Young people of Faith

Ragheed Ganni Fr Ragheed Ganni is well remembered in Ireland for his work at Lough Derg. Shortly after his return to he was cruelly murdered after Mass. Fr John Murray, parish priest of Downpatrick, relates some of his life story. ‘Ragheed’s been shot! Ragheed’s been new persecution in the Middle East,’ shot’, my colleague in the parish yelled said Fr Benedict Kiely, founder of a as he burst into the room. Distressed, I charity for persecuted Christians. ISIS hoped that his news was not true. had ransacked Karemlash, Fr Ganni’s Soon we knew more. Fr Ragheed hometown, during their occupation Ganni and his three deacons had fin- from 2014–2016. They vandalised Fr ished Mass and were getting into their Ganni’s tombstone but left his resting car when gunmen suddenly appeared place untouched. Fr Kiely recalled that and ambushed them. All four were left to walk into the desecrated church dead. last year and discover his tomb ‘was a A group of Islamist fighters shot the beautiful blessing and sign from Heav- four men near the Chaldean Holy Spir- en to continue to remind the world of it Church where Fr Ganni was parish the suffering Christians in the cradle of priest. He had just celebrated Mass Christianity.’ there on 3 June 2007. The Iraqi priest martyred by Islamist As the group walked away from the fighters in in 2007 remains an church, the armed men stopped them, inspiration for many Christian victims warning Fr Ganni to close the church. of persecution. Fr Ganni replied, ‘How can I close The Vatican has formally opened the the house of God?’ The gunmen canonisation cause of Iraqi Chaldean ordered Deacon Isho’s wife to flee, Fr Ragheed Aziz Ganni and three demanded that the four men convert deacons Basman Yousef Daud, Wahid to Islam and, when they refused, took Hanna Isho and Gassan Isam Bidawid. their lives. The car was then rigged Fr Ragheed Ganni was well known with explosives to prevent the bodies in and lived at the Irish College being recovered, but a bomb disposal between 1996 and 2003. Having com- team managed to defuse the devices, pleted his formation he was ordained allowing the corpses to be buried. a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Thousands of people attended the Archeparchy of Mosul in 2001. After funeral of the four men the following ordination Fr Ganni continued his day. studies at the Pontifical Irish College, ‘The example and witness of Fr and he gained a Licentiate in Ecu- Ragheed inspired me from the mo- menical Theology from the Pontifical ment I heard of his martyrdom, one University of St Thomas, the Angeli- of so many noble martyrs of the great cum. In 2003 he elected to return to

46 his home country of Iraq. nineteen, was among them’, he said. Fr Ganni made strong friends with ‘As she was carrying water to wash the Irish seminarians and also spent sum- floor, two men drove up and threw a mers in Lough Derg since he could grenade that blew up near her.’ not go home. The Irish seminarians It was a miracle that she survived. arranged for the Irish hierarchy to offer ‘For me and my community, my sister’s him a parish after he was ordained in wounds were a source of strength so 2001. He had the opportunity but re- that we, too, may bear our cross’, Fr fused. He was needed at home. ‘That Ganni said. ‘Mosul Christians are not is where I belong, that is my place’, he theologians; some are even illiterate. said. And yet inside of us for many gener- Fr Ganni had first come to inter- ations one truth has become embed- national notice two years before his ded: without the Sunday Eucharist we death, in 2005, when he spoke in Bari, cannot live.’ Italy, at a Eucharistic congress. After the 2003 US-led invasion oust- ‘On 20 June of last year, a group ed Sunni leader , Iraq of young women were cleaning the became hostile territory for Christians. church to get it ready for Sunday The Islamist violence was pervasive, service. My sister Raghad, who is targeting stores at first, then churches,

47 Young people of Faith then Christians everywhere. In his 2005 Eucharist, I say “Behold the Lamb of remarks, Fr Ganni said, ‘Last August in God, Behold him who takes away the St Paul’s Church, a car bomb exploded sin of the world,” I feel his strength in after the 6 pm Mass. The blast killed me’, he said. ‘When I hold the host in two Christians and wounded many my hands, it is really he who is hold- others’. The event was a ‘miracle’ be- ing me and all of us, challenging the cause only one bomb of many planted terrorists and keeping us united in his in a car went off. ‘Had they all gone off boundless love.’ together the dead would have been At that same Eucharistic congress in in the hundreds since 400 faithful had 2005 Benedict spoke of another come on that day.’ occasion – in the year AD 304 – when ‘The terrorists might think they can soldiers broke into a barn in Abitene kill our bodies or our spirit by frighten- (Tunisia) where Christians were cele- ing us, but, on Sundays, churches are brating the Eucharist. When ordered always full’, he said. ‘They may try to to stop the priest spoke those same take our life, but the Eucharist gives it incredible words, ‘without Sunday back.’ we cannot live’. Fr Ganni knew those ‘There are days when I feel frail and words and paid the price for making full of fear. But when, holding the them true.

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