ONE Magazine September 2018

one

September 2018

God • World • Human Family • Church

Sharing Hope Egypt’s New Generation of Priests Shattered Lives Restored in Georgia New Beginnings in Iraq Hopes for Palestine’s Christian Youth

one COVER STORY

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Remembering the Forgotten How CNEWA cares for the ignored text and photographs by John E. Kozar

FEATURES

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Amir’s Choice Becoming part of Egypt’s next generation of priests text by Magdy Samaan with photographs by Roger Anis

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Defining ‘Christian’ in Palestine Connecting young people of the Holy Land to their roots

by Samar Hazboun

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A Letter From Iraq

by Chamsa Marzina Hadaya

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‘Our Doors Are Open’ The church continues her mission to children in India text by Anubha George

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Confronting Abuse of Women in Georgia Bringing hope to at-risk women and children in Georgia text and photographs by Molly Corso

DEPARTMENTS

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Connections to CNEWA’s world

t Since its founding, CNEWA has provided support for children and other vulnerable populations throughout the world, often through the loving efforts of local religious sisters.

OUR WEBSITE onemagazinehome.org OUR BLOG cnewablog.org

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION CATHOLIC NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION

Volume 44 NUMBER 3

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Give the Best Best Magazine 2018 Catholic Press Association awards 28 Front: Children in an indigenous Mishing village in India share candy.

Back: A young girl relaxes in the village of Garora, on the outskirts of Delhi.

Photo Credits Front cover, pages 2, 3 (lower right), 3 (far right), 22, 27, 36-37, 39, back cover, John E. Kozar/ CNEWA; page 3 (top), CNS photo/Paul Haring; pages 3 (upper left), 12-17, 19, Samar Hazboun; pages 3 (upper right), 6, 8-11, Roger Anis; pages 3 (lower left), 28-35, Molly Corso; pages 4, 21, 24, CNEWA; page 5, Armineh Johannes: page 18, CNS photo/Debbie Hill; page 20, SAFIN HAMED/ AFP/Getty Images; pages 25-26, Meenakshi Soman.

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

36 ONE is published quarterly. ISSN: 1552-2016 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.

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 ©2018 Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

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

“Year in, year out, this appealing magazine features breath-taking photography, innovative design, and (above all) textbook storytelling.”

Share a subscription today In the United States: www.cnewa.org In Canada: www.cnewa.ca

connections

to CNEWA’s world

A Visitor From ‘the Great North’ the guidance of Mar Barnabas, lay catechists are reaching the most isolated of communities, sharing the love of Jesus for each person, regardless of status or wealth.

It is a radical idea in this part of the world, where people have not heard of Jesus. Yet this message, and the advocacy it encourages, can be threatening to interests seeking to exploit the land, labor or lives of indigenous populations.

CNEWA has provided support to encourage this mission — a mission that often entails great risk for the bishop and his lay catechists.

In August, Msgr. John E. Kozar welcomed to CNEWA’s New York office a true trailblazer, Syro-Malankara Catholic Bishop Jacob Barnabas Aerath. Mar Barnabas serves the northernmost reaches of India — a land Msgr. Kozar calls “the Great North.”

Rich in diverse customs, peoples and languages, much of the north is populated by impoverished tribal communities ignored by the government and exploited by the region’s dominant cultures. The presence of the church is weak, and largely unheard of among the poor. However, with

Aid Rushed to Flooded India In late August, CNEWA rushed emergency funds to help some 4,000 families cope with historic flooding that has devastated much of Kerala, a state in southwestern India. Monsoon rains swelled rivers and ponds, triggering landslides, severing power, washing away roads, livestock, crops and homes.

More than a million people fled their homes, finding refuge in camps set up on higher ground.

Hundreds were reported killed.

CNEWA’s emergency aid included food kits, potable water, medicines and sanitary items, along with household materials and school

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“I tell them, ‘At maximum, you may lose your head; get ready for it!’ And they respond, ‘We are ready!’ ” The bishop told the story of one catechist: Though not a physician, people call him “the doctor,” bringing him sick members of their village. He prays with them and for them, offering compassion and care — and often, that is enough.

To read more about CNEWA’s work in India, turn to Page 22.

supplies for children. While the flooding has subsided, recovery and rehabilitation efforts are underway, with residents seeking to rebuild and battle sickness and disease, such as rat disease. You can help CNEWA assist Kerala’s Catholic churches’ relief efforts, visit: www. cnewa.org/web/indiarelief.

Funds Rushed to Ethiopia CNEWA rushed emergency aid to help more than 4,000 people fleeing interethnic violence in south central Ethiopia in August. The assistance is providing food, medicines and sanitary items for about 733 families, including some 700 children under

the age of 5 and about 400 expectant or nursing mothers. All were seeking refuge on the grounds of St. Paul Catholic Church in an area known as Galcha, some 270 miles south of the capital of Addis Ababa.

The parish, which includes some 6,000 Catholics, runs primary and secondary schools and a clinic that normally treats 180 people a day.

Since April, interethnic violence has rocked many parts of Ethiopia, especially among the various ethnic groups living in areas of south central and southeastern Ethiopia.

You can help CNEWA care for these displaced families, visit: www. cnewa.org/web/ethiopia.

OUR WEBSITE onemagazinehome.org OUR BLOG cnewablog.org

ONE Named Best Magazine ONE magazine took top honors in June at the 2018 Catholic Press Association annual media conference, held this year in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The magazine won a total of 28 awards, including First Place for Best Magazine in the Mission Magazine category.

Other winning categories included writing, photography, editing and online newsletter, as well as general excellence awards for individual members of the editorial team.

“Year in, year out,” the judges commented, “this is an appealing magazine that features breathtaking photography, innovative design, and (above all) textbook storytelling.”

You can find a complete list of the winners at www.cnewablog. org/web/2018cpa.

‘Thank You’ From Armenia In July, the Armenian Sisters of the Immaculate Conception celebrated the 25th anniversary of their summer camp program in Armenia.

Sister Arousiag Sajonian, who founded the program and now leads the community from their mother house in Rome, conveyed her gratitude to the CNEWA family in a letter to Msgr. John Kozar. She enclosed a certificate of appreciation to CNEWA, “in recognition of the generous contribution to Our Lady of Armenia Camp, 1997-2018, enabling each child in need to enjoy physical repose and develop spiritual and moral values in an environment of mutual love and respect.

“Please accept it,” she added, “with our deep gratitude and profound appreciation.”

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There is more to discover about CNEWA’s world online: • Read the dramatic account of how CNEWA is helping provide an emergency feeding and health care program in Ethiopia in a time of intense interethnic violence at www.cnewa.org/ web/ethiopiaviolence • Discover in our Annual Report how CNEWA’s donors have helped us be the hands, face and voice of Christ to so many in need around our world. Read the details at www.cnewa.org/web/annualreport2017 • See how Caritas Armenia is bringing light and warmth to some of the elderly poor in Armenia, with support from CNEWA, in a video at www.cnewa.org/web/ armeniavideo

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

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Forming Church Leadership

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Amir’s Choice Journey of a young man discerning the call to service in Egypt

by Magdy Samaan with photographs by Roger Anis

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mir Maher, 28, remembers when he first started to think seriously about entering religious life. It all started at a youth conference in Cairo in 2008, when the young man was still in college.

Jesuit Father Henri Boulad was giving a talk.

