayer. Finally, each age group is given a choice of workshops to attend in the various classrooms, where instructors — themselves often deaf — teach a variety of topics.

Through what the ministry receives in donations, Ms. Nassif says, it provides assistance to its members, including clothing, food, health care and school tuition.

Furthermore, the program offers members translation services, which is particularly helpful when dealing with governmental entities.

Ten of its youngest members have received assistance to attend a primary school in Cairo for the deaf, as their local schools could not accommodate them.

Susanna Akram, 25, joined the group as a toddler, as did her sister.

Her mother, Mary Farouk, also assists with various church programs that serve the deaf community.

“When Susanna and her sister were 3, I told myself, if they will not be able to live with me with [spoken] words, I could live with them with sign language,” Mrs. Farouk says.

“When I come here, I feel connected to the world.”

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“We all came to help because we consider this place part of our

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home.”

t The planned school will allow students to continue studying with the sisters past grade school.

But it is a challenge that the church is facing with determination and a renewed sense of resolve.

q Children attend the Franciscan Sisters’ School in Beni Suef.

n August 2013, amid clashes with security forces, supporters of ousted President Muhammad Morsi formed mobs and attacked Christian institutions across Egypt.

More than 80 church and religious service buildings were looted and razed.

Among those buildings burnt was the Franciscan Sisters’ School in the town of Beni Suef, about 60 miles south of Cairo.

For more than 120 years, this primary school opened its doors to all members of the community, regardless of social class or religion.

However, amid a conflagration of sectarian violence, the cross atop the building became a target.

In the reception room of the school, the sisters recount the horror they felt that day.

“They gave no choice to the four sisters at the building,” says Sister Nagat Samaan, superior of the community of women religious.

“The sisters fled without knowing where to go. The closest place that took them in was the home of a Muslim woman who used to work in the school.”

Sister Nagat recalls with sorrow the first time she set foot in the building after the attack. “The scene was very painful,” she says. “They destroyed and stole everything.

I don’t want to remember it.”

Most Muslims in Beni Suef were upset, even angry, to learn what had befallen the school; many enrolled their own children there.

A longtime community fixture, it was seen as neither religiously nor politically provocative.

“After the events, Muslim young people from the neighborhood came to apologize that they were not able to protect the school,” Sister Nagat says.

Ms. Akram attended training in Lebanon two years ago and now assists younger group members, leading in prayers and then hosting one of the workshops.

“Deaf people have a lot of dreams, but to no avail,” Ms. Akram says.

“The deaf are absent from their own environment,” Father Nassif adds, “because there is not enough attention given to their condition.”

Father Nassif has a keen awareness of the special needs that often go unmet, especially at the margins of society. In addition to his work with the deaf community, he has spearheaded a number of other local initiatives, including a prison ministry.

In Egypt, he says, there are many faults in the popular understanding of disabilities in general. Deaf people may be viewed as lesser in intelligence or fitness for employment.

“They are normal people, like us,” he says, adding that they merely face a communication gap.

The Coptic Catholic priest believes the church can and must play a greater role in assisting such underserved communities. “Churches in general don’t have priests who speak sign language,” he says.

One of Father Nassif’s dreams is to build a school for deaf students in Minya. Although the ministry has the necessary experience and trained personnel, gathering financial resources remains the principal challenge.

Nevertheless, through this and countless other efforts across Egypt, the Coptic Catholic Church — though numerically small — works tirelessly to elevate lives and promote the flourishing of communities.

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Although the sisters could not have afforded to rebuild with their own resources, the seeds they planted over decades of work within the community bore fruit.

When the army pledged to rebuild the buildings destroyed in the attacks, General Taher Abdullah, an alumnus, came to visit the school. Reminiscing about his time there, and speaking of his debt to the sisters, he helped to move the school on the top of the repair list.

About a year after its destruction, the building stood once more. It reopened to students in September of 2015.

Before the opening day, parents of the students came to help clean, decorate and otherwise prepare the classrooms.

“We all came to help because we consider this place part of our A sister assists a student at the Franciscan Sisters’ School.

home,” said Eman Ali, mother of two students — Ali, in second grade, and Abdul Rahman, who recently graduated to a secondary school.

Abdul Rahman, 14, loved the sisters’ school, and would go as early as the doors would open.

Adjusting to the “chaotic” system of the secular school he now attends has been a challenge.

“There is no education,” he says.

“They deal with everything with beating and insulting. If you want to run from the school, nobody cares if you come or not.

“I got used to a high standard of education at the Franciscan Sisters’ School. But what I miss the most is the system.”

Mrs. Ali and other parents wish the Franciscan Sisters would add a secondary school, so their children could continue their studies with the same level of warmth and encouragement.

“Here, the children learn strong moral values, which helps us at home,” Mrs Ali says.

Shereen Bibawi, mother of second-grader Mahriel, agrees with Mrs. Ali, and is another voice urging the sisters to extend their school through the higher grades. Her older son, Philopater, now in his first year at a secular school, was ranked first in the class in his final year at the sisters’ school.

“I was crying when Philopater had to move to another school,” Mrs. Bibawi says.

Out of the 15 Franciscan schools in Egypt, the sisters’ school in Beni Suef is the only one without a secondary section. The school’s administration has responded to the wishes of the parents; last year, they began building a preparatory school in a building attached to the primary school.

But the work is proceeding slowly, Sister Nagat says, because

of the lack of resources. But with the confidence and support of their community behind them, it is only a matter of time.

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or 27 years, Fadel Labib Tobia, 47, has been working as a custodian at Salama Nashed Service Center in Samalut, about 120 miles south of Cairo.

While once alive with guests and activities, now Mr. Tobia says he cleans the rooms and finds them dusty again before they see use.

“I feel sad that there are no activities at the place,” he says.

“I have spent all my life here.”

But where many might see a dusty conference center, Coptic Catholic Bishop Botros Fahim of Minya sees opportunity.

In his vision, the future of the Coptic Catholic Church begins with youth formation. The bishop believes that Salama Nashed Center is the best place to continue this mission — a site for education, training and community-building activities, much as those it once hosted.

Originally a hotel, the building’s previous owner was a Coptic lawyer named Salama Nashed. He donated it to the Catholic Church in the beginning of the 1980’s. As a sign of gratitude, the center was named after him.

In the years after, it was constantly busy with conferences and seminars.

After his own ordination in the 1980’s, Bishop Botros spent five years organizing seminars and conferences in the center — especially during the busy summer months, when the center would host retreats and longer seminars.

“This house was part of my life,” Bishop Botros says.

In the years since his work there, it slowly deteriorated and fell out of use. Amid the political upheaval of 2011, it briefly ceased to operate

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altogether — and then again after terrorists staged a major attack on a bus transporting Copts in Minya in 2017, killing dozens.

