Youth Charisma:

New Horizons, Togetherness, Enthusiasm

Having about 400 young people, journeying several days together, listening and praying, playing and dancing, chanting and singing, in harmony and serenity, is an impressive sight to view. Well, this was the scene we enjoyed during the Catholic Chaldean-Assyrian Youth Convention, July 3rd through 6^th 2008, in San Jose, CA.

For a young person, the principal and fundamental issue is to determine where he/she stands in relation to humanity, and to the universe, most of all in regard to his/her own destiny. With no God, everything is confused, non-sense, and futile. With God, the universe makes sense, humanity has a meaning and purpose, and personal existence, value, and destiny are anchored to a solid point of reference.

Another basic matter: is there room for the Holy Spirit to play a transforming role in the evolving and growing personality of the young person? If not, the whole youthful energy and searching focus will be dissipated in fading dreams and transitory gains. Indeed, a life encircled by, and limited to, the physical and earthly realm, results in a process making the human person subservient to his world, not at all in control of it. Only the Spirit of God is able to give us wings to carry on through lofty and spectacular horizons. Among the activities of the Convention’s agenda, amazingly, our youth were especially attentive to the spiritual, to the meaningful, to the serious, and they wanted more of it. Entertainment and fun were performed in a balanced way.

A belonging to the Catholic Church gives our youth depth and dimension that solidify their belonging to a society that has been proven to survive mortality and decay, human fragility and the worldly forces of evil. Having with us the guidance and support of the ecclesial community is paramount to prevailing against the moral temptations of the devil in the midst of this world.

Being Assyrian or Chaldean and belonging to each other in closeness and harmony, feeling and acting as one community and people, could have found no better model than the living reality of the Convention. If the first Youth Convention was a sort of sailing in un-chartered waters, if the second convention had to deal with bringing groups toward each other in understanding and appreciation, the third convention can claim achievement and maturity in organizational skills and in the forging and merging process between our youth, our parishes and our communities.

Our community of St. Mary’s taught us how to serve in love and joy. Our youth showed us how to behave properly and enthusiastically, and how to identify and appreciate what is valuable.  The 3^rd Youth Convention was a great success, and we are proud of it.

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The Third Diocesan Youth Convention
Come and you will see ~John 1:39

From July 3-6, 2008, hundreds of Chaldean and Assyrian youth took part in the third bi-annual Youth Convention of the Diocese of St. Peter the Apostle for Chaldeans & Assyrians. The event was very well organized by the people of St. Mary’s parish in Campbell, California, and most of the events took place there. The first day was filled with spiritual talks and activities, and a trip to San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Church, where nearly 400 people prayed Ramsha (Evening Prayer) with Bishops Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo and Mar Bawai Soro and several priests. Saturday, after morning prayer and a spiritual reflection by Mar Sarhad, the group of young people walked to the Campbell Community Center where the day was filled with a sports tournament. The winning teams of each sport were announced at the banquet later that night, and trophies were presented by Mar Sarhad. The final seal of the convention was the celebration of Holy Mass at St. Mary’s Church, where Mar Sarhad preached eloquently to the youth about the faith that reached them through the Apostle Thomas, and their role to make this Gospel theirs and bring it to the world.

~~~~~~ The Pentecost Pilgrimage ~~~~~~

Preceding the Diocesan Youth Convention, St. Peter Cathedral sent a bus of 50 young people with Fr. Andrew Younan on a pilgrimage to see some of the Missions and other sites of California. The pilgrimage left on Monday, June 30^th, and arrived in San Jose just in time for the Convention. During these four days, the youth saw the Missions of San Juan Capistrano, Santa Barbara, San Ines, San Louis Obispo, and San Juan Bautista, as well as the Convent of the Poor Clares, Hearst Castle, St. Albert’s Priory, St. Dominic’s Church and St. Ignatius Church. Throughout the journey there were prayers, talks and activities to remind the pilgrims of the spiritual nature of this trip and to help them reflect on the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Those who participated found great opportunities to grow closer to God and better understand his calling.