“I don’t remember the topic,” Mr. Maher says today, “but I remember clearly my feeling at that moment: I felt that I wanted to be like this man.” Is it possible, he wondered, that he was called to be a priest?

He tried to put such thoughts out of his mind. He returned from the conference to Al Wasta, his town in Assiut, thinking that it was just a passing whim.

He now realizes, however, that it was something more.

“What happened that day was like a seed thrown into the earth, which then disappeared,” he says.

“I went on in my life and forgot about it. But after a while the seed started to grow and the call became clearer.”

He adds: “I was trying to reject the idea, saying that it was just an outburst of youth. I was telling myself, ‘When I get a job and have money I will forget it.’ ” But he did not; the seed had taken root.

Amir Maher plays with relatives in the back yard of his home in Al Wasta.

“What attracted me to Father Boulad was the lifestyle he had chosen,” he says. “He left everything and chose this way.”

Still, Mr. Maher continued on his course. He graduated from Assiut University in 2011 with a degree in engineering. He went on to serve a year of military service, and then traveled to the United Arab Emirates to work as an electrical engineer for a street lighting company.

His job seemed to be a good opportunity for a young graduate, but it brought him no happiness.

“I felt that something was missing,” Mr. Maher says now. “I felt this was not the fulfilling life I had wanted for myself.” He found himself remembering that talk by Father Boulad. “I was not able to focus on my work, because the idea was overwhelming me. I told myself: I will pray and ask for guidance from God. If this is the way God chose for me, I will leave everything; if not, I will stop thinking about it.”

For Mr. Maher, the church had always been the axis of his life — a welcoming place where he went as a young boy to spend his time, to play with friends or just pray. The idea of spending his life serving God did not seem far-fetched.

Finally, after months of prayer, he decided to attend a discernment retreat at St. Leo the Great Coptic Catholic Patriarchal Seminary in Cairo.

There, everything clicked into place.

“During the retreat, I felt very satisfied,” he says. “God was clear with me.” He left the retreat knowing exactly what he needed to do: He would apply to the seminary and begin studies to become a priest.

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ounded in 1953, St. Leo the Great Patriarchal Seminary is located in Maadi, a quiet neighborhood in noisy Cairo. The large building sits in the middle of 10 acres. It is a place of peace, with gardens outside for relaxation and spacious rooms inside for study and prayer.

There are currently 28 seminarians studying here as part of an eightyear program that includes a wide range of subjects — including Arabic, English, Greek, history, Islam, music, philosophy, psychology and theology.

The day starts early. The men wake up at 6. After morning meditation and liturgy, they have breakfast at 8:30 and then start their classes at 9. At 1:30, the school day ends and they break for lunch.

The rest of the afternoon is free.

Some of the seminarians play sports or read; others catch up on their studies. On some days, they go out for dinner or a movie.

Today, Mr. Maher socializes with his colleagues in the second floor

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The CNEWA Connection t Mr. Maher prays in his room at the seminary. y Seminarians gather to chat after attending a lecture.

CNEWA has long been committed to the formation of religious in the world we serve — whether it’s congregations of religious sisters, brothers or priests. We have proudly supported St. Leo the Great Seminary for decades, helping to ensure that young men who answer God’s call receive the best training academically, spiritually and theologically as they discern their vocation.

In Egypt, this presents distinct challenges. The Catholic community there is small — less than two percent — and vocations have been decreasing. St. Leo’s today has 32 seminarians, down from an average of 50 to 60 in the 1990’s. CNEWA’s regional director in Beirut, Michel Constantin, explained that waves of fanaticism, economic and political instability and discrimination against Christians in Egypt have taken a toll and made it harder for young people to commit to eight years of study in the seminary.

“Nevertheless,” he told us, “despite all the obstacles and difficulties, the Catholic Church in Egypt is playing a major leading role in the social life of the Egyptian population, through the heroic work of the Catholic institutions in the fields of education, health and helping those who are marginalized.”

CNEWA is privileged to be a vital part of that ongoing work.

To help support vocations in Egypt and throughout CNEWA’s world call: 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or 1-866-322-4441 (Canada).

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living room. Here, the seminarians spend some of their free time together — watching television, playing chess or just chatting over a cup of tea.

In the midst of this, the Rev. Bishoy Rasmy, the rector of the seminary, enters the room and hands every student an envelope containing their end-of-year evaluation and some pocket money.

“There are three aspects of life here,” Father Rasmy explains, sitting down, “the spiritual, the academic and the communal.”

Choosing the right men for that life is a complex process. In every eparchy of the Coptic Catholic Church, Father Rasmy says, there is a vocation director whose job is to discover and guide those who want to be priests. If a young man is considering the priesthood, he meets with the vocation director, who helps him discern if he has a calling. He meets with him regularly for at least a year and then, if the young man seems serious about the vocation, he takes the next step, which includes obtaining the approval of the bishop as part of the application process.

The applicants then come to the seminary for a weeklong retreat in January. At the end, they take a battery of psychological, spiritual and medical tests.

After that, a board decides who should be admitted. The seminary sends out letters, inviting those who were accepted to attend another retreat in May. “In the first retreat, we choose,” Father Rasmy says. “In the second one, they are the ones who decide to continue or to withdraw. Some discover they do not fit into this kind of life.”

Such a life can be difficult and demanding.

“Life today now has many challenges, beside the prevalence of agnosticism and atheism. If the clergyman is not prepared, he will not succeed in his mission,” says the former rector of the seminary, the Rev. Shenouda Shafik, the priest now heads the Institute of Religious Sciences in Cairo.

“This is why they have to study for eight years. The educational system in Egypt depends on memorizing. It takes us time to help the students, to form them, to help them meet all the challenges.”

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hen Mr. Maher returned to his job in the United Arab Emirates, he informed his supervisors that he was planning to leave his job to

become a Catholic priest. One of his bosses, a Sunni Muslim, tried to convince him to stay; another one, a Shiite Muslim, encouraged him to go. A third man, a Buddhist from India, asked him to pray for him.

His job was not the only important part of his life he had to leave behind; at the time he decided to join the seminary, he was engaged.

Breaking up with his fiancée, he says, was the most difficult thing he had to do.

“It was hard,” he explains, “because I was choosing between two loves.”

But he says she made it easier for him — she not only accepted his choice, but she even encouraged and supported him.

His family, however, was another matter. Back home, Mr. Maher’s mother and father tried repeatedly

to convince him he was making a mistake. They wanted their son to marry and have children.

After months of disagreement, they came to realize the young man had already made up his mind; he would not budge. Finally, they gave him their blessing.

“Now, I feel that my family is happy that I made this choice,” he says. “They are proud they can give one of the family to the consecrated life.”

Mr. Maher believes the time he spent in the secular world before he entered the seminary was useful.

“These experiences helped me,” he explains. “Now, I do not say ‘If only I had worked or had money or had a romantic relationship, I would have been happier.’ I have already experienced that. And I’m happier now.”

“If this is the way God chose for me, I will leave everything.”

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“I feel that God was preparing me a long time ago for this.�

t Mr. Maher greets Deacon Boutros Yousef Yacoub in Al Wasta.

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l Wasta is located about six miles from the city of Assiut, some 230 miles south of Cairo. It is an island in the Nile. The town has some 40,000 people, about 7,000 of whom are Christian.

The village has only one church: Virgin Mary Coptic Catholic Church.

