By BaghdadhopeThe celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross that commemorates the 14 of September 335, when the buildings built by the Emperor Constantine on the sites of Calvary and of the Tomb of Our Lord Jesus Christ were inaugurated in Jerusalem,is deeply felt by the Chaldean church that celebrates it all over the world, from the motherland Iraq to the countries of the diaspora. Among them Germany.
Baghdadhope spoke about it with Father Sami Danka, parish priest of the church in Essen dedicated to the Saints Addai and Mari, the two disciples of Jesus and evangelists of Mesopotamia.
Baghdadhope spoke about it with Father Sami Danka, parish priest of the church in Essen dedicated to the Saints Addai and Mari, the two disciples of Jesus and evangelists of Mesopotamia.
Father Danka described the celebration as "a moment of true communion of the hearts of believers who through the adoration of the Cross strengthen their faith and their ties with the church, and who find in the fire that animates the celebration and symbolically represents the light of Christ the power of our Lord’s love that accompanies them in their life. A moving ceremony with the church full of people and love."
Father Sami Danka returned to Essen to celebrate the Celebration of the Cross after a trip to Rome where, as Secretary of the Chaldean priests in Europe, participated in their annual meeting. The meeting, held from 31 August to 4 September at the Pontifical College of St. Ephrem, included a meeting with the Holy Father at the end of the general audience on Wednesday September 2.
Father Sami Danka returned to Essen to celebrate the Celebration of the Cross after a trip to Rome where, as Secretary of the Chaldean priests in Europe, participated in their annual meeting. The meeting, held from 31 August to 4 September at the Pontifical College of St. Ephrem, included a meeting with the Holy Father at the end of the general audience on Wednesday September 2.
Apart from the meeting with the Holy Father what can be said of the Chaldean priests’meeting?
"These meetings are very important because they give us, Chaldean priests living in several European countries, the chance to compare our experiences, to improve through their comparison the way we operate on the path of faith and in our life as shepherds of a population dispersed all over the continent."
What about the job sessions?
"We had several job sessions and prayers and everyone of us could speak. To introduce the job sessions was Msgr. Philip Najim, Chaldean procurator to the Holy See and Apostolic Visitator for Europe who talked about the situation of the Chaldean Church in Europe highlighting the difficulties that priests have to face due to the massive migration that affected Iraq in recent years and that prompted many Chaldeans to flee from their homeland to Europe. Msgr. Najim also reiterated how our task is not and should not be only to be dispensers of sacraments but also to be missionaries among our people. To Father Paul Rabban, priest in Eskilstuna, Sweden, was instead given the task of commenting on Psalm 43:4 - Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.- recalling the happiness that fills our hearts on the way to the altar."
"These meetings are very important because they give us, Chaldean priests living in several European countries, the chance to compare our experiences, to improve through their comparison the way we operate on the path of faith and in our life as shepherds of a population dispersed all over the continent."
What about the job sessions?
"We had several job sessions and prayers and everyone of us could speak. To introduce the job sessions was Msgr. Philip Najim, Chaldean procurator to the Holy See and Apostolic Visitator for Europe who talked about the situation of the Chaldean Church in Europe highlighting the difficulties that priests have to face due to the massive migration that affected Iraq in recent years and that prompted many Chaldeans to flee from their homeland to Europe. Msgr. Najim also reiterated how our task is not and should not be only to be dispensers of sacraments but also to be missionaries among our people. To Father Paul Rabban, priest in Eskilstuna, Sweden, was instead given the task of commenting on Psalm 43:4 - Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.- recalling the happiness that fills our hearts on the way to the altar."
You are the secretary of the Chaldean priests in Europe, what practical results had this meeting?
"As secretary, in fact, it is my duty to take care of the practical life of priests in Europe. In this regard I reminded them the letter that months ago we sent to the Synod of our Church held in late April in Iraq and that has not yet been answered. A letter in which we asked the Synod a particular attention to the difficult situation we are facing in Europe where now more than 100,000 Chaldeans of old and new migration live, and reiterated that, despite our being physically far away from our homeland, our beloved Iraq, we are and we want to be part of the programs of the Chaldean Church that is in our hearts."
We also discussed some aspects of priestly life in Europe but above all we developed some proposals that we think can help us in the missionary task quoted by Msgr. Najim. The ideas that we will try to put into practice are those of a website for all the Chaldeans in Europe and a meeting of the Chaldean youth. We entrusted two different groups of priests to coordinate the work of the lay people who will work with them at the projects. It must be understood that many of the 100,000 and more Chaldeans living in Europe arrived here recently leaving behind them terrible experiences and that life is not easy, especially for young people who face the world of school or work without mastering the language of the country they live in, without knowing their culture. Many of those youngs are at risk of losing their identity and that’s why we think it is the duty of the church offering itself as a reference point. They are young and they must be addressed through a language familiar to them. That's why the idea of the website that will have some common parts in English and Arabic and others entrusted to the various churches in the European languages of the countries where they operate, and that's why the meeting: modern ways of giving to young people the chance to exchange views with their peers and better understand how the desirable integration in the countries where they live does not mean the cancellation of their national and religious identity."
In different percentages Chaldeans live all over Europe. It will not be easy to create and manage a multilingual website and even arrange a meeting among them. Yours is a brave challenge ...
We also discussed some aspects of priestly life in Europe but above all we developed some proposals that we think can help us in the missionary task quoted by Msgr. Najim. The ideas that we will try to put into practice are those of a website for all the Chaldeans in Europe and a meeting of the Chaldean youth. We entrusted two different groups of priests to coordinate the work of the lay people who will work with them at the projects. It must be understood that many of the 100,000 and more Chaldeans living in Europe arrived here recently leaving behind them terrible experiences and that life is not easy, especially for young people who face the world of school or work without mastering the language of the country they live in, without knowing their culture. Many of those youngs are at risk of losing their identity and that’s why we think it is the duty of the church offering itself as a reference point. They are young and they must be addressed through a language familiar to them. That's why the idea of the website that will have some common parts in English and Arabic and others entrusted to the various churches in the European languages of the countries where they operate, and that's why the meeting: modern ways of giving to young people the chance to exchange views with their peers and better understand how the desirable integration in the countries where they live does not mean the cancellation of their national and religious identity."
In different percentages Chaldeans live all over Europe. It will not be easy to create and manage a multilingual website and even arrange a meeting among them. Yours is a brave challenge ...
"Yes Brave and maybe risky. A challenge that, divided as it is among several countries, will not be easy to translate into reality but that we want to face with the certainty that, maybe not in the short term, our faith in the Lord will help us to realize it.”
The Chaldean priests attending the meeting in Rome,
Msgr. Philip Najim (Italy)
Msgr. Philip Najim (Italy)
Father Peter Patto. Monaco of Bavaria (Germany)
Father Sami Danka. Essen (Germany)
Father Cesar Sliwa. Stuttgart (Germany)
Father Faris Toma. Denmark
Father Antoine Goral. Belgium
Father Samir Dawood. Sweden
Father Maher Malko. Sodertalje (Sweden)
Father Paul Rabban. Eskilstuna (Sweden)
Father Paul Beshi. France
Father Firaz Ghazi. Netherlands
Father Sabri Anar. Sarcelles (France)
Father Fadi Isho (Sweden)
Father Mikhail Doman (France)