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The Spiritual Aspect of the 2008 Diocesan Youth Convention

By: Sister Miskenta Mariam

The spiritual aspect of the 2008 Youth Convention was quite nourishing for many. With daily morning and evening prayer, the youth received a wonderful picture of what Chaldean and Assyrian spirituality truly is. In addition to our rich Liturgy, Our Beloved Bishop Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, added much to their understanding during his speech on Friday evening and his sermon at Sunday morning Mass. On Friday, the evening prayer hymns were directed toward the martyrs; thus, the bishop gave the youth a beautiful speech about what it means to be a martyr by using its actual spelling and pronunciation in the classical Aramaic language. He encouraged the youth by telling them that a martyr is one that witnesses and that we are all called to be witnesses to the Faith.

During Sunday Mass, the bishop preached about St. Thomas, who was the disciple sent to our Church and how our Church and its traditions were present from the beginning. He mentioned how we are so blessed to have St. Thomas as our disciple because he was the one to touch the side of Jesus, declaring Him as “Lord, God.” The speeches by the Bishop were so direct and beneficial that they were spoken about days after the convention.

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July 3rd, First Day Update by Rhonda Alkatib - St. Peter Chatedral

The first day of the convention began with a 10 hour bus ride to San Jose. We arrived at St. Mary’s church in time to check-in, enjoy a quick dinner provided by the great staff at St. Mary’s, and finally headed to the Fairmount Hotel where all the churches of the St. Peter’s Diocese were staying. We were given the opportunity to explore the downtown San Jose area for a few hours before retreating to bed. San Jose is incredibly beautiful, and we were fortunate to stay in a remarkable area of the city.

July 4^th , Second day Update by Renee Jarbo - St. Peter Cathedral

              After Breakfast and morning prayer, Bishop Sarhad Jammo spoke briefly about this important event of uniting our Chaldean and Assyrian youth in one church. The youth were split into two groups. Those ages 15-17 attended two lectures. The first was titled Peer Pressure by Julius Bercasio and the second was titled The Call of Christ presented by Fr. Andrew Younan. Youth ages 18 and over attended two lectures. The first titled Relationships: Seek and You Shall Find by Brian and Rosie, and the second one was titled Why Should We Come to Mass by Jimi Netniss

Rosie and Brian talked about their family of 5 and how they struggled everyday. Their faith in God and love for Him is what gets them through each and every day. Because they love God, they are able to love each other.

              Participants had a chance to ask questions, everyone was instructed to go outside for an activity and to think about the important things in our lives. Everyone was instructed to write down 3 people that are important to them and 2 things that are valuable to them, all on separate cards. Rosie asked everyone to lay the cards out in front of them and then to close their eyes. We were to imagine that we were at home and that suddenly there was a fire and we needed to get out of our homes quickly. Upon escaping the flames inside the home, we were to open our eyes and look down at our cards. When we opened our eyes, some of us were missing some cards. Rosie asked someone in the audience what they were missing and he replied that he had lost his wife and kids in the fire. As he answered her question, everyone could hear the sadness in his voice.

Rosie asked everyone: What would happen if you lost any of the people or things in front of you in a fire? Can you replace them? How will it change your life?  In looking around at the audience, there were tears and disbelief.  One participant called his father after this activity and told his father that he loved him. He had not done this in 6 years. We walked away from this activity thinking about those who are dear to us. We need to live each day as if it were our last and tell the people in our lives that we love them.

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Jimi opened up the second lecture with the challenge of answering the following question: Why are we here? The answer to that question was because we are all Christian Catholics. Eucharist is the source of our faith and our destination. He spoke about how true worship requires repentance and that therefore we must prepare our hearts. Jimi referred to Luke 24:13 (after Jesus had been crucified) when Jesus, in the village of Emmaus, comes to 2 apostles as a stranger and interprets how everything from the Bible points to himself.

