Projects

St. Thomas Mission Team

The St. Thomas Mission Team places passionately Catholic American teachers at Mar Qardakh International School to equip the Chaldean youth with intellectual formation, moral virtue, and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to sustain the light of Christ in the land of Abraham.

• Established in 2021.

• Teaches theology, history, English, and elementary homeroom classes.

• Leads a semi-weekly youth group “Lux” for middle and high school students.

• Assists the Archdiocese at the Catholic University in Erbil and special projects as needed.

• Teachers from Franciscan University of Steubenville and Hillsdale College represented.

• Alumni from Christendom College as well.

“I first arrived in Iraq in 2021 wondering what I had walked myself into. Almost four years later, I see that God worked through that first encounter to show me a heart for mission and prepare me for work as a teacher. The St. Thomas Mission has blessed me beyond belief with experiences of the local culture, language, and international perspectives that cannot be recreated on American soil.” - Alex M.

Catholic University in Erbil

After the Islamic State destroyed the educational institutions of the Nineveh Plain, specifically Mosul and Qaraqosh, the Catholic University in Erbil was born. The Catholic University in Erbil is the only Catholic university in Iraq and is the only University to bear the name “Catholic” from Morocco to Indonesia. CUE is a non-profit educational and scientific research university with 280 undergraduate students representing all different faiths and all corners of Iraq. The majority of students are IDPs expecting a new lease on life from their education.

• 590 students.

• 59 faculty and staff.

“I was at university before ISIS: I feared for my education. Bishop Warda built us a Catholic university that opened two years after we fled our village. It has given me so much happiness and hope. I thank and love those who have helped me restart my education.”

Maryamana Hospital

Maryamana is a non-profit Catholic hospital providing healthcare services to people from all walks of life. Founded by the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil in 2019, Maryamana leads healthcare in Kurdistan, Iraq, and is equipped with the latest advances in medicine. Maryamana, named after the Virgin Mary, is playing an important role in providing care to a population with minimum access to health professionals.

• 7 operating rooms.

• 70 beds.

• NICU and ICU.

• Affordable private medical care.

• 200 jobs created and sustained.

• Free medical care for a family’s 4th child and up.

“A 42-year-old male presented himself in the emergency ward, complaining of pain with severe swelling and redness at the middle of his back. He was diagnosed as a case of infected sebaceous cyst and needed emergency surgery. The patient is very poor and could not pay. We reached out to Fr. Shwan and he assured the hospital that the expenses involved will be paid by a benefactor of the Church. The emergency attention given to the patient went smoothly.”- Dr. Oshman Sami, Maryamana Hospital Emergency Ward

Mar Qardakh International School

Mar Qardakh International School provides K-12 education in an environment of academic rigor and a solid Christian moral formation. It is located in Ankawa, the Christian section of Erbil, Iraq. Mar Qardakh upholds the standards of a holistic education, in order to promote the well-being of each individual and of the community in its entirety.

• International Baccalaureate and Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges and Universities (ASIC) accreditations.

• 600+ student body.

• 9 Catholic American teachers.

• Campus built 2010.

• New kindergarten building.

“Mar Qardakh school has changed my life with the education the school provides for us. Studying at Mar Qardakh will help us in the future with our careers and future jobs. The opportunities the school has provided for us are unbelievable, such as participating in activities, getting closer to God and many more. I am grateful for the lovely environment the school provided for us, in addition to the good resources the students have.”

Catechesis Program

Archbishop Bashar Warda established the Catechism Central Committee to plan and organize pastoral activities, training young people to fulfill their call to share the Good News in the midst of a culture that has resisted it, often violently. The Committee was established to unite the work of the 11 catechism centers of the 7 parishes in the Archdiocese of Erbil.

• 1,200 students (5-18 years old).

• 273 catechists.

• Annual training courses.

Ankawa Humanitarian Committee

Ankawa Humanitarian Committee’s mission and work began in 2014, when Ankawa filled with IDPs fleeing the Islamic State. At the time, the Archdiocese embraced more than 13,000 families evicted from their homes and homelands by war. Throughout the years, the Archdiocese provided shelter, food, non-perishable items, medical supplies, education, and cash for these IDPs. In February 2020, Ankawa Humanitarian Committee formed with the purpose of serving the most vulnerable and to continue the humanitarian work of the Archdiocese. AHC is a non-profit organization with a locally driven duty to help the fragile and traumatized IDP community not just to survive, but to thrive. Through the values of humanity, service, and mercy, AHC’s vision is to build community and a future for young people, where all persons are treated equally and have their unalienable rights acknowledged and respected.

• Empowering women and children.

• Providing education.

• Fighting economic poverty.

• Promoting equality.

• Creating social cohesion and coexistence.