When he was named bishop, he went to visit the center. When he saw its decrepit condition, he could not hold back his tears.

“Most of the events are usually held in the summer, and as you can see there is no air conditioning,” says Marco Eisa, 27, the manager of the center. “That makes it very difficult to host such numbers in the summer.”

He walks through the conference halls, taking stock of the work ahead. “There is no sound system; the kitchen is not equipped; we have too few blankets.” Only one of the three halls, which can accommodate 200 guests, is currently usable.

Bishop Botros began renovating the center about a year and a half ago with what resources he could allocate. Restoration has come a long way — the bedrooms are more comfortable, and the bathrooms function.

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But much work remains to restore the luster he so fondly remembers.

“A lot of people met each other and became friends at this place,” he says. Soon, he knows, it will serve a new generation in the same way.

And the hope that has already taken root will continue to grow.

Based in Cairo, Magdy Samaan is a Middle East correspondent for the The Telegraph. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy and a number of other journals.

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Care for Marginalized

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Windows to the World How the people of Caritas Ukraine bring life and light to the elderly text by Mark Raczkiewycz with photographs by Ivan Chernichkin

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dealized images of retirement conjure up couples taking up leisurely hobbies, such as painting or sailing; doting on their grandchildren with lavish gifts; taking luxury cruises; and pursuing activities formerly confined to a “bucket list.” Such are the alluring images conjured by North American marketers, eager to open closely guarded nest eggs.

For almost all of Ukraine’s seniors, however, prospects for such a retirement remain imaginary.

Among an overwhelming majority of the country’s 11 million pensioners — a quarter of the population — most can count on working harder and enduring more hardship in their so-called golden years.

Petro Yaroshenko, 64, hangs on to the steel bars of his bed’s headboard with his slender arms.

His body trembles.

“It all started when the Russians came,” Mr. Yaroshenko says of his Parkinson’s disease, tracing its onset to the war that began in eastern Ukraine in April 2014.

Anxiety had begun to set in when his native Kramatorsk, an industrial city of some 200,000 people, became a battleground. Gunfire and explosions rocked the city for Caritas nurse Maria Batychko pays a visit to Kateryna Babich.

months, until Ukrainian national forces secured it the following July.

“First, my fingers, then my hands, then my whole body started to shake,” the former factory machine builder says, attributing his “fright syndrome” to the constant shelling.

Nadia Dryaglina, a registered nurse displaced by the fighting in nearby Horlivka, says the factory worker had not received proper care for about a year until a local branch of Caritas, the social service charity of the Catholic bishops of Ukraine, asked her to treat him.

“Mr. Yaroshenko hadn’t been bathed for a year,” she recalls, adding that he lived in solitude with no siblings, spouse or children to offer help.

“I called a barber to come to the house to cut his hair,” the nurse continues. “He was malnourished.”

The retired factory worker is among the 3 percent of pensioners who receive the lowest amount distributed by the Ukrainian government, a mere $53 a month, just $4 more than what the government considers the poverty line.

Anxious to change the subject, he boasts how in 1960 he had built the four-room, single-floor house in which he now lives. “I once had the constitution of an ox. I weighed 165 pounds; now I weigh about 80,” he says, his voice trailing off quietly.

The house is a modest dwelling.

An apple tree grows outside; its bounty remains unpicked. A canopy of wine grapes forms a vault over an empty driveway. Overgrowth covers a summer kitchen no longer in use. Inside, Soviet-era furniture decorates the interior, last updated in the 1970’s. No television or radio plays.

“I don’t want to listen to the news; there’s too much bad news out there. I can’t go outside; my spine hurts too much,” Mr. Yaroshenko says.

“Caritas is like a sip of water in the desert,” he says, as the nurse washes his feet after having just fed him. “I wish more organizations like this existed in the world.”

The internal strength of his body builds as he speaks.

“I want to wish Father Vasyl all the health in the world, and thank him,” he says of the Greek Catholic priest who heads the local Caritas chapter in Kramatorsk.

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t is to those most in need, such as Petro Yaroshenko, whom Caritas Ukraine focuses its help. Resources are scarce as they are scattered across Ukraine’s vast terrain, focusing on 12 cities as well as the rural interior, with the city of Kramatorsk and its immediate environs being its newest mission.

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The CNEWA Connection Ms. Batychko provides assistance to an elderly man in Kiev.

One of the growing needs in Eastern Europe is to care for pensioners, men and women who have been all but abandoned by their children or extended family and left to fend for themselves — often in dire circumstances. The church has stepped in to fill the void, with CNEWA focused on assisting it particularly in Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine.

CNEWA has long accompanied the church in Ukraine, helping it emerge from the catacombs following the breakup of the Soviet Union. We have supported the formation of clergy and the education of young people at Ukrainian Catholic University, the only Catholic university in the country — working to ensure the next generation will have a better future than the last.

In a similar way, we are providing support to Caritas in Ukraine to help care for those who came before and who built a great legacy of faith and courage. In caring for these marginalized men and women — helping to provide rehabilitation, health care, companionship and dignity through a wide array of social and religious services — CNEWA is not only carrying out our mandate, but living out the Gospel and fulfilling our Christian call to social justice.

To be a part of this mission of love and compassion, call: 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or 1-866-322-4441 (Canada).

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In addition to running the local chapter of Caritas, the Rev. Vasyl Ivanyuk has his hands full, shepherding six parishes and serving as a chaplain to those serving in the nearby front.

At Prophet Elijah Church, a moderately sized, eye-catching wooden building where he celebrates the Divine Liturgy every Sunday, he passively points to a sign. It reads: “With prayer and fasting we can stop war.”

Only when asked does he point out the church’s shattered yellow and white stained glass windows as scars of war.

“Three are from mortar shrapnel, one is from a rocket that came through here in July 2014,” Father Ivanyuk says. It was during this time that he saw an influx of seniors seeking help at the house of worship.

Some 600 displaced families sought refuge here through March 2015 at the height of the war, just as the second of two truces was being brokered in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

The agreements have never quite taken hold.

“Half of the displaced we helped were elderly. We served 60 families a day, handing out 10 days’ worth of food [to each]. Altogether, we have distributed 300 tons of clothes and 17,000 food boxes since 2014,” Father Ivanyuk says.

Seniors are always the least demanding, he observed. They never ask for more, and are the most gracious.

He recounted the story of one couple. Both were 82 years old; both had walked a tortuous 24 miles in frigid February weather at the height of the war in 2015 to find safety. Units from the Ukrainian army picked them up on the government-controlled side and

drove the pair to Father Ivanyuk, who arranged for their care.

On the day of the priest’s 25th wedding anniversary, the elderly man gave Father Ivanyuk a bouquet of flowers for his wife.