Through the participation of the youth, we learned that Jesus is present in Mass in 4 ways: in Eucharist (Body and Blood), in the Bible (the Word of God), as the Priest, and within the Community of people (whenever 2 or more gather in my name, I am present). Jimi spoke about the Sacraments and how they were given by Jesus to the early church and that they give us grace.

         Jimi asked the participants if love can be measured. The majority raised their hands and said no. Jimi told us we were wrong. He said that LOVE can be measurable by looking at the CROSS. Love can be measured by asking two questions: What did it cost me? and How much did I deserve it?

         Jimi ended his talk by asking us: How do you know what God wants for you if you don’t spend time with him? This is so true. We are so quick to want things and to always ask for more, but never want to give more. God wants us closer to Him so that he can help us reach Him. Pride is the root of sin. Jesus came and tried to fix that with his humility. We must follow his lead and humble ourselves. In doing this, we can become closer to God and reach our destination. We must prepare our hearts for that day.

 
Following the lectures, everyone rode their buses on a mini tour of San Francisco where they visited the magnificent Church of St. Ignatius, then they moved along to cross over the Golden Gate Bridge heading to Treasure Island.

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July 5^th , Third day Update by Sandy Rabban - St. Peter Cathedral

For sports the winning teams were:

Boys Soccer - Mar Auraha Church
Girls Soccer - St. George Church

Boys Volleyball - St. Mary Church
Girls Volleyball - St. Peter Cathedral

Boys Basketball - St. Mary Church
Girls Basketball - Mar Auraha Church

            In the boy’s basketball tournament, Mar Auraha played an undefeated St. Mary's team in the championship game. In the end it was St. Mary's that triumphed with a dominant effort & earned the title of 2008 Youth Convention Champions.

            In a close match up between St Peter's & St. George's girl’s soccer teams, St. George won in controversial fashion by one goal.

            The Mar Auraha girl’s basketball team proved to be too strong for the competition & went undefeated in the tournament to win the championship. 

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July 5^th, Banquet Update by Stephen Nissou - St. Peter Cathedral

              We wrapped up the 2008 Youth Convention with a great Banquet where our Diocese celebrated, in unity, along with our guests of honor Their Excellencies Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo and Mar Bawai Soro, and all of our priests.  It was an exiting event celebrated with speeches, awards, traditional dancing, live music, and many memories with our fellow parishioners.  Many youth were very happy to celebrate the success of the convention at the banquet that Saturday evening as trophies were awarded to the winning sports teams. After dinner, Munadhel, a famous Chaldean singer, performed live singing and music. Many youth joined hands to dance in the traditional Chaldean & Assyrian line dances. Others danced freely on the stage and showed their unique dance moves. Everyone was overwhelmed, happy, and truly enjoying the event.

            We are all very thankful to St. Mary's parish for organizing a great convention. We appreciated all of the hard work and commitment they put towards this project.  Our bishop, Mar Sarhad called for the first Youth Convention in 2004, and his vision to unite the youth of the Diocese has not only been accomplished but has also continued to attract more and more youth to this fruitful event. With the help of God, all things are possible.
 

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- I would like to thank our youth convention committee and volunteers for their dedication to our church and commitment to our youth. I also want to thank all the pastors for encouraging their youth to attend this great event. Above all, I would like to extend a special thanks to our father and beloved Bishop, Mar Sarhad, for his continuous support and guidance.
Father Yoshia Sana, St. Mary’s Pastor
 

- I think this convention has been a really fun and a new experience.
Melanie McWilliams, 17, St. Paul
 

- It was wonderful to see our future generation getting together culturally and spiritually.  I hope we could be great leaders and help bring all the Assyrian and Chaldean children together.
Sharokena Isaac 23, St. Thomas
 

- Thank you to St. Mary’s & the entire St. Peter’s Diocese for an incredible convention! We had an amazing time!
Rhonda Alkatib, 21, St. Peter
 

- The convention is very nice. I enjoyed listening to the amazing speakers and meeting new people. This definitely won’t be the last convention I would go to.