Al Wasta is a place Mr. Maher knows well. It is the village he calls home.

One day, he meets us at the Assiut Railway Station and drives us to his home. At the entrance of the village, a friend of his, Deacon Boutros Yousef Yacoub, 31, is waiting for us. On our way to the seminarian’s home we collect another friend, Gergis Attia, 29, a secondary-school English teacher.

We pass through a gate into a compound of several older houses; all belong to the extended family of the Rev. Stephanos Gergis, who is pastor of the parish, which his family had built. The pastor has known the aspiring priest for most of his life.

“Since his childhood, Amir regularly attended and served in the church,” Father Gergis says. “Amir told me, ‘I will not serve the world.

I want to serve only God.’ He left everything and has started to do that.”

Mr. Maher’s friends thought it would be difficult for him to leave his job and return to Egypt to become a priest.

“Amir’s decision to join the seminary was unexpected,” Mr. Attia says. “But Amir has clear and organized thinking. When he has a goal, he follows every step to reach it. He does not like to show off. He puts God in his life strongly, which is why I think he will be a good shepherd.”

The seminarian has two older married brothers; one of them now

Support Egypt’s seminarians anchor their life’s work in faith Please help today www.egyptcnewa.org

lives in Canada. His father is a retired civil servant and his mother is a retired teacher. They live in a newly built house. The family also owns some land and houses that belong to his uncles.

But none of that seems to interest the young man; when he visits the village on vacations, his parents say, he spends most of the time in the church.

“He does not do anything but church,” says Maher Gad Al Rab Zakhary, his father. “When he comes to visit, he does not have time for us to enjoy sitting with him. All his time and thinking is at the church. I tried to dissuade him for three months but this way has been in his mind since an early age.”

His son, he says, has always had a generous heart.

“In school,” he adds, “he always shared his meals with his friends.”

His mother, Nagat Ghatas, points to her son with pride. She sees in him not only a young man of faith, but also a figure of hope — one who might lead others on a better path.

“We are glad that he chose to be close to God,” she says. “Because he takes us closer to God.” To meet Amir Maher is to meet the future of Christian Egypt —

a young person who is embarking on a path he hopes will help carry the faith to others during a challenging moment in his country’s history. He knows his journey is just beginning. But he believes in his heart he is ready — and he is certain the choice he has made is part of God’s will for his life.

“I feel that God was preparing me a long time ago for this,” he says simply.

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.

READ MORE ABOUT THE LIFE OF A SEMINARIAN IN EGYPT ON OUR BLOG, ONE-TO-ONE:

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cnewablog.org/web/ leoblog AND CHECK OUT OUR EXCLUSIVE VIDEO AT: onemagazinehome.org/ web/leovideo

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Accompanying the Church

Defining ‘Christian’ in Palestine Connecting young people of the Holy Land to their roots

by Samar Hazboun

Palestinian Christians and members of the scouts gather outside the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Bethlehem.

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The CNEWA Connection t A Palestinian Christian woman prays in the Church of the Nativity. u Youth gather by the headquarters of the Terra Sancta Scouts. y Roni Fakhouri, right, and Suzanne Musallam chat with another member of the scout organization.

Faith formation and scouting programs in the Palestinian Territories are just a few ways for young people to develop a sense of identity and belonging to the land, and CNEWA has supported these programs for several years. In neighboring Israel, we have partnered with the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the International Christian Committee to develop special youth programs to help young Christians learn their faith, build leadership skills, promote critical thinking and strengthen their bond to the land of Jesus.

Our regional director in Jerusalem, Joseph Hazboun, explained that Israel’s indigenous Christians hold Israeli passports and are ethnic Arab Palestinians — a minority within a minority — with most belonging to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. This creates multiple challenges that need to be overcome. “CNEWA is working closely with the local church to promote identity, leadership and a sense of belonging,” he said. “This is not an easy task and will definitely require a serious collective effort over the next few years.”

You can help this work continue, and give purpose and hope to the next generation of young people living in the land we call holy.

To lend your support, call: 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or 1-866-322-4441 (Canada).

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s the sun over Bethlehem begins to set, people gather in the square between the Church of the Nativity and the Mosque of Omar. Seated on stairs, benches and the pavement, people young and old congregate as the sky darkens and the shadows lengthen. Amid conversation, the air reverberates with church bells pealing and the call to prayer from the minarets.

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A visitor may have difficulty discerning which locals belong to which faith community. However, one nearby contingent stands out: young people wearing the distinct shirts and scarves of a scouting troop.

Roni Fakhouri, a 22-year-old Palestinian Christian, leads the Terra Sancta Scouts troop.

This evening’s gathering was partly his idea. The young man has taken it upon himself to organize

youth gatherings every Sunday after morning prayer outside the church.

He encourages the group of young Christians to meet here every weekend, close to the place where tradition holds that Jesus was born.

It is a fitting place for young people to gather — connecting the youth of today with the place where the Christian story began.

“We are here,” he says. “We need to make ourselves present and visible so the character of the place does not change.”

This is only one of the activities initiated by Bethlehem’s Terra Sancta Scout group in an effort to build community. “During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, our scouts, both girls and boys, were handing water bottles and dates to Palestinian Muslims as they were breaking their fast,” says Suzanne Musallam, another scout leader.

Mr. Fakhouri adds that they went to the mosque the other day and cleaned all the rugs ahead of prayer.

That spirit of friendship and cooperation not only builds bridges, but it also gives these young people a sense of identity and purpose. At a time when young Palestinian Christians are facing many challenges on a variety of fronts — from political strife to geographical struggles and social difficulties — this scout troop is discovering what it means to be both Palestinian and Christian.

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alestine has always been multireligious, yet in recent times the number of

“We need to make ourselves present and visible so the character of the place does not change.”

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Christians has been rapidly dwindling. It is estimated that Palestinian Christians now make up less than 2 percent of the population — a decline that has tremendously affected the town of Bethlehem, where Christians were once in the majority.

When asked if they would prefer to live here or emigrate, most youth chose the latter. Life has become more difficult; for the Christians of Bethlehem, traveling the short distance of about six miles to Jerusalem is not possible without an Israeli permit and crossing the Bethlehem checkpoint, also known as checkpoint 300. Traveling around the occupied West Bank is not easy either — indeed, the difficulties have led to the creation of isolated communities that no longer interact with one another.

Church leaders estimate that about 45 Christian families emigrated from the area of Bethlehem in the past year, leading to a further erosion of Christianity in what is literally its birthplace. It is difficult to obtain a precise figure, as many of these families do not officially announce that they are emigrating; many just go, leaving behind their empty houses. From the 1950’s to the present, Bethlehem’s Christian population has fallen from more than 80 percent to around 12 percent of the population.

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Christian sites in Bethlehem have also suffered. Consider the Cremisan Valley, for example, which is home to the largest winery in Palestine and two monasteries, with some of the region’s oldest and most cherished terraced landscapes. It has been carved through by an Israeli separation barrier, leading to the destruction of the landscapes that have survived for centuries and effectively erasing an important agricultural area to Christian families. Once the wall is completed, the town of Beit Jala, which falls under the Bethlehem district, will lose access to about two-thirds of its land.

Palestinians have also lost access to Rachel’s Tomb, located at the northern entrance of Bethlehem, a site holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. These changes are leading many Palestinian Christians to feel detached from the place, since they can no longer access sites closely connected to their identity.