“It was obviously plucked from the city grounds and not bought,” the priest says. “It was the kindest gesture. They often return to show their gratitude, especially to our female volunteers.”

Although the human spirit is undoubtedly strong, pensioners can find it difficult to adapt to new circumstances, the priest notes.

“A mature tree can’t be easily transplanted,” he says of those who find themselves uprooted suddenly.

“They go through hardship, live alone. They’re in a foreign place, and everything is new to them.”

That’s why when he makes house calls, he says, he just listens.

“That’s my calling, that’s the service that I can provide. I want to

and know how to listen. People of a certain age start to think about the meaning of life, analyzing their own and looking at the afterlife.”

The importance of making house calls — whether to deliver Bibles upon request or to hear confessions and anoint the sick — cannot be underestimated, says the Rev. Andriy Nahirnyak, who serves as vice president of Caritas Ukraine and helps lead the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s social service ministry.

“As people get older, they begin to think in existential terms, about the sense and purpose of life, about forgiveness and justice,” he says.

“A spiritual measurement of life is part of one’s health,” the priest continues. “As part of this process, they undergo peace and reconciliation in their relations with children, parents, siblings or enemies. It’s important to end life with internal freedom, dignity and completeness.”

Parishoners gather in Prophet Elijah Church, where Father Ivanyuk carries out the work of Caritas.

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etro Yaroshenko’s plight may seem extreme, but it is not far from the norm. According to International Monetary Fund data released in October, Ukraine has become the poorest nation in Europe, measured in GDP per capita.

Official data suggests the average monthly wage in Ukraine is around $300. Somehow, most pensioners survive on about $90 a month.

Ever since Ukraine achieved its independence from the unraveling Soviet Union in 1991, the social service net cobbled together during those turbulent and lean years of transition has failed to meet the needs of the poor and vulnerable — especially the elderly. Those who retire and live in isolation cannot afford to reside at what few private retirement homes exist.

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“It’s important to end life with internal freedom, dignity and completeness.”

The Rev. Andriy Nahirnyak serves his community through Caritas Ukraine and the social service ministry of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

State-owned homes, which often resemble dormitories housing four or more people per room, do not meet the growing demand of an aging population. Typically, these facilities are exclusive to those who once made contributions to the Soviet-era government, belonged to the Communist Party or joined labor groups or served as military personnel.

“Besides, in Ukraine, one’s ties to one’s native land are strong,” says Father Nahirnyak.

“Unlike in the West, especially in America, where people move to five or six different places in their lifetime, in Ukraine, people usually live in one place.

“It’s still not uncommon for someone to live and die in his or her own home.”

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This also means families usually look after their oldest members. But as younger family members move to Ukraine’s urban areas or, increasingly, abroad, more of the nation’s elderly live alone and receive little care.

Drawing on donations from as far as North America, Caritas Ukraine has made elderly home care its oldest and most diverse project.

“We first started with funding from Caritas Germany. They wanted to provide assistance to people who suffered from Nazi rule during World War II,” says National Project Manager Halyna Kurnytska.

At the outset in 1999, local hospitals and social security agencies were contacted. Now, Ms. Kurnytska says, “They come to us” — a testimony to the project’s success.

Many lonely seniors who receive assistance cannot open their doors because they are bedridden. Often, nurses and social workers are the

only people they see on any given day. The pensioners rely upon them to bathe, attend to their hygienic needs and check blood pressure and sugar levels.

Housekeeping is paramount along with food preparation and laundry.

More importantly, physical activity is encouraged and conversation keeps them in good spirits.

“We are the window to the world for these people,” says the Rev. Roman Syrotych, Caritas Kiev director. “We provide them with information and do their shopping for them.”

Unfortunately, he adds, “We must reject people because there are 60 people in our care for five homecare givers.”

As Ukraine continues to reform its health care and social service system, Caritas is helping to push for newer models of elderly care.

Ms. Kurnytska urges local governments to consider employing

social services from groups such as Caritas, a successful model that Austria and Germany is applying.

She has already persuaded the Ternopil city government in western Ukraine to allocate money to Caritas to better assist lonely seniors in that municipality.

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n addition to its medical, housekeeping and spiritual services, Caritas offers warmth through company and conversation.

Nurse Maria Batychko “is an angel from the sky,” says 85-yearold Kateryna Babich, who suffers from Parkinson’s, during a recent visit. Ms. Batychko helps bathe the elderly woman, reminds her to take her medicines, cooks and does the laundry for her, and takes her for walks outside when the weather permits.

“My neighbors say that their own daughters don’t take care of them like Maria does me,” says Ms. Babich, who was orphaned at 13. “They’re quite jealous.”

Indeed, project manager Ms. Kurnytska believes that simple visits just to talk can impede the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

For this reason, Fathers Ivanyuk and Nahirnyak want to promote senior clubs to gather the elderly so they may enjoy each other’s company, to screen movies together and do simple physical activities.

Wheelchair-user Olha Kuryna, 61, keeps occupied by putting together candy boxes for a nearby chocolate factory on her bed. She receives $0.04 per box and can assemble 500 boxes in three days.

She relies on Nadia Dryaglina to help her change her clothes and bathe at the rehabilitation center where she lives in Kramatorsk.

Displaced from her home in the now occupied coal and steel center of Makiyivka, the former retired director of a nongovernmental organization looks forward to returning home.

Thanks to you, we won’t let him feel forgotten. #WeAreCNEWA www.cnewa.org

“It’s been frightful for the last four years of the war. I didn’t think it would last that long. I’ll never forget the bombing,” she says.

“I want to return once the war ends. Home sweet home is a long way for now.”

Meanwhile, she is moving forward with life. She has started taking manicurist courses. She hasn’t decided yet whether she’ll seek employment at an existing nail salon or start her own business.

“I have a network of colleagues, friends and acquaintances here,” Ms. Kuryna says. “That circle of people should be enough to start building up a clientele.”

Meanwhile, the people who make up Caritas Ukraine will continue doing what they know best — reaching out to those most in need on behalf of the country’s Greek Catholic community.

“We need to increase our manpower — we’re stretched pretty thin,” says Halyna Kurnytska.

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“Sometimes we don’t have days off, and work on weekends. There’s a waiting list for our services.”

Mark Raczkiewycz is the Ukraine correspondent for the New Jerseybased The Ukrainian Weekly. His work has appeared in The Kyiv Post, The Financial Times, The Irish Times and Jane’s Intelligence, among others.

THERE’S EVEN MORE ABOUT CARE FOR UKRAINE'S ELDERLY ON OUR BLOG, ONE-TO-ONE:

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cnewablog.org/web/ ukrainecare AND A VIDEO TELLS MORE OF THE STORY:

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Accompanying the Church

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A letter from

Ethiopia M

y name is Abba [Father] Teshome Fikre Woldetensae, a priest from the Eparchy of Emdibir in central Ethiopia. Currently I am serving the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia as the deputy general secretary and as director of the conference’s national pastoral commission.