Gloria Yalda, 18, St. George
 

- I really enjoyed the convention. I believe we were more united than ever. Having one t-shirt color made me feel like we were under one church as one big family. This convention has brought us closer to God!
Yvette Mirzpour, St Mary
 

- The convention brought youth from different cities together with a common goal to raise our faith in the church and make sure we participate as much as possible.
Christopher Batress, 19, St. Paul
 

- From the moment that we got there until the second that we left I loved every minute of it. I was in awe when we walked into the San Francisco church!!
Marina Goro, 16, St. Peter
 

- I think this years convention was very successful. St. Mary’s did a great job on hosting it and the way they put everything together. The leaders that hosted it were very professional when it came down to helping other churches and helping other youth if they had a problem with something. it was the best ever I cant wait tell next time. Thank you for everything you guys did for us.
Rena Potres 24, Mar Auraha

- St. Mary did a really good job accommodating over 400 youth from different churches. They were polite and did their best to make everyone happy and teach us about the ways of God.
Janet Hana, 19, St. George

- I love coming to the convention. I love meeting new people.
Odil Badrouyan, 19, St. Paul
 

- The beauty & unity that shines within this group of people leaves you in awe. We are so blessed to have been a part of this inspiring convention. God willing, we will have much more to come.
Chanel Konja, 18, St. Peter

- I had fun, but change the food every now & then. I love that we grew in our faith and we learned and met great people.
Heidi Patros, 16 ½, St. Barbara
 

This 2008 youth convention was one of the most memorable and fun highlights of the year, not just for me but for everyone involved. St. Mary's youth and volunteers did an excellent job in organizing, entertaining, and nourishing our youth with knowledge. The speakers chosen gave different perspectives on topics about family, friends, and mostly God that helped us to realize not to take things for granted.  As an individual church, we left Arizona as friends and came back as a family with all the groups involved. We are the future of our church and events like these strengthen our hearts, minds, and love for God more than anything else can. Thank you for providing us with an extraordinary event that we'll remember forever, and God-willing, will have more in years to come.
Vivian Haji 20, Mar Auraha
 

- Really well put together by St. Mary's.  I learned a lot in the seminars, and the sports we had a lot of fun.
Amil Mazloumi 19,  St. Thomas Church

- It has been fun, good organization & events.
Bretiel Bet-Shmuel, 16, St. Paul
 

- Was it worth my time? Every second of it!
Heather Jarbo, 16, St. Peter
 

- Convention was a great experience. I learned a lot. It changed me as a person.
Sabrina Rafo, 15, St. George

- Love and devotion brought 104 youth from St. Mary’s Church. A quality program brings the quantity. These youth will be the future leaders of our church.
Rodney Anhari, St. Mary
 

- I’ve never been to a youth convention before. I’m really glad that I got a chance to experience the fun & really getting closer to God. I really hope that I get  this experience again.
Renee Patros, 18, St. Barbara
 

- The event is very educational, and the hotel is amazing.
Justin Khos, 17, St. Paul

 - A life changing event, speeches and work shops.
Chris Shorees, 21, St. Peter
 

- This convention was very fun and educating. The lectures were very interesting and the group activities were fun.
Megan Hana, 15, St. George

- I appreciate everything St. Mary's church provided everyone with. Not just the food, but the opportunity to unify with other parishes. This trip really helped us become like one big family & each others own brothers & sisters. I wouldn't have changed anything.
Holly Yako 19 - Mar Auraha
 

- I am really enjoying spending time with my friends. This is a great experience!
Aaron Brown, 18, St. Paul
 

- The experience was unbelievable. St. Mary’s Church did a wonderful job on taking care of us. It was great to be able to share our opinions & thoughts with other Chaldeans & Assyrians throughout CA.