“This town is not mine,” says Ramez Haimur, who used to be a scout. He now works two jobs a day to make ends meet. “I don’t feel at home here anymore. I don’t even recognize this place. I have no future here. It’s not like it used to be.”

As with many other young Christians, he offers a surprising answer if you ask him what it means

Father Bashar Fawadleh offers religious perspective to the local youth.

to live the message of Jesus: silence.

A number of Palestinian Christian youth have no answer when asked what it means to be a Christian or what it means to describe his or her Christian identity.

“It depends on whom I’m talking to, but I identify as Arab first, Palestinian second and then Christian,” says Rena Boulos, who

“Identity starts from within.

If I know myself, then I can advance.”

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Terra Sancta Scouts rehearse for a parade in Bethlehem.

“I am very optimistic about this.

Our youth are seeking a deeper meaning for their life.

This will really provide the meaningful answer.”

A young woman recieves ashes on Ash Wednesday at Annunciation Church in Beit Jala, West Bank.

works for a local nongovernmental agency.

Ms. Boulos says Christianity is part of her cultural and historical heritage, but she struggles with matters of faith.

“I believe Christianity is a form of identity just like we identify as Arabs or Palestinians. But I’m proud of being a Palestinian Christian! We were here since the beginning — well, since as far as can be traced back.”

Dr. Yousef Musallam, the leader of the Terra Santa Scouts in Bethlehem, expresses concern over a crisis of Christian identity among Palestinian youth, and says the scouts’ mission is to raise awareness among its members.

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“As Christian scouts, we do our best to plant the seeds of faith amongst our members,” he says, adding, “[we] make sure they love their country and become good human beings and citizens.

“The bigger task, however, falls on other institutions such as the church, the municipality and the government. There’s only so much we [scouts] can do.”

The scouts help provide a sense of order and build character but, according to the Rev. Bashar Fawadleh, a spiritual leader for Palestinian youth, the group currently puts more emphasis on exteriority — modes of expression such as as music, art and performance — instead of investing in spirituality and religion. He stresses a desperate need for an “inner growth,” adding that “a scout

should belong to his country, the church and himself.”

As he explains it, these three pillars are crucial for forming identity. “My identity starts from within me,” he says. “If I know myself, then I can advance. If I don’t know myself or who I am as a human being, then I am unable to proceed with my life in any shape or form.”

Complicating matters is a broader sense of disengagement from the institutions that have traditionally played so central a role in identity formation: church and home.

“The role of the home is very important,” Father Fawadleh says. He adds that Palestinian Christians are starting to lose their sense of family — an issue he calls “the main problem” facing young people.

“As long as there is a home,” he says, “then there’s an umbrella which can contain the individual within a group. But when the home is broken, we lose our identity.” He pauses then shrugs his shoulders.

“By then it’s too late. It can take a really long time to rebuild this.”

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NEWA’s regional director in Jerusalem, Joseph Hazboun, says the scouts are one way to help rebuild the Christian identity among Palestinian youth — but just the beginning.

He explains that CNEWA is working with the local churches to develop formation initiatives, such as the local Christian Youth Ministry that, in his words, “helps raise awareness about the land of the Bible and of the early church, instills an appreciation of the land of their ancestors, and, hopefully, reconnects the younger generations to the land of their birth.

“This should help strengthen their spiritual ties, their faith, to the land we call holy.”

The ultimate goal, he emphasizes, is not only spiritual, but practical: to encourage the young to remain in their homeland.

“It is very important when we come to think about the challenge of emigration,” he explains. “In the past, Christian leaders thought that what would keep the younger people from leaving would be to give them good job opportunities and housing.

“But we have learned that housing and employment opportunities are not enough. Our youth lack something that is fundamental, and it explains the disconnect between Palestinian Christian youth and their homeland, and that is an incomplete understanding of what it means to be a Christian living in the land of Jesus.”

And he sees a deeper significance, as well.

Open new doors for the Holy Land’s young Christians Please help today www.mideastcnewa.org

“We are trying to foster a new generation who will understand their history and their faith and will be able to explain it — announce it!

— when asked or questioned. We want them to recognize the unique role of being Christians in the Holy Land, in the land of Jesus, where the Gospel first took root.

“We want them to see it as a mission, as a vocation.”

But Mr. Hazboun says effecting real change in the next generation will not happen overnight. This endeavor has only been underway for a short time.

“We have to be patient,” he says.

“Investing in people takes time. But I am very optimistic about this. We have neglected this aspect for so long and leaders see we need to invest in it. Our youth are seeking a deeper meaning for their life. This will really provide the meaningful answer.”

For now, the scouts continue to gather on weekend evenings just steps from the birthplace of Jesus, as the square fills with sacred sounds from different faiths. On these evenings, for a short time, they come together in a common space, bringing varied histories and hopes.

They are learning who they are and where they come from, though they have yet to discover who they will become.

“The future of Palestinian youth is unknown for Christians and Muslims,” says Dr. Musallam. “The political situation can explode at any moment. And there is nothing anyone can promise them.”

But grounded in faith, Father Fawadleh and Joseph Hazboun believe, will inspire new ideas and new hopes.

Born in Jerusalem, Samar Hazboun is a photojournalist who has served as a photo editor for Agence France Presse. Her work has appeared in El Pais Spanish, The Intercept, Al Jazeera and other publications.

SAMAR HAZBOUN HAS MORE ABOUT YOUTHS IN PALESTINE ON OUR BLOG, ONE-TO-ONE:

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Accompanying the Church

A letter from

IRAQ

by Chamsa Marzina Hadaya

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s a wife, mother, sister-inlaw and aunt of a large Christian family from the Nineveh Plain in northern Iraq, the last four years have been harsh.

Our lives changed in the middle of the night in early August in 2014 when my husband Boulos, our three daughters and one son fled the invasion of ISIS, left behind our family farm and found refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Before our displacement, we shared our large house with our extended family of 25 people,

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including grandparents, aunts and uncles and their families. Together, we enjoyed a very strong feeling of belonging to the land and to our community. The men of the family spent their time with agricultural and farming activities, which provided the family with income, stability and sustainability. The women took care of the house and with raising our children, and of course lending a helpful hand to our husbands, too.

Our displacement and exile destroyed our way of life and

dramatically altered the structure of our family and how we related to one another. We lost our home, our fields and our income. We had to split up — we could never have afforded to rent a large house to shelter the whole family.

Right after we fled Qaraqosh, we used some of our savings and spent a few days in a cheap motel. We then rented a small apartment for a few months, but we ran out of funds as our stay lengthened from weeks to months to years. We had to quit the apartment and find

another place provided by the church that was a prefabricated room in the camp of Ain Kawa — near the city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. We stayed there for more than 15 months.

Life was unbearable during our stay in the camp. We had no income and we were completely dependent on charity for every single need. We experienced real destitution and we felt weak, humiliated and alone — strangers in a strange land.

Nothing but our faith gave us real support: We felt God’s presence in our daily life, and this gave us hope and determination to hang on for a better life.

I cried. I prayed to God and asked him for his help to preserve our dignity — and God heard me! One of the organizations working in the same camp where I lived offered me a job in the kindergarten, and with this income I was able to help support my husband and family.