Being a priest in Ethiopia has tremendous responsibilities. The church strives to transform and save souls, and works for integral human development for the common good of all. Right now, the formation of young people and of our society is our primary challenge. Attitudes are changing very quickly; secular postures and outlooks are growing in our traditionally religious nation.

We are experiencing a particular crisis in families and in the life of young people. Lack of job opportunities, extreme poverty and migration are serious challenges facing young people and families.

Personally, my greatest challenge is helping to form young people to believe in themselves, to believe in their families, in the society and in the nation so they may see a future in their own country.

I was fortunate in that I received solid formation in my faith and in my values. My father was nurtured in the Catholic Church and was a teacher. My mother was from an Orthodox family, and was received into full communion with the Catholic Church when she married my father. My childhood was very The Rev. Teshome Fikre Woldetensae helps serve the faithful of Holy Savior Church in Addis Ababa.

much attached to our parish. Priests were always welcomed and my mother was happy to cook for them whenever they passed by the village to visit other families and the sick.

Abba François Markos (19101989), a very saintly priest who established most of the existing parishes in the present Eparchy of Emdibir, was a great influence on my childhood. He was a father to all, an inspiration to everyone. I always desired to be like him — to nurture children in the faith; to spread the word of God; to serve the poor, sick and elderly; and to establish schools and health care institutions for serving needy people. His ministry served all humanity, irrespective of religious, social or economic background. In this way, Abba Markos planted the seed of vocation in my childhood heart. I always strived to reach to that goal.

I attended the minor seminary in the Archeparchy of Addis Ababa, entering when I was 14, and studied under the Canadian Jesuits. I continued my studies in philosophy and theology and was ordained in 1998. In those years of priestly formation, the CNEWA family accompanied me and helped see to my material needs. The support I received from was another source of inspiration.

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Since my ordination, I continue to learn — from my pastoral work as a parish priest and pursuing advanced studies in Rome to learning from example from my elders and working with youth groups. Each of these experiences have shaped my ministry and taught me the wide variety of needs of the church, enriching what began as a simple desire to follow the example of Abba Markos.

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t gives me satisfaction that my priestly service has influenced many. I remember with great joy the visit I made when I was a parish priest to an old lady who was gravely ill, who used to live very far from the parish — a threehour mule ride. It was a very rainy season and access to the village was very difficult. The village catechist and I covered most of the road on foot, since it was difficult to ride on mule. She was not expecting us, due to the weather. When we arrived, she could not believe it; she shouted with joy and felt relieved from her sickness for a time. The joy of that woman, in her final days of her earthly life, was exceptional for me and it touched me deeply.

I also think often about young Bedilu. He was 12 when I met him, living with his mother, Kelemua.

Father Teshome greets parishioners after celebrating the feast of the Holy Savior.

Bedilu was born with a degenerative condition. He could not talk, and while he could stand and walk in his younger years, he eventually became bedridden. One day Kelemua came to me from her faraway village and asked me to go with her to visit her beloved son. I asked why, and she cried and cried.

Together, she and I went by car and entered the house where Bedilu was living. Seeing him and the place they lived — a small hut — broke my heart and I could not stop crying. I was very much impressed by the dedication and joy of Kelemua for serving her child.

I gave her what money I had, promising to support her and her son. I immediately wrote a letter to one of my friends in Italy explaining the situation, and before long I received funds to build a decent house for them. We bought a proper bed and other household goods — even a cow, for milk. Within a few months, the life situation of the family changed. Although doctors informed us that his condition could not be reversed, and only palliative care was possible, Bedilu and Kelemua had a greatly improved quality of life for years.

When he died, it was devastating for all of us who were involved in his life. His mother’s heart was broken, and we accompanied her in her grief. Kelemua’s strength and courage will remain with me forever.

These days, after morning prayers and the liturgy, my daily routine is mostly office work. We organize formation programs for laity, youth, couples, priests and religious men and women. I meet different people in my workplace and in society and I try my best to reflect on the values I have cultivated.

My role at the national office is to plan all pastoral formation — which has opened a very demanding chapter in my life. As the majority population of Ethiopia is very young, so is the majority of Catholic faithful.

Ethiopian Orthodox and Catholic Christians share the same Ge'ez liturgical traditions.

These young Catholics need solid faith formation that can help them tackle contemporary challenges.

In order to respond to the growing pastoral needs of the local church, we need to build the capacity of priests, men and women religious and lay faithful. It is especially important to involve lay people in the ministry of the church; the faith is transmitted through their life testimonies, by walking together hand in hand with all those who are involved in the mission of the church. With the consent of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia, we implement programs to promote such formation. This is our day-to-day commitment in realizing the pastoral mission of the church in Ethiopia, working with the limited resources at our disposal.

At this juncture, on behalf of the local church, I would like to express my sincere gratitude. From the

seminary to my higher studies, CNEWA has accompanied me on my journey. When I took up leadership responsibilities in my eparchy, CNEWA supported many initiatives — including educational programs that continue to enrich the lives of rural children. When I assumed responsibility at a national level, I once again found in CNEWA a timely collaborator.

CNEWA is an important partner for us, accompanying us in our evangelizing journey as a church to transmit the faith and to sustain Catholics in the faith. Your prayer and your financial support are very meaningful for Catholics in general, and priests in particular, in Ethiopia.

Prayer sustains my priestly life, and I always keep in my prayers the CNEWA family, who personally accompanied me as a seminarian and now in my priestly ministry, wherever the church sends me to serve. n

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Care for Marginalized

Healing the Forgotten A mobile clinic restores health and provides hope in India text by Anubha George with photographs by Meenakshi Soman

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Many proper names in the article are given with initials, which is a common practice in Tamil Nadu.

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n a picturesque village in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, L. Crystal lives in a sizable house surrounded by lush greenery.

She shares it with her husband, N. Palmani, and daughter P. Sreeja.

The house, however, is filthy — to the extent that snakes have laid eggs within its walls.

Palmani’s diabetes is out of control. Inadequate access to health care has left him bedridden; he has not visited a doctor in months. He lies in bed in a room flooded with rainwater; he and his wife do not have the money to fix the leak. Sreeja has special needs, limiting the ways she can contribute to the household. Crystal wears a torn sari.

Once upon a time, theirs was the most prosperous household in the village, which lies in the district of Kanyakumari, along the coast at the southernmost tip of India. Crystal worked as a teacher.

But their circumstances changed amid mounting health issues and an investment gone wrong, setting off a downward spiral into poverty.

Crystal and her husband have two other children — a son and a daughter — now estranged.

But the family has visitors every week.

