Catholic Iraqi refugees arrive, are welcomed by Maronite parish

Published: 2007-12-06

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (CNS) -- Following years of persecution and not being able to attend Mass because of the threat of terrorism, Huzni Hermez and his family left their war-torn homeland of Iraq and found a place where they could freely practice their Catholic faith. With the cooperation of St. Anthony Maronite Catholic Church in Springfield, Springfield-based Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts and the Diocese of Springfield, Hermez and his family -- including wife Muntha Sooloka; children Yusif Yusuf, 6, Raymon Yusuf, 4, and Eleana Yusuf, 3; and Hermez's mother, Sarra Khoshaba -- arrived in Springfield Nov. 15. They are Chaldean Catholics, members of an Eastern Catholic church in union with the pope. Speaking of being forced to leave his homeland, Hermez told The Catholic Observer, Springfield diocesan newspaper, through an interpreter: "That is real terrorism, when you are not welcome in your own country. Even if Iraq would be paradise one day," he added, the family would not go back. The horrible memories will never go away, he said.

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