Last weekend, CNEWA attended the New Jersey Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference in Washington Township, at the gracious invitation of the Rev. Phil Latronico, the conference chair. We were there to spread awareness about the work we do on behalf of Christians throughout the Middle East.
Our presence there was especially significant as it was the one-year anniversary of the escape of 120,000 Christians from the Nineveh Plain, as they fled the violence and terror of ISIS.
My colleague, Norma Intriago, had the chance to address the conference during Saturday’s liturgy. She spoke movingly about those who are caring for the displaced Christians — people like Sr. Maria Hanna, OP, the Prioress of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena. She — along with 72 of her sisters — also fled the Nineveh Plain last August to the safety of Erbil, in Northern Iraq. There, with CNEWA’s help, the sisters immediately began ministering to their fellow displaced, providing emergency aid, healthcare and education.
As our visit was on the Feast of the Assumption, Norma also spoke of a story she heard from one of CNEWA’s church partners, of a mother and her four children, who fled ISIS in Syria for the safety of Lebanon. Unable to continue, she made an impossible choice — to leave her two youngest behind in the mountains so she could carry the rest of her family away from harm. Who else could comfort her and so many other mothers but Our Lady of Sorrows, who hears the prayers of so many who are desperate for help?
Norma concluded by asking for support and prayers for all those suffering in the Middle East, and especially for the caregivers like Sr. Maria Hanna, who face their own adversity and struggles while ministering to children and families in need.
The response by those at the conference was incredibly uplifting, and we’re so thankful for the new friends we made. In just a few hours, we were able to raise over $1,000 for those caring for people in some of the most troubled parts of the world. We’re especially grateful to Father Latronico, for his wonderful welcome and continuing support.