The Rev. Saji Elambasseril and his team from the Kanya Kumari Social Service Society (K.K.S.S.S.) run a mobile clinic that

provides palliative care for those who have nowhere to go or no one to turn to for help.

One morning, the Rev. Vinu D. Joseph, Sister Savari Arul, volunteers Suja Rani and G. Sudha, and driver J.M. Praveen visit the family — one of many under their care. They chat with Crystal, Sreeja and Palmani.

Sister Savari checks Palmani’s blood pressure and sugar levels. Father Joseph leads a prayer session.

It feels like a normal day.

In a variety of ways, the team strives to bring this sense of normalcy, care and dignity to its clientele.

“We look forward to the visit and prayer,” Crystal says. “It gives me hope.”

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ounded in 1972, the K.K.S.S.S. is the social services arm of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Thuckalay, and focuses on addressing the needs of the poor and the marginalized communities in the Tamil district of Kanyakumari.

“K.K.S.S.S. does things like skill development training, computer classes, child care centers and nursery schools and tree plantation programs,” says Father Elambasseril, who has directed the society for the last five years.

In 2016, the society began a mobile clinic to make health care available to poor and underserved communities in the eparchy. These consist principally of the Adivasi, or indigenous communities, and the Dalits, who occupy the lowest rung of India’s historical and technically illegal caste system.

“Their needs are quite specific,” Father Elambasseril says. “They live in isolated places and see others as outsiders,” he says, adding that the society has enlisted the aid of men and women among the various communities as volunteers and Devaki, 76, looks forward to the visits of the mobile care unit, which helps her care for her disabled son.

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The CNEWA Connection t Volunteer Suja Rani measures Vijay Kumar’s blood pressure during a home visit. y The Kanya Kumari Social Service Society’s mobile clinic visits patients in remote regions of Tamil Nadu.

In partnership with the local Eastern Catholic churches, CNEWA has worked for decades to improve the quality of life for Dalits and indigenous communities throughout India.

Our programs have included education and health care support for children, career guidance and vocational training.

Some of the most important work involves uplifting those who have been abandoned and giving dignity to those who are shunned and exploited. That is central to the work of Kanya Kumari Social Service Society (K.K.S.S.S.), which CNEWA has long supported. One of our most ambitious projects with the society was the resettlement of families who survived the December 2004 tsunami that killed thousands in southern India.

As CNEWA’s regional director in India, M.L. Thomas, notes, “CNEWA’s mission is to spread the love of the church. We must strengthen the hands of those who devote their lives to spreading the Good News ... and who are extending those hands to give a peaceful embrace to those in need.”

To become a part of this tradition of loving support, call: 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or 1-866-322-4441 (Canada).

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coordinators, who alert program leaders when someone needs their help.

The mobile medical team, called the Mother Teresa Palliative Care Unit, visits some 300 families who receive assistance from K.K.S.S.S. “Some of these families live in remote and far out places. They live by themselves in jungles. Access is difficult. But we find a way,” Father Elambasseril says.

R. Vasudevan lies on the floor of a small room. He lives in a small hut in the Dalit village of Ittakaveli.

The tropical humidity is at its peak this late October afternoon.

Mosquitoes buzz around.

Vasudevan was 21 when he fell off his motorbike. People around him thought he was drunk; no one called for help. Because of the delay in medical attention, his paralysis from the waist down became permanent.

“I’ve been bedridden for the last 27 years now,” the 48-year-old says.

“But I am mentally strong and have been able to survive this.” Despite his suffering, he radiates good cheer.

His mother, Devaki, 76, is his full-time caregiver. “I have three daughters,” she says. “They visit occasionally and help bathe him.”

Both Devaki and Vasudevan look forward to their weekly visit from the Mother Teresa care team. “The priest prays. The volunteers and the nurse make conversation. I have visitors,” Vasudevan says, smiling.

Today, Sister Savari changes his catheter.

“If he goes to the hospital for a catheter change,” Sister Savari says, “it will cost him 300 rupees [a little over $4].

“We come here and do it for free.”

Nearly an hour and a half later, the mobile ambulance is ready to leave. The voice of Father Joseph praying fills the air.

“It gives me so much comfort knowing that someone is praying for me,” Vasudevan says.

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ather Elambasseril says some of the more marginalized communities, such as the Dalits and Adivasis, face significant challenges.

“It’s a cycle of poverty and debt that’s almost impossible to break,” he says.

“On top of that, alcohol is a big problem in these communities.

They brew their own liquor from palm trees,” he says. “Alcohol poisoning and liver failure are the primary causes of death.”

Most of the men and women in the indigenous and Dalit

communities are day laborers. The area in and around Kanyakumari is known for its rubber estates, and much of the available work centers around tapping rubber trees.

“Let’s say they earn 500 rupees a day; they often spend 600 on drinking,” Father Elambasseril says.

“They have no bank accounts and no savings either.”

Some individuals, however, do own a bit of land.

“But they live in hilly areas where there are wild animals,” the priest says. “That means there’s no cultivation; any farming they do is destroyed by wild animals, such as elephants and wild boars.”

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he village of Kulasekharam is home to Selva Raj and his family. He used to load trucks.

One day while on the job, a needle punctured his leg. He did not realize what had happened.

Two days later, he woke up in the middle of the night amid severe pain and bleeding.

“I had no idea what was happening. We went to the hospital the next day,” he says.

The doctors advised a leg amputation. Selva refused. “They did another procedure, but the wound has needed dressing every day for the last year and a half,” he says.

Selva has not worked since. His wife has served as breadwinner, working at the cafeteria at a school nearby. The couple, along with two adult children, live in a tiny room measuring 10 feet by 10 feet.

“Life is hard,” he says. “But I should be up on my feet in about two months thanks to the mobile ambulance team.”

Faith plays an important role in healing, Father Joseph says.

“These communities welcome us because we help when no one else does.”

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“Most people we work with are Hindus,” he says. “But it is not a factor in our service to the people. And these communities welcome us because we help when no one else does.”

The families are open to homilies, rosaries and prayers.

“When people are suffering, they need prayers. We pray for them; prayer and faith can work miracles.

“We also give them counseling to cope with their circumstances,” he adds.

Care for psychological and spiritual needs “helps as much as medicine,” Father Elambasseril

says. “Those who are suffering physically also need love, care, affection and acceptance.”

In the village of Alancholai, Sree Kumar was an arborist. Two years ago, as he was cutting a rubber tree, it fell on him, paralyzing him from the waist down.

“People pulled me out from under the tree. But they pulled hard,” he says. That hard pull led to a severe hip joint injury.

The mobile medical care team visits to check up on him, chat and pray for him.

“That’s my socializing for the week,” he says. “The team comes to my house, they cheer me up.”

When Father Joseph sings a hymn, he closes his eyes and enjoys it.

