Adrian Dominican Prioress meets
with Bishops and Dominican Sisters of Iraq

June 11, Adrian, Michigan – Sister Donna Markham, OP, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Congregation, recently returned from a visit to Iraq with greater insights into the situations of the Dominican Sisters and the Christian community in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation. The May 25 to June 3 trip took Sister Donna to Christian villages in the northern part of the country. Her goal was to visit the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena from Mosul and to engage in discussion and prayer with the Sisters and with the church leaders “concerning peace, reconciliation and forgiveness.”

Sister Donna Markham, Archbishop Sako and Sister Maria Hanna

A spirit of friendship has blossomed between the Adrian Dominican Sisters and the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of St. Catherine since Sister Maria Hanna, OP, Prioress General of the Iraqi Dominicans, traveled to the United States in 2005. Shortly after that visit, the Adrian Dominican Congregation welcomed a group of young Iraqi Dominicans to live and minister with them so that the Sisters could experience some respite from the war.

Prevented by the dangers of violence from visiting Mosul – where the Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse is located – or the communities in Baghdad, Sister Donna still had the opportunity to visit villages in which the Sisters minister, and to meet privately with church leaders. She discovered that the situation in Iraq is “far more complex than commonly reported by the media”: tensions between Arabs and Kurds as well as a “compromised” infrastructure add to the challenges. “People have electricity for part of the day and it is very expensive,” Sister Donna explained. “There is a marked problem of unemployment due to a lack of functioning businesses,” and this is driving many Christian families from the country in order to find work.

Members of the General Council, Dominican Sisters, Mosul, Iraq with Sister Donna

Sister Donna gained further insights into the challenges facing the Iraqi people during meetings with Archbishop Louis Sako, Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk, and Archbishop Georges Casmoussa, Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Mosul. The two Church leaders voiced their opposition to the idea of partitioning the country which could involve moving Christians to the Plain of Nineveh, Both archbishops believe that Christians are key to mediating the conflicts among the various factions, she said. Archbishop Sako firmly believes that Iraq’s future “resides in the hands of those who live in the country now,” Sister Donna explained. Church leaders believe it is vital that Christians be supported in staying in their own country to help Iraq resolve the tensions between Islam and Christianity and between various factions in the country.

Christian Village of Karakoush, Iraq

In spite of the conflicts, tensions, and struggles in Iraq, Sister Donna also sees signs of hope. For example, she said, the Iraqi government is not interfering in the publication of Christian books, and the Sisters are free to establish schools and hospitals to serve all people of Iraq. “People recognize that freedom is a great advantage and hope that the tenuous peace process among all Iraqi people will eventually strengthen the bonds of unity in the country,” she said. In addition, she spoke of the “unbounded energy” of the Dominican Sisters in Iraq, who continue to provide pastoral care, education and medical care to their people.

“I would ask that we all hold the people of Iraq in our prayers during this critical time in their history,” Sister Donna concluded. “Especially, let us pray for the success of the Christian community in carrying out dialogues among all parties in the interests of peace and forgiveness.”

Iraq infrastructure challenge