An Ethiopian Odyssey
From 15 to 24 April, Msgr. John E. Kozar, president of CNEWA, paid a pastoral visit to Ethiopia, where he observed firsthand the diverse activities of the agency, spoke with the people who direct these works and those who benefit from them.
One stop, shown above, was the Atse Tekle Ghiorgis School in Addis Ababa, where the 750 children enrolled come from impoverished families.
The ten-day trip included meetings with hierarchs and superiors of the Ethiopian Orthodox and Catholic churches.
Our readers can relive Msgr. Kozar’s odyssey to Ethiopia by visiting our blog, An Ethiopian Odyssey.
Canadian Partnership
In April, CNEWA Canada inaugurated a partnership with the Catholic Women’s League of Canada that will allow Catholic women across the country to support a program for at-risk youths in the Old City of Jerusalem.
This timely initiative comes as a direct response to the Holy Father’s call inviting the universal church to strengthen Christian communities and help them serve as peace builders in the Middle East.
To learn more about CNEWA’s partnership with the Catholic Women’s League, visit us online at: CWL and CNEWA Canada Launch Partnership.
Aid to Syrian Refugees
In April, CNEWA’s regional office in Lebanon launched an emergency appeal for Syrian families displaced by the armed conflict between the Syrian army and opposition groups. After more than a year of fighting, thousands of families have lost their homes and livelihoods.
With funding from generous partners, CNEWA is working through existing structures of the Melkite Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Latin churches to deliver aid to needy families in the Syrian cities of Homs, Tartous, Damascus and other locations near the Syrian-Lebanese border. The aid includes food, infant care supplies, hygienic products and other basics. The first phase of the program will assist about 1,000 families.
Italian Hospital in Amman
On 2 April, First Lady Clio Napolitano of Italy visited the Italian Hospital in Amman, Jordan, where she toured the facility and inaugurated its new departments of surgery, dialysis, radiology and patient services.
The visit was part of an official trip paid to the kingdom in early April by the first lady and her husband, President Giorgio Napolitano.
Founded in 1926 by the Italian Catholic missionary society, ANZMI, and with support from CNEWA-Pontifical Mission, the 85-bed facility offers low-cost, life-saving care to Jordanians and, increasingly, Iraqi refugees.
Employment in Palestine
Earlier this year, CNEWA’s regional office in Jerusalem launched job-training and employment programs in Gaza and the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In Gaza, the Ahli Arab Hospital, the Myrrh Bearers Society, the Near East Council of Churches and the Society of Women Graduates together will train and employ more than 300 individuals. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Al-Mirsat Association, the Arab Orthodox Society, Atta Services and the Stars of Hope Society will train and employ another 150 Palestinians.
The initiative is the result of a long-term needs assessment in which CNEWA and all Catholic organizations in Palestine participated. To finance the programs, CNEWA has raised more than $800,000 from generous benefactors and donor agencies, including Caritas-Luxembourg, Caritas-Switzerland, Misereor-Germany and Secours Catholique-France. The programs will continue through July 2013.
Rest in Peace
George Doty, one of CNEWA’s most loyal friends, died on 24 April at his home in New York. He was 91.
Over the years, Mr. Doty, his wife, Marie, and their children have generously supported CNEWA’s mission with their time, energy and financial resources.
Mr. Doty played an active role in many agency works, including the restoration of the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the development of the first recreational parks in Palestine.
May God reward George Doty for his generosity and loving concern. May his memory be eternal.
Help for Lebanon
On 22 April, Education and Opportunities for Lebanon hosted a charity gala at the Lebanese Taverna in Bethesda, Maryland, to benefit CNEWA–sponsored projects serving children and youth in Lebanon. Some 146 guests attended the event, including Antoine Chedid, Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States.
Longtime CNEWA friend and benefactor Kathy Feghali, along with nine other Lebanese-Americans, founded and heads Education and Opportunities for Lebanon. Last year’s gala generated $34,000 for CNEWA projects serving children and youth in Lebanon.
“Together,” said Mrs. Feghali, “we have educated hundreds of children and improved the learning facilities for thousands more throughout Lebanon.”
Novice Professions in India
On 26 April 2012, two CNEWA-sponsored novices in Kerala made their first profession. Sister Rhytha Therese and Sister Emil Maria belong to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Congregation of Mother of Carmel.
CNEWA’s regional director for India, M.L. Thomas, attended the ceremony, which also honored ten sisters celebrating their Golden Jubilees, or 50-year anniversary since their first professions.
Every year, about 450 CNEWA-supported novices in India make their profession.
Report on Gaza
In February 2012, CNEWA-Pontifical Mission’s regional director for Palestine and Israel, Sami El-Yousef, traveled to Gaza to follow up on several ongoing projects, including the Pontifical Mission’s student sponsorship program for Christian students and job-training and employment program launched earlier in the year.
During his stay, Mr. El-Yousef also assessed the reconstruction efforts. “Most of the sites of the 6,500 or so structures that were damaged during the war four years ago have been cleared and, in many instances, are completely rebuilt.”
Mr. El-Yousef visited Gaza’s numerous CNEWA-sponsored projects and social service institutions, including the Myrrh Bearers Society, the Rosary Sisters’ school and the Near East Council of Churches vocational training center.
Click here for the full report.
CNEWA Koch Foundation
In March, CNEWA received more than $300,000 in grants from the Koch Foundation for 31 projects in India. The grants support spiritual formation programs as well as church-run social service and humanitarian activities, such as education for special needs children and clean water projects.
CNEWA acts as the fiscal agent on behalf of the recipients — which include eparchies, parishes and church-run institutions — by collecting funds in the United States and dispersing them to grantees in India.
For the past 20 years, CNEWA and the Koch Foundation have collaborated to help India’s Catholic churches.