S

ister Savari, while new to her role as the team’s nurse, has worked with Adivasi communities before.

“The tribal women are shy about going to hospitals; they have their On a home visit, Father Vinu Joseph and Sister Savari Arul administer medication to Vasudevan.

“When people are suffering, they need prayers.

We pray for them. Prayer and faith can work miracles.”

own beliefs and customs. They prefer using wild medicinal herbs to treat themselves. That’s how they’ve survived for hundreds of years,” she adds.

“But sometimes they absolutely need to go to a hospital and don’t.”

The society’s ambulance is parked about two miles down a steep hill. The team climbs the incline to reach a remote place called Anaimukham and visit Vijay Kumar, who had a stroke a couple of years ago caused by high blood pressure.

“He didn’t even know he had the condition,” says Father Joseph.

Vijay lives in a dilapidated hut with his family. Nearby, his wife and daughter look after two grandchildren, both toddlers.

In the surrounding area, poisonous spiders have woven huge webs. There is no cell phone signal; the nearest such conveniences of modern civilization lie half an hour away.

“We come here to check his blood pressure every other day and to make sure he is taking his medicine,” says Father Joseph.

“Someone has to keep an eye out.

So we do.”

But making headway into Adivasi and Dalit communities can be slow going.

“Access is hard because of where they live,” says Father Elambasseril.

“There’s a lack of infrastructure. There aren’t proper roads, buses or trains to get them into towns and cities.

Or for others to come here,” he says.

“Also, people think we’re here to convert them. But once they realize that we’re not here to do that, but to genuinely help them, they welcome us.”

The Kanya Kumari Social Service Society also has plans to expand.

“We’re already making a positive difference in the health and wellbeing of people with life-limiting

When no one else is there for him, we are. #WeAreCNEWA www.cnewa.org

conditions,” Father Elambasseril says.

“We’ve been giving them care for the body, mind and spirit. We hope to extend this service to other areas, too.”

One way the society has made a positive impression among groups that might otherwise seem inaccessible has been through educational opportunities in towns throughout the southern reaches of Tamil Nadu.

Jenisha G.’s father is a rubber tapper. “But I don’t want to struggle the way my parents have,” she says. She is training to be a lab technician at a medical college in Vettuveni.

Gini P.’s story is similar. Her father taps rubber, too. “I’m studying to be a nurse in Bangalore,” she says. This is her first year as a nursing student.

“I know nursing will give me the chance to work in different places, even abroad,” she says. “That way I can earn some money and help my parents.”

Monisha A.J., Adlin Amadsiya and Anila Mol express the same ambition. The three young women, all from the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Thuckalay, study at St. Alphonsa College of Arts and Science in Karungal.

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“The eparchy helps with that,” says Father Elambasseril. “We provide financial aid as well as encourage them to go out there and be someone others can look up to.”

For Jenisha, the aspirations are wholly practical.

“I want to be successful and earn for myself,” Jenisha says simply. “That way I can help my family, too.”

Anubha George is a former BBC editor and writes on Kerala culture.

Based in Cochin, her work has been published in Scroll.in, The Good Men Project among others. She also teaches journalism at India’s leading media schools.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIFE AMONG THE DALITS ON OUR BLOG, ONE-TO-ONE:

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Care for Marginalized

A Refuge in Lebanon

Refugees find hope rekindled at the Karagheusian Center

by Doreen Abi Raad

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maze of tangled electrical wires crisscrosses above the narrow streets.

Motor scooters zip by as two boys unload produce from a van, making a delivery to a tiny convenience store.

An elderly woman chats with a shopkeeper standing below her second-floor balcony, adorned with birdcages and a faded Armenian flag.

This is Bourj Hammoud, a suburb of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.

Settled by Armenians fleeing extermination in the Ottoman Empire in the beginning of the 20th century, the densely populated area remains home to their descendants, as well as thousands of Syrian refugees.

Talar, a young Syrian Armenian mother, fled her home in Aleppo in 2013 when terrorists seized the neighborhood where she had lived with her husband and their son Krikor, now 9 years old. The three rushed to a relative’s home about 15 minutes away.

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After a month away, her husband went to check on their apartment.

“Everything was completely destroyed,” Talar says, still outraged.

“There was nothing at all that my husband could retrieve.” The loss of their family photos and mementos was especially painful.

As the violence continued to spread, the young family believed they had no alternative but to flee to Lebanon. They settled in a oneroom dwelling in Bourj Hammoud.

Her husband, who had a thriving livelihood in Aleppo as a carpenter, found work in Beirut in his trade, but after a month of labor he was never paid by his employer.

He then took a job as a taxi driver. Again, after a month of work, his boss refused to pay him.

With no money for the rent, the family was evicted from their apartment.

“The landlord changed the locks and we couldn’t go back in. For the second time, we lost our home and everything we had.”

Yet Talar and her family have not fallen into despair; through the services and hospitality of the Karagheusian Socio-Medical Center, they have found a lifeline.

A splash of sunlight amid the gray concrete of this urban neighborhood, the yellow Karagheusian Socio-Medical Center is a Bourj Hammoud landmark, welcoming all in need.

Thanks to the center, the family now has a steady income and a place to live. The organization found Talar’s husband a position as a custodian at an Armenian school that includes accommodation on the premises — and offered class enrollment for young Krikor. And through the center’s women’s group, Talar has found an outlet for muchneeded social contact and services.

In these and many other ways, the center is helping those who Talar, a Syrian Armenian refugee, waits for a check-up at the Howard Karagheusian Center.

The CNEWA Connection Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the chair of CNEWA, visits the center as part of his pastoral visit in April 2018.

Originally founded to serve Armenian refugees fleeing to Lebanon and Syria from Ottoman Turkey, the Howard Karagheusian Center reaches out to all those seeking its help. With the moral support of the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical churches — with which it maintains close connections — the center’s work in Lebanon includes outreach to Syrian Muslim refugees and impoverished Muslim families in the Bekaa Valley.

CNEWA has partnered with the center for years, finding kinship with its dedicated staff and their commitment to caring for the orphaned, the abandoned, the displaced and the vulnerable.

With thanks to CNEWA’s donors worldwide, we have made a dramatic difference in the lives of refugees who have arrived at the center these last five years. Our support includes the center’s programs for everything from tutoring refugee students to providing school supplies and funding counseling to help heal children from trauma.

To continue supporting these outreach efforts, call: 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or 1-866-322-4441 (Canada). have been uprooted to set their feet once more on firm ground — enabling them to find opportunities, rediscover community and rekindle hope.

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he story of the Karagheusian Center begins after the death of 14-year-old Howard Karagheusian from pneumonia in New York City in 1918.

His Armenian American parents resolved to establish a humanitarian mission — the Howard Karagheusian

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Foundation — in their son’s memory, focusing at first on sheltering, feeding and educating orphaned children who had survived the Armenian Genocide. The organization has operated in Lebanon, Syria and Armenia ever since — now for more than 95 years.