I have to admit that, spiritually, I have passed through some difficult times. I questioned God many times, wondering, “How is it possible that he has abandoned us?” But after all those moments of fear, I have finally surrendered my life and my fate to God. My mother taught me how to live my faith, how to face crises and adapt to change. She taught me how to synchronize my hands and my mind to achieve my goals.

Thanks to the image of my mother and her encouraging whispers that have accompanied and guided me in such difficult times, my hope in God has become so strong that now I live it in every single detail of my life. And now, again, I take this opportunity and this experience to pass it on to my children.

At the beginning, Qaraqosh — once a city of 50,000 inhabitants — was like a ghost town, very few people returned to live amid the destruction.

It was hard to walk around and see the ruins everywhere. The path of destruction included schools, churches, hospitals, factories and houses. But we thought it was necessary to return home, where we could work and support ourselves.

Since our house is uninhabitable, we have rented an apartment. My husband and his brothers have returned to the fields to revive them for planting.

As for me, I found a temporary job in the power company and in the evenings I provide tutoring for extra income to help my husband and my family to rebuild our home.

The situation is improving now, and life is returning, but slowly. The return of the churches, of our priests and sisters, and the opening of our schools is encouraging us to have some confidence and hope for a better future. We know tensions swirl all around us, yet our return is the first step for reconciliation and rebuilding. And we wait for the government to be serious about us and to take full responsibility.

With our neighbors, we wait in hope the Lord will revive us just as he did with the people of Israel as they returned from their exile and captivity. n

“We felt God’s presence in our daily life and this gave us hope.”

Chamsa Hadaya stands surrounded by family members.

Following our return to our homes in a liberated Qaraqosh in September 2017, our joy was mixed with pain and bitterness. Our beloved home was gutted by fire and our fields were destroyed, but yet our joy was unbelievable; we were home! We were back in the home of our forefathers, our pride!

But the initial excitement subsided as the brutal reality hit us.

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Children in Need

‘Our Doors Are Open’ Amid great change in India, the church continues her mission to children

by Anubha George

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Editors’ note: The names of children in the article have been changed to protect their identity.

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obby lived in the hills of Idukki in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala with her mother and father. When she was 3 years old, she witnessed her father murder her mother, chopping her body into pieces and burning them. Bobby is now 7. She remembers it all.

Understanding the level of trauma the toddler faced, the head of a nursery that received her placed Bobby at a facility equipped to provide the level of care and support she needed — St. Thomas Home, run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

“The girls we’ve had here have been from broken families,” says Sister Francila, who administers the center that has served girls since its founding in 1968.

“Either their mother has left the family to be with another man or the father has left to be with someone else.”

This situation seems to be common in the high ranges of Kerala, where laborers from different states migrate for work.

“People who work on tea or spice plantation estates in this part of Kerala are all day laborers; they don’t have a steady income,” Sister Francila says. “These workers have no homes or savings.”

Most of the laborers hail from northern India or neighboring states such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. “Intercaste and interreligious marriages are common here,” Sister Francila adds.

Cohabitation is likewise common.

“Leaving one’s family to be with another man or woman isn’t something that’s looked down upon. That makes it common,” she says.

The tea and spice trade has flourished in this part of Kerala

because of the climate, which is temperate, yet slightly humid.

Spices such as cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg and areca nut grow in abundance. This region is also known for its rubber plantations.

Most of these estates are owned by generations of the same families, who provide housing and accommodation. “The houses are built very close together,” Sister Francila says. “Anyone can go in or walk out of any home at any time of day or night. This makes safety and the security of girls a big problem.”

St. Thomas Home was founded with this challenge in mind — to provide a safe place for girls among a highly transient population.

“The idea has always been to give girls from these families an opportunity at life — or they would have the same life as their parents,” Sister Francila says. “That cycle would never break otherwise.”

Presently, the home houses 30 girls, ages 5 to 18. There, Sister Francila says, they lead a disciplined life: “They wake up, pray, go to school, study and learn to manage their lives.”

Despite its long record of providing an invaluable service, St. Thomas Home has recently decided to give up its legal classification as an “orphanage” and will now run as a “boarding home” for girls.

In the last year or so, the Congregation of the Sacred Heart has closed eight of its so-called orphanages in Kottayam district alone. “Just two of the ten orphanages we had in this district remain,” Sister Francila says. “The rest are closed.”

The Sacred Heart Sisters are not alone in closing many of their orphanages, most of which housed children from single-parent families, not orphans. A new law passed by the Parliament of India in 2015, and put into force as of January 2016,

calls for officially classified orphanages to be run under a much tighter framework of rules and raised the standards for those caring for the children. Although the biggest and perhaps the most controversial aspect of the act is that minors between the ages of 16 to 18 will be tried as adults if they have been accused of a crime, some other requirements have also caused a stir, particularly for women religious, who operate facilities with limited resources and tight budgets.

“The new rules require a lot more staff than we have or can afford,” the Sacred Heart sister says. “We would need staff members who are graduates and postgraduates, doctors and nurses, psychologists and sociologists. Can you ever imagine people from the cities coming to these remote parts of Kerala?”

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he state of Kerala has the highest number of orphanages and child care facilities in India. Most of these are run by religious institutions — predominantly Christian and Muslim organizations. For decades, these child care institutions of the Catholic Church in India — Syro Malabar, Syro Malankara and Latin — were administered by religious communities of men and women who, with varying levels of education and training, devoted their lives in service to the care of children. But with the decline of vocations to the religious life in Kerala, especially among women, most administrators of child care institutions have had to hire staff to deliver the same quality of care once given by sisters, priests or brothers for free. In addition, the administrators have had to train and inculcate these new staff members with the unique charism of that particular religious community and the values of the church, especially

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The CNEWA Connection t A church-run initiative teaches trade skills, such as dressmaking, to people in low-income urban areas. u Sister Francila administers St. Thomas Home in the Kottayam district of Kerala. y Young residents gather for lunch at Sacred Heart Balanagar Hostel for Boys.

For decades, CNEWA has been committed to caring for the most vulnerable in the areas we serve. In a particular way we have devoted time and attention to the needs of children, especially the orphaned and the poor. In India, this has meant supporting a number of schools and orphanages run by dedicated religious sisters and their congregations — accompanying those in need with loving support, excellent education and quality health care.

Our regional director in India, M.L. Thomas, notes: “Kerala was educationally and culturally advanced … and Christian institutions took it as a major activity to provide education and good living to the poor children.”

The Indian government has encouraged and appreciated these undertakings — and seen remarkable results, including increased literacy and, in some places, an improved quality of life.

“Although a number of institutions in Kerala have been discontinued,” Mr. Thomas says, “there is no major impact on our programs” because of the Juvenile Justice Act. CNEWA’s love and concern for the smallest, the weakest and the most vulnerable has helped uplift generations of needy children. That work continues unabated today.

The church’s impact — thanks to CNEWA’s generous donors—has not only changed young lives, but in small but significant ways, changed parts of our world.

To continue changing our world, call: 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or 1-866-322-4441 (Canada).

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the commitment to care and protect children.

The state, too, had in place laws for the care and protection of children — such as the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2000. This newest act, however, came about in part as a response to reports of child trafficking. In the past three years, according to authorities, there have been more than 500 reported kidnappings in Kerala alone.

Among other things, the new law passed by the federal government codifies foster care in India for the first time. Families may now enroll in a program designed for the care of abandoned and orphaned children. Such families will be given financial help by the government, but they will be monitored closely.

