The ancient city (today a small town) of Karamles (or Karemlesh) is 18 miles (29 km) south-east of Mosul in the Niniveh Plains region of northern Iraq. It is a mainly Christian town, with the majority belonging to the Chaldean Catholic Church.
In August 2014 Karamles was overtaken by the fighters of the so-called Islamic State (IS) and almost all its inhabitants were forced to flee. When Pope Francis visited Iraq in March 2021 he celebrated Holy Mass in Erbil, where he blessed a statue of Our Lady, brought from Karamles, which had been beheaded by the terrorists and subsequently restored. Following the defeat of IS, it was brought back to the city, along with many of the Christian families who returned to their native city. ACN has provided massive support for the rebuilding of the shattered Christian towns and villages in the Niniveh Plains area, including Karamles.
The Church of Our Lady in Karamles is today in the care of four monks from the congregation of the Brothers of the Holy Cross, which was founded in Lebanon. They live a strict life of radical poverty, in imitation of Christ, trusting completely in divine providence. They support themselves with joinery work and in their local bookshop, where they hope to awaken a love of reading among the people. Their pastoral work includes comforting the sick, elderly and handicapped and supporting them not only spiritually but also, among other things, with practical work that these people can no longer do themselves. They bring the sacraments to the sick and dying and support them with loving care. They also give talks on spiritual subjects, addressed especially to the young people, and they offer a pastoral outreach to young men. They have a special love of Eucharistic adoration and strive to foster love of the Eucharist among the faithful. And of course they celebrate the Eucharist daily and celebrate the Marian feasts with particular devotion. They also strive to help and counsel people with their various problems and by resolving conflicts.
Father Adday Babaca tells us: „We entrust our whole lives into the hands of Jesus and beg Him to grant us the grace to carry out His will, at every time and in every place.“
We plan to support these four monks with basic support of 6000 Euros for their life and precious ministry.