A team of 40 doctors, plus a staff of 40, serves about 4,000 patients a month at the Bourj Hammoud clinic. Of those, 3,000 are Syrian refugees and 1,000 from the Lebanese host community. About

two-thirds of the clinic’s current beneficiaries are Muslim. “The health center is available to everyone, because health is for all,” stresses Lebanon Field Director Serop Ohanian.

In Bourj Hammoud, the Syrian refugee population is still growing, notes Mr. Ohanian. They live in overcrowded conditions, typically with two or three families squeezed together in small, dismal apartments that rarely see the light of day.

During Lebanon’s humid, cold and rainy winters, moisture hangs on concrete walls, frequently turning into mold, sparking respiratory conditions among residents.

“Their situation is catastrophic, and getting worse. We’re seeing more Syrian refugees entering into poverty,” Mr. Ohanian says.

Lebanon is an expensive country, a marked contrast for the refugees who were once accustomed to a low cost of living and a range of government-provided services in their native Syria. A recent survey released by EuroCost International found that Beirut ranked seventh globally, surpassing London and New York City, in terms of the cost of living. Lebanon’s economic stagnation is compounded by the refugee crisis, with more Lebanese also slipping into poverty.

Aside from the bustling medical clinic, the Karagheusian Center includes a social unit with the aim of providing support and encouragement to Christians living in Lebanon — Syrian refugees, Iraqi refugees and the local vulnerable host community — so they may have a dignified life.

The team includes eight social workers.

The center’s social services include home visits in which care, food and clothing are provided,

as well as health support at the clinic. It provides an afterschool program, where children do their homework in an encouraging environment, complete with tutoring. Schoolbooks have been provided to 750 Syrian Armenian and Lebanese Armenian children.

In the summer, the center hosts a day camp that includes activities, outings and remedial classes so children can enjoy their summer.

In 2018, there were 390 camp participants. Additionally, psychological support is provided to Armenian Syrian and marginalized host community children with special needs as a way of reducing their ordeals.

The Karagheusian Center also offers vocational training for women in specialties such as hairdressing, cooking and urban agriculture so they may have the opportunity to help their families materially. Language classes in English and French ease their adaptation to Lebanon’s trilingual environment — Arabic, English and French.

Some 80 percent of the women are from Aleppo; others had fled from Kessab and Latakia near the shores of the Mediterranean. Most have been in Lebanon for as many as six years.

Mr. Ohanian personally introduces that day’s special guest speaker: Camille Salame, M.D., a neurosurgeon visiting Lebanon, his homeland, from Norwich, Connecticut.

Women listen with rapt attention to Dr. Salame’s presentation on back and neck pain. Some mothers pace, carrying fussy babies.

A blonde, curly-haired toddler romps with her arms outstretched, her tiny feet pitter-pattering the floor, relishing the open space.

Concluding his talk with open questions from the group, Dr. Salame invites women with special back and neck concerns to accompany him to the Karagheusian clinic for a consultation.

“This is CNEWA in action,” he says, strolling with them to the sunny yellow building. Dr. Salame has been a longstanding donor to CNEWA.

“We have seen lives changed for the better.

The hopeless have received hope.”

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s part of the women’s empowerment program, each week the center hosts three groups, with respective sessions on specific days for Syrian Armenian refugees, Lebanese Christians and elderly women in general.

In the auditorium of the neighboring Armenian Evangelical Shamilian Tatigian School, some 150 Syrian Armenian women begin arriving for their weekly gathering, chatting with each other, as if catching up with old friends.

Announcements for upcoming activities include a day trip to Harissa, the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon.

CNEWA donor Dr. Camille Salame provides medical examinations to Syrian women on a visit to the center.

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Elizabeth, from Aleppo, has her vital signs taken before a doctor visit.

“This is an oasis of hope,” he says of the center and its mission. “This is what keeps people attached to life: They know they have a place to go to that’s working for them all the time, working for them on their behalf. That keeps their spirit going.

It takes a big heart to create big things. We need more of this in Lebanon.”

Of the 25 women he met with individually for consultations immediately after his lecture, Dr. Salame says, “I enjoyed talking to each one.” Although all had backor neck-related issues, he says only one case was serious enough to possibly require a need for surgery.

Center staff made notes on her chart, to begin pursuing this treatment.

In the clinic’s courtyard, Talar sways her younger son, Christ, nearly 2 years old, in his stroller as she waits to meet with Dr. Salame.

She wants to ask him about the neck and arm pain she has been experiencing.

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Being part of the women’s group at Karagheusian “has changed my life,” the young mother says. “We’re living in a small room, and I see only the four walls. But when I come here each week, it lifts me up.” She credits the center for her renewed strength and cheer.

Elizabeth, 58, also waits to meet with the visiting doctor about her back pain. She and her husband came to the safety of Lebanon in 2012 from Aleppo after their house became unlivable, with no water or electricity.

Before the war, life had been comfortable. Elizabeth’s husband was a jeweler, and they owned their spacious four-bedroom apartment.

Now they are living in a small, one-room dwelling. At 65 years old, Elizabeth’s husband now works at an auto repair garage. The hours are long; the labor, grimy and physically intensive.

“At a time when he should be thinking of retiring, he’s working so hard and comes home exhausted,” she says, love and concern written across her eyes. He also suffers from back pain, she says.

“And we’re barely able to cover our rent,” she adds.

“This group really helps us to overcome our difficulties,” she says of the women’s meetings and group therapy sessions. “So many of us were psychologically disturbed because of what we’ve gone through. When we came here, I felt so alone. But through the center, I’ve made many friends.”

Although Karagheusian is a secular organization, the Christian message is evident.

“We encourage them to give glory to God for everything,” social worker Janine Tanilian says of the organization’s women’s groups.

“Even though they are in a really bad situation, they can thank God because they are alive, their children love them and these days will pass and the sun will shine.”

Lebanon’s refugee crisis has posed a tremendous challenge for the many churches present there.

Efforts to care for the refugees abound, but resources are scarce and fatigue impacts even the most generous. To serve the Syrian Armenian population who fled to

Lebanon, a committee comprised of members from the Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic and Armenian Evangelical churches was formed to better reach the displaced families. The three churches entrusted the Karagheusian MedicoSocial Center to be the coordinator of aid and to provide the needed support; after all, their congregations — for generations — have been receiving medical and social services from the Karagheusian Foundation.

“We have seen lives changed for the better with the direct support of CNEWA and through the collaboration and coordination between the church, our organization and CNEWA. The hopeless have received hope,” says Field Director Mr. Ohanian.

