Please give this message a wide distribution.
Brothers,
The Knights of Columbus are urged to support our brother and sister Catholics from the Chaldean Catholic Church of Iraq by attending the following Mass and prayer vigil.
The Msgr. Felix Shabi, Corbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Vicariate of Arizona, will celebrate a Mass at 6:30 p.m. August 1, 2014. It will take place at the Mar Abraham Church, 6816 E. Cactus Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254. Mass will be followed by a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. The event is being held to focus attention on the plight of Christians who were driven from their home by the Islamic State, the group that gained control of Mosul in early June.
Crosses were taken down from churches that were later looted, burned or destroyed. An announcement made from loudspeakers in Mosul on June 18, 2014, demanded that Christians either pay the jizya – a special tax reserved for 'infidels' — convert to Islam, or die. Many Christians fled the city and were later stripped of their vehicles, money, and jewelry. They have sought refuge in some of the Christian villages near Mosul or in Kurdistan.
"The Lord Jesus said 'Without me, you can do nothing," so we are putting all our trust in him, imploring him so that he can hear our prayers and the prayers of the persecuted brothers and sisters in Iraq, so that he can hear the cries of their agony," said Msgr. Felix Shabi. "We also have to raise our voices to ask the government to do something to save these poor people, either by creating a safe haven for them in Iraq or by facilitating their exit visas so they can join their families here in America or elsewhere."
John S. Garcia
Public Relations Director
Arizona State Council
(602) 525-4424
www.azknightsofcolumbus.com