In addition, the law now regulates the amount of foreign aid or grant money such child care institutions can accept.

“We can either accept government grants or foreign grants. Not both anymore,” Sister Francila says. Most institutions then, she concludes, choose to accept the money from the state authorities, even though it is not always sufficient.

While the new law lifts the standards for the care and protection of children, it impacts resourcepoor religious communities, such as the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, which provide much of the care that is needed.

“One of the principles of our congregation is to look after the

young and old of the society. We have always done that.” As her voice fades, Sacred Heart Sister Francila adds, “and now we can’t.”

However, in light of the demographic changes taking hold in Kerala especially, and the impact of these changes on vocation recruitment efforts among the state’s dynamic churches, India’s new child care and protection act is challenging the Syro Malabar and Syro Malankara Catholic churches to reconsider their priorities and to develop new and creative ways to instill self-worth, dignity, security and hope to India’s most vulnerable.

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nju was 8 when she went to live in an orphanage for girls in Kerala. Her mother had left her there after she left Anju’s father for another man. Her mother never came back. Anju

continued with her schooling, showing promise academically. In time, the orphanage helped her find work in the kitchen of a missionary hospital. She saved the money she earned, and at 18, she put herself through a nursing course offered by that very hospital.

Today, Anju is a nurse working in the United States, but she still visits the orphanage that gave her the chance to turn her life around.

However, the institution is no longer classified as an orphanage.

“This is now a boarding home,” says Sister Ancy Maria, the director of St. Mary’s Charitable Boarding School for Girls.

Founded in 1956 in a remote village in the Kozhikode district of northern Kerala, the home is administered by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation. Until 2017, St. Mary’s still housed some children with

“We nourish children in spirituality and faith.

These give the children a moral and ethical compass.”

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neither mother nor father. “Now, however, under the new rules, we can only have girls who have at least one parent,” Sister Ancy Maria says.

“That’s the exception the new act makes for boarding homes.”

Service to young children in need was the founding principle of the former orphanage. “This place used to take children as young as 3 months old,” Sister Ancy Maria says.

“They’d grow up here, study, eventually get married. The aim was to allow these children to have a nurturing family life.”

There are 11 girls here at the moment. Last year, when it was still run as an orphanage, there were 24.

Students gather outside Sacred Heart Balanagar Hostel for Boys, near Cochin.

Children living at an institution facing closure or reclassification have a few options, Sister Ancy Maria says. For instance, some children might be entrusted to the care of extended family, while others might transfer to another church-run facility. The former is rarely the preferred option, but it is nevertheless a common one.

“We are trying to get them away from this cycle of poverty, lack of safety,” the sister explains.

On the other hand, transfer is rarely feasible, given the strain placed upon these child care institutions. “Most orphanages have closed down. The ones that remain operational are full,” she says.

“The children can also move to a government-run orphanage, but that’s a more involved process.”

Once placed on a centralized register, children are allocated spots when they become available. This can mean a long wait.

Finally, those who qualify to remain may face another hurdle.

“We now have to charge a minimal fee so the girls can be here.

We’ll have to see how it runs as a boarding home. If we do not enroll enough girls, we will have to shut it down altogether,” she says.

Other than a minimal amount per month that St. Mary’s takes from the parents of the girls, the sisters and their charges live off the land. “We grow coconuts, areca nut, tapioca, bananas and rubber. If there’s anything in surplus to our needs, we sell it locally. That helps with some income,” Sister Ancy Maria says.

“Christian-run institutions are about character formation.”

“For now, at least, our doors are open, even if it is as a boarding home for girls who go to school or college. The rest, time will tell.”

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acred Heart Balanagar, about 20 miles from Cochin International Airport, was founded as an orphanage in 1910.

According to its administrator, Brother George Kumminithottam, the need was overwhelming.

“There were a lot of orphans or poor children just left on the streets,” he says. “They never received any education or protection. It was to help those children that Sacred Heart was founded.”

The former orphanage, run by the Congregation of St. Teresa, today calls itself Sacred Heart Hostel for Boys. In May “we were forced to change its classification status from orphanage to a boarding house because we could not meet the demands of the new rules,” he explains.

“Who knows what will happen in the future? As of now, this is status quo,” Brother George says.

From the time of its founding, he says, the orphanage had adhered to “humble” principles, prioritizing need above all else. “There was never any discrimination on the basis of religion,” he says. At its start, it hosted as many as 300 boys of various religious backgrounds.

Today, this institution still stands true to its principles, albeit with fewer residents — 60, at present.

“We take boys from age 5 and above. They stay with us until they finish high school. We also give them vocational training so they can earn a livelihood. For example, they can train to be electricians, plumbers or carpenters,” he says.

Faith plays a major role in all the places mentioned here. “Christianrun institutions are about character formation. We nourish children in spirituality and faith. These give the

Offer India’s struggling kids a home inside your heart Please help today www.indiacnewa.org

children a moral and ethical compass.”

Yet, each institution is very particular not to proselytize. “We teach them that there’s a higher power — that they should trust this higher power, the Almighty, in times of need. If the children have faith, and trust, it makes their lives easier.”

Electing to go without government support, the hostel takes its funding from a variety of sources. “Their parents pay us money toward their stay and food. Some funds come from our congregation. CNEWA also provides funding,” the brother says.

At lunch time, 8-year-old Abin rushes in with other boys. Abin’s parents are from Kerala, but they left to make a living in Delhi. The young boy speaks Hindi, Malayalam and some English.

“I really like it in here,” he says.

“I’ve made friends. We play together and celebrate all festivals.

“My older brother is here too,” he adds. Abin’s brother, Albin, is 16.

He lurks behind other boys, a typical teenager. He says little, but observes much.

“He’s very protective of me,” little Abin says. “My brother looks out for me and when I miss our parents, he makes me feel better.”

Abin and Albin’s parents did not have enough money to keep both boys with them in Delhi, but Abin is sure he will see them soon.

“I will see them after Christmas is over. When it is the New Year, we’ll all be together,” he says, though he is not certain which year, which Christmas.

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 EFFORTS TO HELP ORPHANED CHILDREN IN INDIA ON OUR BLOG, ONE-TO-ONE:

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Care for Marginalized

z St. Barbara Mother and Child Care Center provides a safe haven for women facing domestic violence or homelessness. u Anna Marie and Natalie, two of the seven children currently living at the center, have become fast friends.

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Confronting Abuse of Women in Georgia Turning around the lives of at-risk mothers and their children text and photographs by Molly Corso

W

hen the father of Thea’s baby boy threw a metal ashtray at her son’s head, she knew it was time to leave. She did not have a job or a family to turn to, but she packed her things and walked out the door with Gabriel.

“My baby had just turned 40 days old and he threw the ashtray, asking, ‘Why is he crying?’ ” recalls Thea, 29.

“I left him of my own free will because I could not put up with violence against me, against my baby.”

Thea and Gabriel ended up on the streets in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

A concerned taxi driver took them to one of Tbilisi’s few homeless shelters, but the shelter supported only adults; Thea could not stay there with her baby.

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hea’s story is not unique.

Georgia, a former Soviet republic that shares borders with Russia, Turkey and Armenia, has struggled to build a strong safety net for its most vulnerable citizens, including women and their children fleeing domestic abuse.

Fortunately for Thea and Gabriel, the St. Barbara Mother and Child Care Center offered a safe space in their time of greatest need — away from abuse and off of the street.

