ISIS’ brutal persecution in Syria was the backdrop when Murhaf Obeid wrote a special icon now taking pride of place in a Brisbane church. Mr Obeid recently presented his icon of The Last Supper to Bracken Ridge parish priest Fr Gerry Hefferan as a gesture of gratitude for the way Fr Hefferan and the parish had welcomed him, his wife ... Read More »
Tag Archives: Syrian refugees
The Franciscan connection, Syrian family keeping faith close from point A to B – Aleppo to Brisbane
AMAL Eskifeh has the Franciscan spirit running through her veins. She, and her family, fled war-torn Syria after the 2014 Good Friday bombings destroyed their home city of Aleppo and killed many life-long friends and family. After fleeing to another Syrian city, and later to Lebanon where they applied and were granted a visa to Australia, Ms Eskifeh and her ... Read More »
Could you eat like a refugee? Meet the Catholics who took up the #RationChallenge
INDONESIAN migrant Mira Tedjo was never forced to flee her country and become a refugee, but she does know what it’s like to eat like one. During Refugee Week from June 18 to 24, Ms Tedjo and many other Catholics across the country took up the Ration Challenge by Act for Peace, an international aid agency of the National Council ... Read More »
Brisbane parish praying for Syria after seeing images of children affected by bomb blast
BRISBANE’S Melkite Catholic Church community has expressed despair at the latest violence in Syria, and has vowed to dig deep to help war refugee families arriving in Brisbane. St Clement’s Melkite Church, South Brisbane parish priest Fr Elie Francis said the impact of the of the latest air strike on a hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo had touched ... Read More »
Brisbane communities ready to give jobs to incoming Syrian refugees
MORE than one hundred businesses and organisations have signed up to provide job opportunities for Syrian refugees expected to arrive in Brisbane in coming months. Last November, the Queensland Government pledged to take 3500 refugees as part of an Australia-wide intake of 12,000. In response, Multicultural Development Association, the independent, non-government settlement organization, launched a Queensland-wide campaign to find 500 work-experience ... Read More »
Church welcomes PM’s decision on Syrian refugees
By Peter Bugden CHURCH leaders and agencies have welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to permanently resettle 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq. Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the one-off humanitarian intake on September 9 in response to the refugee crisis engulfing the Middle East and Europe. Mr Abbott said this would be in addition to the previously existing humanitarian program ... Read More »