Mass Sunday at St. Mary, New Haven, dedicated to Mideast Christians

By Register Staff
NEW HAVEN — A Mass on Sunday will be dedicated to the plight of minority Christians, who have been the victims of genocide by ISIS.
The Mass, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Hartford and the Knights of Columbus, will feature the presentation of donations raised by students from the nine high schools in the archdiocese. Students in each school have prayed for an adopted “sister town” in the Middle East, which will receive the donations to help in rebuilding, according to a press release.

The 2 p.m. Mass at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 5 Hillhouse Ave., will be celebrated by Archbishop Leonard Blair. Bishop Bawai Soro, a native of Iraq and bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto, will give the homily. Soro represents all Chaldean Catholics in Canada. The Chaldean Catholic Church recognizes Pope Francis as its spiritual leader.

The Knights, a Roman Catholic fraternal organization founded at St. Mary’s, played a role in the decision by Congress and the U.S. State Department to declare ISIS actions in killing and displacing hundreds of thousands of Christians in Iraq and Syria genocide. Many who refused to renounce their faith were killed or forced from their homes, according to the release.

A reception will be held after the 2 p.m. Mass, at which Soro; Andrew Walther, vice president for communications and strategic planning for the Knights; and Stephen Rasche, counsel to the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese in Erbil, Iraq, will be available to answer questions.

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