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Natalie snacks on blueberries at the center.

Nana Kukhalashvili, program manager for children and youth at Caritas Georgia — the social service network of Georgia’s Armenian, Chaldean and Latin Catholic churches that opened the center for women and children in January 2017 — says this matter has been a source of increasing concern.

Today, the St. Barbara Center provides women and their children up to age 10 with security and financial aid for 12 months. It is one of five such locations in the country that serve as part of a larger government-led initiative to help women in need, including three centers in Tbilisi and two in Kutaisi, a city in western Georgia.

The services these centers provide face a growing demand; the number of beneficiaries has increased from 8 in 2012 to 137 in

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2017, according to the health ministry, and these figures hardly suffice to capture the full scale of the problem across the country.

Against such hardship, and with support from both within the country and abroad, the St. Barbara Center and its sister institutions together serve as a lifeline to Georgia’s most vulnerable.

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or centuries, a strong family unit has served as the backbone of Georgian culture, with firmly rooted traditions of care within households and village communities.

But a combination of poverty and traditional social mores — which are perceived to be under siege, even in rural areas — have seen many families unwilling to accept “illegitimate” children and, in some cases, unable or unwilling to protect women trapped in a cycle of domestic violence.

“There are some specific rules that one should not violate, for instance for a woman to give birth prior to marriage,” says Ms. Kukhalashvili. Such actions, she explains, may be seen as “giving a bad reputation to your family.”

But as the social mores that once united the family break down — largely due to rapid socioeconomic change — the number of single women having children (or the acknowledgment thereof) has increased, as have incidents of domestic violence.

According to a 2017 study conducted by U.N. Women and the National Statistics Office of Georgia, one in seven women in Georgia has experienced domestic violence.

Moreover, Georgia’s society has made it more difficult to find and help these women; the same study found nearly half the population believes domestic violence should be viewed as a private matter, and

“There is a family atmosphere here, which was completely lacking in my own home. It is calm.

I feel good here — safe.” more than a third of women who are victims have never spoken about it.

While both the government and charities have offered programs since 2001, the services fall short of the need.

Mother Mariam, abbess of Tbilisi’s Transfiguration Convent, began helping single mothers in the 1990’s. At the time, little public awareness of the problem existed, nor did support from the government — emerging from the Soviet Union, Georgia’s economy collapsed, civil war raged and

corruption destroyed the rule of law. Women had few options other than abortion or giving their children away, either to impoverished state institutions or human trafficking schemes.

“At that time, no one else was doing this job, which is why we had to do it,” says Mother Mariam, a well-known leader of Georgia’s dominant Orthodox church. “Our main goal was to save the children.

The girls’ only recourse was abortion; they didn’t know where to go.

Meri, a 27-year-old resident at the center, teaches a culinary student to make curry.

“When you encourage somebody to keep their child, you have to help.”

In line with these goals, the convent founded a home for mothers and their children outside of Tbilisi. They offered years of care, attempting to help the women overcome their hardships and provide them with training in any needed skills.

It was a difficult challenge for the convent, says Mother Mariam, as the sisters struggled to secure resources and guidance. Occupying the forefront of the issue, they could only do their best, listening closely to the needs of the mothers they tended. For example, the sisters were among the first to advocate that children remain with their mothers; at that time, the

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The CNEWA Connection t Residents receive assistance in pursuing trade skills, such as cooking. u A young mother plays with her child at the center.

CNEWA has worked closely with Caritas Georgia for a number of years, seeking to support and uplift the most vulnerable — the elderly, the infirm, orphans and those suffering from poverty, hunger or abuse. This corner of our world has weathered everything from earthquakes to war, and left the people facing a grim and uncertain future. CNEWA’s donors have helped ease the suffering.

Some are now finding help and hope at the St. Barbara Center, established in 2017. Named for the patroness of miners — an ancient industry in Georgia — it is part of Caritas Georgia’s Children and Youth Program, which seeks to help vulnerable children, protect them from abuse and neglect, and ensure their integration into society.

CNEWA is privileged to share in this important work, and grateful to our generous donors who have given support and encouragement to so many in this part of the world who could easily be lost.

To ensure that this work continues, call: 1-800-442-6392 (United States) or 1-866-322-4441 (Canada).

government believed the children of mothers who had either left their husbands or were single would be better off alone, in state care.

Today, there are more resources, a greater awareness and a deeper understanding of how to help the women and their children — especially among nongovernmental organizations, Mother Mariam said.

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Indeed, child welfare specialists can point to several indicators that the situation is improving in the country. The 2017 U.N. Women study found that more and more women are using the resources available to leave abusive relationships and seek help for themselves and their children — some 18 percent of women in 2017,

compared to just 1.5 percent in 2009. Each year, a greater number of women speak out.

“There is a very strong campaign against violence and for the rights of women in Georgia today,” says Gvantsa Bakradze, who coordinates the Caritas Georgia program at the St. Barbara Center.

Ms. Bakradze noted that the police have formed a separate department specially trained to deal with issues of violence against women.

“This is an ongoing process and the main thing is to change the attitude of people. Education and raising awareness are the most important things,” Ms. Bakradze says.

“Before, even the police did not even know how to act. They used to say, ‘It is your family, everything will be fine’; ‘he is drunk now, but tomorrow it will be different’; ‘don’t worry — if anything happens, call us.’ But now they have different instructions and better training,” she says.

“This campaign is really strong.”

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hrough Caritas Georgia and its St. Barbara Center, the nation’s Catholic churches (whose members account for less than 1 percent of the population of 5 million people) are playing an important role in society’s efforts to provide the resources women need to protect themselves and their children. Since it opened, the center has helped 19 mothers and 15 of their children.

Caritas Georgia takes care of all the needs of the mothers and their children while they are there — a family doctor sees them on site, a

“It’s really a bridge that can save the lives of these children and their mothers.” cook ensures they receive nourishing meals and a psychologist is available for counseling. The center’s team of professionals helps register school-age children for kindergarten or grade school and help the mothers either look for work or receive the training they need to find work.

Over the course of the year, the objective of the team at the center is to give the women the skills to provide for their children. It also tries to help the women begin to heal the emotional wounds caused by the abuse they have received.

When possible, they work with the women and their extended families to help them forge healthier relationships.

Moreover, the residents receive free legal services, which have

successfully helped women protect themselves from their abusers, noted Ms. Bakradze.

Legal services have been particularly useful for Thea and her son. While her former partner let her leave without a fight, he soon began to stalk her. Caritas Georgia, together with legal counsel, was able to help her secure a restraining order and is helping her prepare for further legal action against him, if necessary.

The center has given Thea the confidence to start planning a future for her and her son.

When she first arrived, she was convinced she would not be able to provide for Gabriel and, as with many mothers in Georgia, she was planning to seek work abroad — likely in Turkey. After five months

at the center, however, she now plans to remain with her son and build a life together in Georgia.

Finding a job is her highest priority today and, she says, the most important assistance any program can offer a single mother.

With a certificate in restaurant staff management, experience working in several restaurants and fluency in several languages, Thea’s prospects seem bright.

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nfortunately, this is not always the case. Many mothers come to the center without employable skills, and face greater uncertainty as a result.

