Chaldean Catholics in East Tennessee look forward to Sept. 24 through 26, when Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim of St. Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Diocese, based in Detroit, will visit Knoxville.
The Chaldean community in the region has grown in recent years, as Catholics from Iraq have fled persecution. About 50 Chaldean Catholics are now at home in Knoxville, with many more expected, said Paul Simoneau, director of the diocesan Justice and Peace Office.
Chaldean Catholics are native to Iraq, but migrant communities are found in the United States, Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon.
“Because of the close relationship some members of the local Chaldean community in Knoxville have with Bishop Ibrahim, he is interested in starting a Chaldean Mission here,” Mr. Simoneau said.
Bishop Richard F. Stika will concelebrate Mass with Bishop Ibrahim at noon on Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Bishop Ibrahim will be accompanied by Father Anthony Kaphawa, who will soon begin making monthly visits to Knoxville to celebrate the liturgy with the Chaldean community.
Father Kaphawa was recently ordained by Bishop Ibrahim.
The bishop is a native of Iraq and was consecrated a bishop in Baghdad in 1982. He is the first and only bishop to shepherd his eparchy, which was erected by Pope John Paul II.
Mr. Simoneau added that Susan Dakak of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut, Paul Schmidt of Immaculate Conception Parish in Knoxville, and he have been exploring the possibility of creating a U.S. chapter of the United Kingdom–based charity Iraqi Christians in Need (ICIN). The organization assists Christians who have fled Iraq and are living in refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey, as well as those who have recently migrated to the United States.
To learn more about Bishop Ibrahim’s visit or ICIN, call Mr. Simoneau at 865-584-3307.