Lidia Yousif, 21, St. Peter  
 

- Although the entire convention was amazing, I was most inspired by Mar Sarhad and the entire convention was so well organized...Thank you St. Mary       
Evon Toma 26, St. Thomas
 

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سعادة السفير العراقي سمير الصميدعي
يلتقي نخبة من الشخصيات الدينية والاجتماعية في سان دييگو

كلدايا.نت: 3 / 7 / 2008

          زار سعادة السفير العراقي سمير الصميدعي مدينة سان دييگو الامريكية، قادما من مقر السفارة في واشنطن. وقد التقى ابان وصوله ظهر الاربعاء 2 تموز على مأدبة غذاء رعاها السفير نفسه، بالشخصيات الدينية والاجتماعية العراقية المقيمة في مدينة سان دييگو. كان في استقباله من الجانب الكلداني سيادة راعي الابرشية مار سرهد يوسپ جمو.

ساد اللقاء طابع الاخوة والالفة العراقية، اذ اكد سعادة السفير على هذا النسيج اللطيف الذي يتكون منه الشعب العراقي، مؤكدا بان الوضع في العراق بدأ بالتحسن الملحوظ، وهو بادرة خير لبناء جسور لتربط بلاد المهجر بارض الوطن العراق. هذا وقد تطرق الحضور الى طلب امكانية انشاء قنصلية او حتى ممثلية عراقية في المدينة نظرا للبعد الشاسع بينها وبين العاصمة واشنطن.

  رافق سيادة راعي الابرشية في الزيارة حضرة الخوراسقف فيليكس الشابي، اضافة الى السادة عزيز رزوقي، و د. نوري بركة. كما وحضر السناتور وديع ددّه، والسيد ريمون برنو.

من الشخصيات الاخرى التي حضرت الاستقبال كان حضرة الاب فادي ممثل كنيسة السريان الارثودكس في سان دييگو، والسيد محمد القزويني ممثلا من الجالية الاسلامية الشيعية، والبعض من السادة ممثلي المنظمات الكردية، والمنظمات الانسانية والاجتماعية

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Diocesan First Holy Communion 2008

St. Peter Chaldean Cathedral, El Cajon, Ca 82 boys and girls received First Holy Communion on Saturday, June 7, 2008   St. Peter Chaldean Cathedral, El Cajon, Ca 74 boys and girls received First Holy Communion Friday, June 6, 2008

Mar Auraha Chaldean Church, Scottsdale, AZ 20 boys and girls received First Holy Communion on Saturday May 31, 2008	St. Michael Chaldean Church, El Cajon, CA 52 boys and girls received First Holy Communion on Saturday June 7, 2008
ST. George Chaldean Church, Santa Ana, Ca 6 boys and girls received First Holy Communion on Sunday June 15, 2008	St. Paul Assyrian Chaldean Church, North Hollywood CA 20 boys and girls received First Holy Communion on Sunday June 29 2008

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Congratulations Graduates of 2008
 

        On the pleasant evening of Sunday June 29, 2008, hundreds of youth with their families, friends and relatives attended the 2008 Graduation Party & Banquet at St. Peter Hall. This annual event is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus/Mar Toma Council to honor the college & high school graduates and reward them for their achievements. Following the opening remarks, our dear Bishop, Mar Sarhad Yawsip Jammo gave a fatherly speech for the youth, congratulating them on their success and achievements, and inspiring them to go higher and higher in learning and pursuing the highest levels of education. "Since you are the descendants of the greatest civilization in the world; you should always aim high, and strive to reach academic excellence so you can build a tower of achievements, humanity and fulfillments".

      A number of graduates were awarded scholarships according to their qualifications and achievements. The scholarships were donated by generous members of our Chaldean community who like to award honor graduates and encourage our future generation to achieve the highest levels of education. Many other businesses contributed by placing their ads in the Graduate Yearbook printed by the Chaldean Media Center.