While unemployment in Georgia has fallen to the lowest point in a decade, Georgia still reported an unemployment rate of 11.8 percent

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t Mzia, a care provider, plays with Giorgi, who was born after his mother, Meri, moved to the center.

as of 2016 — with rates tending higher for the younger segments of the workforce.

Echoing Thea, Ms. Bakradze agrees that employment is “the most important thing” for the women at the center — a crucial part of ensuring the women will be able to keep their children.

Since many of the young mothers have never worked, they do not know how to look for a job or write a resume. The team of caregivers at the center teach the women how to do both, and help them obtain training in skills demanded by local employers.

Mary, 28, arrived at the center when she was pregnant with her son, Giorgi. She immediately started thinking of how to prepare for life as a single mother. Looking through job listings, she noticed the majority of the vacancies were for cooks.

With Caritas Georgia’s assistance, she has begun to study cooking at a local vocational school.

To date, Caritas Georgia has helped five mothers find employment.

Irina, a Russian émigré who decided to stay in Georgia with her two children, found herself homeless after her divorce. She bounced from shelter to shelter as she sought help for herself and her two boys, the youngest of whom is autistic.

At the St. Barbara Center, Irina said she found a team that wanted to help her so she could survive and thrive. Trained as a gemologist, Irina was afraid she would not find work in Tbilisi that would pay enough to provide for the three of them. After completing courses in massage therapy financed by Caritas Georgia, she was able to find a job and rent an apartment.

Today, she earns enough to care for her sons.

Give security and hope to at-risk mothers and children in Georgia Please help today www.georgiacnewa.org

Thea is eager to replicate this success for Gabriel and her.

“If a person is not employed, she cannot eat, she cannot sleep safely,” she says simply.

“If she has a job, she can eat, find a place to live, take care of herself and take care of her child.”

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n between the flight from abuse, and making a new life, Caritas Georgia’s St. Barbara Center offers a refuge, a safe space where women may begin life anew with their children.

Last June, the police brought Teona and her toddler, Nitsa, to the center after responding to a domestic dispute at her home, where she lived with her father and her brother. Her brother, upset that Teona had a baby outside of marriage, had been bullying and even beating her. Even as the abuse escalated, Teona did not know where to go; she was financially dependent on her family but it was not safe to stay at home.

Now residing at the center, Teona calls St. Barbara’s “paradise.”

“There is a family atmosphere here, which was completely lacking in my own home. It is calm. I feel good here — safe.”

The difference has had an immediate effect on her daughter.

Nitsa was anxious when she first arrived, unwilling to interact with other children. Today, she is calm and happily plays with the six other children living at the center.

Nitsa’s transformation goes to the heart of the program, which is to provide the mothers and their children with the peace, stability and security they need to rebuild their lives.

“St. Barbara’s is really a bridge that can save the lives of these children and their mothers,” noted Nana Kukhalashvili.

“Sometimes, even the most humble of assistance and support can turn around a situation.”

The writing of Tbilisi-based photojournalist Molly Corso has appeared in The Christian Science Monitor and EurasiaNet.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT HELPING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN NEED IN GEORGIA ON OUR BLOG, ONE-TO-ONE:

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cnewablog.org/web/ georgiaparadise

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focus

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on the world of CNEWA

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hen we communicate with our donors to express our thanks for their generous prayers and financial gifts, we often refer to the gratitude that ultimately comes from the “poor,” those who “suffer” and those who are “persecuted.”

These are broad categories and we might not appreciate the range of these beneficiaries of CNEWA’s good works and support. Let me elaborate a bit.

It is normal to focus on the material needs of the poor. We think of hungry and starving children; mothers desperate to feed or shelter their little ones; an elderly person without a place to call home; or victims of war, floods or other calamities forced to flee, always uncertain what tomorrow might bring.

We especially think of children who have been orphaned, those whose cries and hollow stares penetrate our hearts. We think of children who hunger for education and would give anything to be able to have a formal schooling environment.

Syrian refugee children greet visitors in the refugee camp in Zahleh, Lebanon, in January 2016.

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We think of the elderly, often those most easily forgotten or marginalized. Societies sometimes consider them expendable.

We think of those with special needs who find little or no acceptance in many cultures — those with physical and mental disabilities or social outcasts because of class structures. We think of those victims of religious bigotry or ethnic classification, or those “in the middle” and not accepted by either side. Social and economic exclusion is a reality for so many in our world.

We think of those who are really persecuted, even unto death. They are violated and taken away; they are sometimes killed, but always considered “second class.”

What I am describing is a canvas of the broken, fractured world in which CNEWA is privileged to serve. And in our humble way, with your most generous support and prayerful accompaniment, we do our best to serve those who are poor, those who suffer and those who are persecuted.

I am blessed with vivid memories from my many pastoral visits to those we serve. I’ve seen hungry children being fed and cared for at the hands of religious sisters and church-related programs in areas of conflict and oppression. I have seen the faces of desperate mothers who seek comfort for their ailing children — and find a loving and gentle hand extended by the church.

Little orphans are cared for with love beyond telling and are enriched by newly formed “families” in facilities and programs supported

by CNEWA. I have seen these little ones with beautiful smiles and new stories to share with others. Many of the tears have long since dried

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up. The church brings the gentle face of Jesus to God’s children.

And talk about being happy to be in a school setting! Whether it is from the back of a cart, in a field or in an actual school building, the little ones whom we accompany at CNEWA are thrilled to learn and listen attentively.

I have vivid recollections of beaming elderly residents in refugee camps, in abandoned villages, or war-torn areas of conflict, who are surrounded by the love and Christlike embrace of religious men and women. CNEWA is there to accompany them. In times of war, priests and sisters literally help them walk on their journey to a new home. When they are homeless, we help to find them shelter. When they are orphaned we welcome them into a new family.

The church offers a powerful antidote to the poison inherent in cultures that reject the dignity of all, especially those who have special challenges or those who bear social stigmas because of class, religion or ethnicity. Many of the good works supported by CNEWA reach out to all and proudly proclaim that God loves all his children. There is no “pecking order” with our God — we are all embraced by his love. We do not exclude and only offer help to “our own” — Jesus makes it clear that we love all.

u Youth of a Mishing community, an indigenous tribal group in India, put on a performance in their village. q The Trippadam Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center offers Indian women in need a safe, loving home. y Children gather for a meal at the Mariam Tsion School in Saesa, Ethiopia.

mixed group of elderly folks gathered together to share a meal provided by the church or those in need of healing, finding physical and emotional support at health clinic supported by CNEWA — in all of these and so many other instances the church, and CNEWA alongside her, reaches out to the poor, the suffering and the persecuted.

The needs seem always to grow and they never really go away.

But the Holy Spirit inspires us to continue our journey of accompaniment. Remember the smiles of the children and their desperate mothers, the joy of the elderly who no longer are without a family, those “outcasts” with a new sense of dignity. All of our CNEWA family ask me to thank you for your support — and, better yet, they promise to remember you in their prayers. God bless you.

Msgr. John E. Kozar In many circumstances the love and caring extended by the church and supported by CNEWA is a unique experience for those who know nothing but hatred, exclusion or injustice. Whether it be a mixed group of Muslims and Christian children on a playground enjoying a game of soccer, or Hindu and Catholic children entertaining me on a visit with song and dance or a

MSGR. KOZAR SHARES MORE THOUGHTS ON CNEWA’S WORK WITH THE MOST VULNERABLE IN A VIDEO: onemagazinehome.org/ web/goodworks

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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