Msgr. Kozar Honored

The Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada honored CNEWA’s president, Msgr. John E. Kozar, with its prestigious Bishop John England Award. The award was presented at the association’s annual media conference held this year in June in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Bishop England Award — named for the bishop who in 1822 founded the first Catholic newspaper in the United States, The Catholic Miscellany — honors a publisher who has been a staunch defender of the press and its freedoms.

“During his eight years as president of Catholic Near East Welfare Association and as publisher of CNEWA’s magazine, ONE, Msgr. John E. Kozar has been a champion of journalism, promoting accountability and transparency in reporting, affirming a commitment to excellence and promoting the church’s evangelical witness throughout the world — especially in some of its most embattled corners,” his nomination noted.

“More than a publisher, he is in his bones a journalist who relishes getting a good story and sharing it.”

Receiving the award, Msgr. Kozar said, “I’m deeply humbled by this recognition. It’s really a reflection of the work of everyone in the CNEWA family. It’s a great privilege to serve God’s people in this way and to carry out this mission entrusted to us.”

ONE Wins

CNEWA’s flagship publication, ONE, was named Magazine of the Year (Mission Magazine category) at the annual media conference of the Catholic Press Association, held in June in St. Petersburg, Florida. The magazine took home an additional 26 Catholic press awards, including writing, photography, blogging and design.

Citing the overall quality of the magazine, the judges praised the “great work” of the staff, cited the “excellent” layouts, singled out the “beautiful, informative coverage” and made a point to underscore the “exceptional journalism” that has been a hallmark of the publication.

The judges included faculty from Spring Hill College, Loyola University, Marquette University and media professionals and journalists from around the country.

You can find a full list of ONE’s awards, and links to the winning stories, at www.cnewablog.org/web/cpa2019.

India Emergency

In August, responding to urgent requests for aid from three eparchies of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, CNEWA launched an emergency appeal for people in flood-ravaged southern India.

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Palghat reported that torrential rains had triggered landslides in the hilly areas of the Palakkad District, burying houses, people, livestock and patches of agricultural lands in mud several feet deep. CNEWA’s regional director in Kerala, M.L. Thomas, added that flash floods ravaged the lower regions of the district, destroying houses and fields located along its rivers and streams.

CNEWA is asking for help to aid our brothers and sisters in southern India in their hour of need. In the United States, urgent donations can be made online at www.cnewa.org; by phone at (800) 442-6392; or by mail: CNEWA, 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022-4195. In Canada, visit www.cnewa.ca; write a check to CNEWA Canada and send to 1247 Kilborn Place, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 6K9; or call toll-free at 1 (866) 322-4441.

Welcoming the Shepherd

In August, Bishop Ruperto C. Santos, who chairs the Episcopal Commission of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples for the Catholic Bishops Conference in the Philippines, made a pastoral visit to Jordan and Lebanon, where he spent time with the Filipino migrant population.

“They were days of joy, hope and encouragement,” wrote CNEWA’s regional director for Jordan and Iraq, Ra’ed Bahou.

During his visit, the bishop celebrated Mass for Filipino migrants at various locations in Jordan, baptizing and confirming adults who had received their instruction from the Teresians, who operate CNEWA’s Pontifical Mission Community centers in Amman and Bethlehem. In all his Masses, the bishop encouraged those present to “turn to Jesus when the journey becomes rough and challenging.”

To learn more about the Teresians and how CNEWA supports their work among Jordan’s Filipino migrants, read In a Land of Refugees on Page 12.

Seeking Peace in Ethiopia

For more than a year, violence between communities in several regions of Ethiopia has claimed hundreds of lives, devastated villages and forced millions of people to flee their homes.

CNEWA has rushed funds to assist the local churches there, especially the south central Apostolic Vicariate of Hawassa, where the vicariate has helped resettle more than 800,000 people in emergency shelters built with funds in part from CNEWA.

CNEWA is also assisting the vicariate’s efforts to bring healing to the families traumatized by the violence, sponsoring workshops on peace and reconciliation arranged by the vicariate’s Peace and Justice office. CNEWA’s regional director for Ethiopia, Argaw Fantu, describes the fears of the people and how their faith has sustained them after attending a recent meeting:

“Amid the broad darkness of ethnic conflict and destruction of properties,” he writes, “there appears the small but powerful light of faith. … We find real Christianity in such terrible times.”