Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Brisbane priest starts Iraqi campaign

byStaff writers
28 June 2009 - Updated on 16 March 2021
Reading Time: 2 mins read
AA
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Related Stories

Archbishop calls for prayers in “troubled times”

US bishops applaud San Francisco prelates pastoral response to Pelosi’s decades of abortion advocacy

Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village

A BRISBANE priest, concerned that all Catholics may be driven from war-torn Iraq, has started a two-pronged campaign to help the beleaguered minority group.

Fr Gerry Hefferan, who recently returned from Kurdistan in the country’s north, has organised a prayer roster with parishes from five Queensland dioceses. The roster has already been filled until November.

The Grovely-based priest is also encouraging Catholics to share expertise in education and health with staff at St Peter’s Chaldean Seminary in Iraq which has been relocated from Baghdad to Erbil in the Kurdistan north.

“This is because education and health are two major areas where the Muslim communities recognise Christian expertise,” Fr Hefferan said.

“So this is one way to help bring peace to the area – it can help the Christians live more harmoniously with their Muslim neighbours.”

Fr Hefferan said his visit to Iraq earlier this month had been to show his solidarity with the suffering Church there.

“About one-third of the Catholic population in Iraq have now migrated, with the majority in refugee camps in Syria, Jordan and Turkey,” he said.

“Pope Benedict tried to visit Iraq to boost morale there on his recent tour of the Middle East but was unable to get in.

“However, he did celebrate a Mass with First Communicants in Jordan as part of his outreach to Iraqi refugee children there.

“This turned out to be a real shot in the arm for the Church in Iraq … Catholics in Kurdistan were on a real high throughout the time I spent there.”
Fr Hefferan said “the danger now is that Iraq will become similar to Palestine where there are few Christians”.

While in Kurdistan, he stayed at St Peter’s Chaldean Seminary.

Among events he attended were the graduation of Babel College students some of whom attend the seminary.

Fr Hefferan was also present for the second anniversary of the murders of Fr Ragheed Ranni and three deacons Basman Yousef Daud, Wahid Hanna Isho and Gassan Isam Bidawed which had occurred at Mosul’s Holy Spirit Chaldean Church in June, 2007.

Fr Hefferan said his visit to Iraq had made him more conscious of the urgent need to support Catholics there.

Those interested in assisting Fr Hefferan can contact him via email on hefferang@bne.catholic.net.au or on 043 777 5088.

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Life of hope in Tanzania

Next Post

Archdiocese rejoices

Staff writers

Related Posts

Archbishop calls for prayers in “troubled times”
News

Archbishop calls for prayers in “troubled times”

24 May 2022
Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village
News

US bishops applaud San Francisco prelates pastoral response to Pelosi’s decades of abortion advocacy

24 May 2022
Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village
News

Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village

24 May 2022
Next Post

Archdiocese rejoices

Cardinal congratulates archdiocese

St Paul hits the net

Popular News

  • From a humble start Albanese is sworn in as new prime minister

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • US bishops applaud San Francisco prelates pastoral response to Pelosi’s decades of abortion advocacy

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Archbishop calls for prayers in “troubled times”

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Here are the stories of 10 new saints being canonised this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Archbishop calls for prayers in “troubled times”
News

Archbishop calls for prayers in “troubled times”

by Mark Bowling
24 May 2022
0

BRISBANE Archbishop Mark Coleridge has used the feast day of Our Lady, Help of Christians to call...

Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village

US bishops applaud San Francisco prelates pastoral response to Pelosi’s decades of abortion advocacy

24 May 2022
Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village

Myanmar military burns houses, destroys a village

24 May 2022
Life ‘is always sacred and inviolable’, Pope Francis says

Life ‘is always sacred and inviolable’, Pope Francis says

23 May 2022

From a humble start Albanese is sworn in as new prime minister

23 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping