Knights group in Iraq donates children's goods to Iraqi parish

Published: 2006-11-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A small group of U.S. Catholic volunteers working in Baghdad, Iraq, has coordinated the overseas donation and distribution of hundreds of pounds of children's shoes, clothes and school supplies to a Chaldean Catholic parish. The group, an unofficial council of the Knights of Columbus, is made up of temporary workers living in the International Zone, said Alexander Von Plinsky, who started the group. Some of the members are Knights, and some are interested in joining the Knights, he said. A few months after its formation, the group and Von Plinsky set up an intricate logistical strategy to securely transport hundreds of pounds of supplies to the nearby Chaldean Catholic parish, one of approximately 35 in the greater Baghdad area. Distributing the supplies, which include children's rosaries and money to offset future costs, involves several drop-off points and techniques to keep the parish's identity hidden, Von Plinsky told Catholic News Service in telephone and e-mail interviews.

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