On 10 September 2014, His Grace Mar Paulus Benjamin, Bishop of Eastern USA testified before the United States Senate Human Rights Caucus. The said caucus included an inaugural discussion on the Islamic State (IS), which has driven 200,000 Assyrians from their homes. The Caucus was launched by Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.). Testimony was given by the following persons: • Tom Malinowski, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor • Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom • Pascale Warda with the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization • Manal Omar from the United States Institute of Peace • His Grace Mar Paulus Benjamin, Bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East • Sarah Margon from Human Rights Watch The full text of His Grace’s testimony is below: Senator Mark Kirk, Senator Chris Coons, Brothers and sisters, honored guests, friends: I come before you today to tell you of the horrors and difficulties my people, the Christians of Iraq, are undergoing. We are an ancient people and we have suffered much. Whether we are called Assyrian, Chaldean, or Syriacs, we are one. We are a Christian people that still speak and …
Read More »His Grace Mar Awraham Youkhanis, Bishop of London and Western Europe, Earns PhD from Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia – In a momentous occasion for the Assyrian Church of the East, Mar Awraham Youkhan…
Celebrating the Future: Honouring a Sacrifice
On Sunday, 4th February 2024, the congregation gathered in St Abdisho Cathedral in Melbourne, Austra…
Sydney’s Annual Youth Meet with Archbishop Mar Meelis Zaia
On Tuesday 30th January the Assyrian Church of the East Youth Association in Sydney held its annual …
SYDNEY’S CHILDREN CONCLUDE THE 8TH ANNUAL SUMMER PROGRAM
The Assyrian Church of the East Children’s Association (ACECA) hosted its eighth annual summer progr…
Sydney’s St Narsai College Announces Construction of Phase Three
The Board of Directors of the Assyrian Christian Schools in Sydney has announced the establishment o…
An Incredible 2023 for Sydney Youth
As we look back on 2023, we reflect on the events and initiatives hosted by the Assyrian Church of t…
Sydney Parishioners Gather for Carols
On Thursday 14 December, the Assyrian Church of the East hosted its 10th annual Carols by the Cathed…
Voice of the East – Vol. 68 – November & December 2021
Voice of the East – Vol. 68 – November & December 2021 – No 11 & 12 …
The National Executive Committee of ACEYA-USA meets in Chicago, Illinois
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Assyrian Church of the East Youth Association of the U…
Sydney parishioners trace steps of the Apostles of the East at Walkathon 2021
The Assyrian Church of the East Youth Association hosted its annual Walkathon Fundraiser on Sunday 2…
His Holiness the Catholicos-Patriarch Hosts Post-Consecration Audiences
His Holiness Mar Awa III, Catholicos-Patriarch, received distinguished guests and representatives of…
Statement on the Election of the 122nd Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East
To all the sons and daughters of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East and fellow …
BISHOPS OF THE DIOCESES OF THE UNITED STATES MEET AHEAD OF NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE
The bishops of the Assyrian Church of the East in the United States meet recently ahead of the 33rd …
Recent Posts
H.G. Mar Awa Royel Addresses Washington D.C. ‘In Defence of Christians’ Summit
On 11 September 2014, His Grace Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California and Secretary of the Holy Synod addressed the ‘In Defence of Christians’ summit held in Washington D.C. between 9-11 September 2014. According to ‘In Defence of Christians’, “The primary purpose of the Summit is to bring all members of the Diaspora together in a newfound sense of unity. Whether Orthodox or Catholic; Evangelical, Coptic or Maronite; Syriac, Lebanese, Chaldean or Assyrian – all Middle Eastern Christians will be called on to join together in solidarity. “This solidarity will strengthen advocacy efforts with policy makers and elected officials and make more palatable grassroots outreach to the American public. Thus united, Middle Eastern Christians will invite all people of good will to join the cause to defend the defenseless, to be a voice for those who are voiceless. “The survival of these historic Christian communities is not merely a moral imperative; it is in the interests of all nations and peoples of the West and the Middle East.” This is the text of His Grace’s speech: Your Holinesses, Your Beatitudes, Your Excellencies and Graces, Reverend Fathers, Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen: It is a great honor and privilege to be …
Read More »U.S. Bishops Visit Office of the National Council of Churches USA
While attending the In Defense of Christians (IDC) Summit in Washington D.C., His Grace Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California, Secretary of the Holy Synod and President of CIRED, along with His Grace Mar Paulus Benjamin, Bishop of Chicago and the Eastern USA, visited the headquarters of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) on Thursday, September 11, 2014 at 11:00 am. The two bishops were received by Mr. Jim Winkler, the President and General Secretary of the NCC USA. The purpose of the visit was a courtesy call, and an exchange of information regarding the plight of the Christians in Iraq and the Middle East at large. For their part, the NCC president apprised the bishops of the work of the Council among the various Churches in the US. The NCC just moved into their headquarters on Maryland Avenue in Washington D.C. The NCC USA was first founded in 1908 as the ‘Federal Council of Churches’, and then reorganized into the ‘National Council of Churches’ in the 1950’s. Some 40 different Churches and denominations are members of the NCC in the United States. The membership of the Assyrian Church of the East in the …
Read More »Catholicos-Patriarch Calls 3-Day Rogation for Christians of Iraq
His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos Patriarch of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, has sent an epistle imploring all members of the church and the Assyrian nation to hold a 3 day fast (Rogation) beginning Monday the 1st of September. The purpose of this rogation is to beseech the mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ upon our Assyrian nation and all who are being persecuted in the Middle East, in particular Northern Iraq. May God accept our rogation just as He accepted the rogation of our forefathers the Ninevites.
Read More »Letter of His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV Catholicos Patriarch to the President of the European Union
Letter of His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV Catholicos Patriarch to the President of the European Union
Read More »Letter of His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV Catholicos Patriarch to UN Secretary-General
Letter of His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV Catholicos Patriarch to UN Secretary-General
Read More »Director of Hong Kong based Jingjiao Fellowship Received by Catholicos-Patriarch
In the afternoon of Friday, July 4, 2014, His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, received in audience at the patriarchate Mr. David Tam, director of the Jingjiao Fellowship, who was accompanied by Mr. Faust Chan, a research student on Christianity in China. Also in attendance of the audience were: Their Graces Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California, President of CIRED and Secretary of the Holy Synod, and Mar Paulus Benjamin, Bishop of the Diocese of Eastern USA. Mr. Tam apprised His Holiness of the developments of Jingjiao since he first wrote to His Holiness in May 2009, expressing the wish to establish contact with the Church and return to communion. The highlights of events in these few years were His Grace Mar Awa’s visits to Hong Kong in 2010, and to Xian and Hong Kong in 2012. During these visits, His Grace celebrated liturgy the first times in many centuries on Chinese soil, gave seminars on history and sacraments, spoke to seminarians and scholars, and met with prelates of the various Christian Churches in the country. These visits helped raise the awareness of the Church of the East and Jingjiao, and their success …
Read More »Holy Synod Condemns ‘Barbaric Acts’ Against Christians in Iraq
-
Patriarchal Epistle for the Holy Feast of the Nativity 2023
-
The Pearl of Great Price: The Anaphora of the Apostles Mar Addai & Mar Mari as an Ecclesial and Cultural Identifier of the Assyrian Church of the East.
-
The Sacrament of the Holy Leaven (MALKĀ) in the Assyrian Church of the East
-
Fasting and Great Lent
-
The Suffering, Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