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A Chaldean family, of the late Mr. Raad Habib Hermes, donated $20,000 to Knights of Columbus/Mar Toma council to establish an Education Scholarship in his memory. This gift will be used to honor the college & high school graduates of 2009 class and the following years. Raad read extensively and loved cultural activities. Shortly before his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer, he was in the process of establishing a graduate course in International Business at Northwestern University in Chicago. Unfortunately, he couldn’t fulfill his dream. With this donation, the family is hoping that this will plant the seed for other members of our Chaldean community to do the same, & to help encourage our young men & women pursue higher education. The Mar Toma Council members thank the Hermes family and extend their appreciation for this generous donation, God blesses all the philanthropists’ families in our community.

Najah Yaldu - Knights of Columbus, Graduation Committee

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Chaldean Soccer Club

The management of Chaldean Soccer Club has announced that team tryouts & registrations of new players are now open for the upcoming season. We are looking for individuals who love the competition & represent the team for next season in the San Diego County Soccer League which will start soon. The club's management prefers applicants aging from 17 to 30. Please visit our website www.chaldeansoccerclub.com or contact one of the following individuals from 5:30 pm -10:00 pm.

Maysar Yousif 619-792-0576

Or  Rony Patros 619-956-6646

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ST. PETER CHALDEAN CATHEDRAL

EL CAJON, CA

Welcome Christian fellows through Holy Baptism and Confirmation: Jennifer Khairo, Leila Dawood, Brendan Hillawi, Jonathan Rofaiel, Christopher Butty, Leiana Shamoual, Lorenzo Toma, Dylanie Ballo, Angelina Yacoob, Aldan Karyakos, Danielle Najor, Patrick Gappy, Aidan Polis, Ava Suerth, Antonio Habib, Malinda Toma, Isaiah Kasawa, Vanessa Toma.

Congratulations to our brothers & sisters who have received the crown of Holy Matrimony:  Raid Salem & Lina Theweny, Lahib Sahib & May Abdullah (Nuptial), Kusay Zaia & Rana Butros, Sandy Odesh & Lara Hormous, and Bashar Najar & Mariam Auro.

With deep sympathy, the following members of our community of faith have passed away in the hope of heavenly glory: David Odish, and Hiba Yousif.

ST. MICHAEL CHALDEAN CHURCH

EL CAJON, CA

Welcome Christian fellows through Holy Baptism and Confirmation:  Maraea Shemami, Cecilia Shemami, Benjamin Andrade, Alec Kako, Petra Sagmani, and Branson Zanayed.

Congratulations to our brother & sister who have received the crown of Holy Matrimony:  Jalal Matti & Husniyah Dawood.

With deep sympathy the following member of our community of faith passed away in the hope of heavenly glory:  Janet Rabban.

MAR AURAHA CHALDEAN CHURCH,

SCOTTSDALE, AZ

Welcome Christian fellows through Holy Baptism and Confirmation: Anthony Oraha, Sara Janbou, and Jenelle Hanna.

ST. MARY ASSYRIAN CHALDEAN CHURCH,

SAN JOSE, CA

Welcome Christian fellows through Holy Baptism and Confirmation: Joseph Bello.

With deep sympathy the following member of our community of faith passed away in the hope of heavenly glory:  Nathaniel Benjamin.

2008
   -   Vol. 5

Feb, Issue 33

Mar, Issue 34

 May, Issue 36

June, Issue 37

2007
   -   Vol. 4

February , Issue 21

March ,   Issue 22

April ,     Issue 23

June , Issue 25

July ,  Issue 26

August ,  Issue 27

October , Issue 29

November , Issue 30

December ,  Issue 31

2006
-
Vol. 3

December , Issue 19

September , Issue 16

November  , Issue 18

August , Issue 15

October,  Issue 17

July 2006 , Issue 14 

2005
 -
Vol. 2

2004
-
Vol.1

January , Issue 1

February, Issue 2

March , Issue 3

April , Issue 4
 
May - June , Issue 5

July , Issue 6

Aug -Sep , Issue 7

Oct - Nov , Issue 8

December , Issue 9