Bishop George Assadourian, who serves with the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate, praised the Karagheusian Center, noting that its “presence and continuity is of great importance to the poor population who are being served,” whether members of the host community or refugees.

“We would encourage their work and recommend all support to the organization to keep doing its good work toward the disadvantaged population,” Bishop George added.

“I want to thank God for the work Howard Karagheusian did and will continue to do,” says the Rev. Raffi Messerlian, pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Nor Marash in Bourj Hammoud.

“I believe that what they did and what they provided was very important and very essential,” he adds, “and I see that the heart of their outreach is keeping the dignity of human beings by trying to provide some of the basic needs necessary for individuals.”

The Rev. Sarkis Sarkissian, chair of the religious committee of the Armenian Apostolic Prelacy in Lebanon, commended the organization. “In the midst of social and economic hardship, this organization was a refuge to all

Who can give a child like this hope?

You can. #WeAreCNEWA www.cnewa.org

who sought help,” he says. With its medical and social services, the center “has improved the lives of the community members and has brought considerable changes in the lives of so many.”

During the influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon, “they were the only social organization to lend their helping hand and receive all the refugees equally,” Father Sarkissian added.

“We, as the Armenian prelacy, highly appreciate what the center did for more than seven years for the refugees and also for the host community members. We also thank [CNEWA] for funding most of the projects the center offered to the refugees and host community members.”

Back at the center, the women’s group members also express gratitude; they have found a stable foothold from which to look to the future.

“I can’t stop thinking of my memories,” Talar says wistfully.

“But I thank God we are alive. We have to open a new page every day and not look back.”

While she hopes her family may one day resettle in the West, she is

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happy that they have found some stability in the present — especially for their children.

“Everything from the past is gone, but for the sake of our kids we have to be strong. My dream is for my sons to have a good future, doing something that they love.”

Elizabeth, too, expresses quiet resolve. “I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow,” she says.

“The future looks dark. But because I have faith in God, I know that he will help me to cross through these times.”

Doreen Abi Raad is a freelance writer in Beirut. She has written for Catholic News Service and the National Catholic Register.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT REFUGEES IN LEBANON ON OUR BLOG, ONE-TO-ONE:

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cnewablog.org/web/ lebanonrefuge

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focus

on the world of CNEWA

W

e often describe our ministry at CNEWA as one of “accompaniment” of the Eastern Catholic churches on behalf of the Holy Father and in the name of the church. It is important we understand the breadth of this description and thus appreciate in a fuller way the importance of our “good works.”

Webster’s Dictionary tells us that to “accompany” means to “go somewhere as a companion or an escort.” For CNEWA, walking with others can take many forms. We offer guidance and support, expertise and insight, and always with a spirit of encouragement and love.

generosity — is critically important.

In many instances, CNEWA is not just the primary source of financial support, but the only external benefactor. This is the case with hundreds of individual program pieces and institutional components.

Some might think that our accompaniment only means financial support. Of course, our material support — thanks to your

But our commitment to this journey with the church takes many other forms besides financial subsidies or programmatic distributions.

Msgr. Kozar pays a pastoral visit to the Cremisan Valley in the West Bank in December 2017.

We don’t impose; we accompany the local church.

Sometimes we are called to assist the local church in determining the priorities for addressing pastoral and material needs. Again, we draw on our broader experience from CNEWA’s world and are able to give helpful insights to church leaders about real priorities.

We accompany them.

I think of a number of instances where religious congregations, sometimes cloistered and out of the public eye, have come to our regional office seeking some technical assistance, perhaps looking for help with an emergency plumbing problem, a leaking roof or an electric malfunction. CNEWA, of course, is not in the contracting business or home repair business, but since we are on the ground for so many years and have established relationships with many service providers, we are able to offer immediate comfort and security, helping them to secure reputable

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and honest contractors, engineers or craftsmen.

We accompany them.

There have even been municipal zoning issues, permit concerns and operational matters that church leaders have brought to our attention.

CNEWA assists in suggesting appropriate avenues to address professionally and legally. We do not pretend to be legal or operational experts, but we have garnered experience over the years, and we can share our knowledge with those who seek counsel from us.

We accompany them.

I have been blessed to work closely with a good number of bishops, religious superiors and lay leaders and have been honored in private visits and in formal meetings to respond to their requests for counsel about a

myriad of concerns. As the president of CNEWA, I take this role very seriously — and as their brother and as a priest, I am privileged to offer them my spiritual, pastoral and emotional support. The greatest compliment I receive as the pope’s representative of CNEWA is when they refer to me as their “beloved brother.” They know and trust that CNEWA is walking with them.

We accompany them.

I have been invited personally to attend gatherings of bishops, episcopal conference meetings, religious congregation chapters and the like. On behalf of CNEWA, I’ve been privileged to extend a hand of support, offering them our insights and our counsel. They have always been grateful for this, as it brings before them the bigger picture of the universal church. They realize they are not alone.

We accompany them.

And you join us as we accompany them.

When we are invited to give our counsel — to share our experience or even to offer constructive criticism — CNEWA steps up and offers responses with a sense of fraternity and solidarity. We do not “impose” our thinking on any church, diocese, institution, project or individual. We offer advice, answer questions, make suggestions and join our prayers with theirs as they journey forward.

We accompany them.

Diocesan officials value greatly the counsel of our regional offices and actively seek our participation in developing new programs of religious education or evangelization; seminary pastoral outreach programs; and community faith development programs in cities, towns and rural villages.

Besides the financial support, CNEWA often encourages the local church to reach out further in her ministry and service.

We are there to assist in whatever way we can.

We don’t impose; we accompany them. And you join us as we accompany them.

Your financial support to CNEWA translates to so many forms of accompaniment in our outreach in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe. Besides our financial distributions, which are critically important, our prayers and our moral support make a real difference in the faith life of those whom we are privileged to serve.

Please continue your own personal “accompaniment” by remembering those in need in your prayers. God bless you.

From left to right: Home of Faith, an orphanage in Kerala, is one of the many institutions CNEWA is privileged to support.

Msgr. Kozar speaks to novices and seminarians on his pastoral visit to the Horn of Africa, April 2017.

CNEWA’s national director in Canada, Carl Hétu, visits the parish of the Rev. Petro Chudyk in Tarashcha, Ukraine.

Ra’ed Bahou, head of CNEWA’s Amman office, reviews the renovation of Immaculate Conception Church in Jordan.

MSGR. KOZAR HAS MORE ABOUT ACCOMPANYING THE CHURCH IN AN EXCLUSIVE VIDEO:

u

onemagazinehome.org/ web/accompany

Msgr. John E. Kozar

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CNEWA a papal agency for humanitarian and pastoral support 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022-4195 • 1-212-826-1480 • cnewa@cnewa.org 1247 Kilborn Place, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 6K9 • 1-866-322-4441 • www.cnewa.ca