Our Home
Chaldeans in great numbers began leaving Iraq since the beginning of the 20th century. Most families left behind very prosperous and happy lives due to religious persecution, war and economic inequality. Many of the early Chaldean immigrants settled in Detroit, Michigan after finding work in the auto industry. Today there are over 250,000 Chaldean Catholics who proudly call the USA home. The majority of them reside in Detroit, Michigan and San Diego, California. As violence continued in Iraq so did the mass migration of the minority Christian population. In 2014 when the Islamic State (ISIS) invaded and massacred many of the northern cities and villages, the predominately Christian region experienced a mass migration of Christians who left their homeland in search of safety. Many of these families barely escaped death while leaving behind their homes, lives and history. Most were only able to escape with the clothes on their backs and then forced to wait for years before being accepted as refugees to other countries around the world. Many of them, after years of waiting, were thankfully able to arrive in Canada and begin a new life. Today about 50,000 Chaldean Catholics call Canada their new home. Our parish records show that our community has over 300 Chaldean Catholic families in Calgary alone.
As the number of Chaldean Catholic families grew in Calgary the Chaldean Church in 2007, under the leadership of His Excellency Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim, appointed Fr. Noel Farman to administer to the spiritual needs of the community. With the support of the Diocese of Calgary and the generosity of Fr. Micheal Storey the community began celebrating mass in Aramaic every Sunday at St. James’s Catholic Church (SW Calgary). As parish activities grew through the leadership and efforts of Fr. Hanni Joro (who temporarily served from 8/1/2019 till 4/1/2020) the community was able to raise funds to buy a 2-acre piece of property in hopes of one day building a new Church. Since 2020 the Ascension Lutheran Church has generously opened their home to the Chaldean community allowing them to share and use their facility for all liturgical and community functions.
In December of 2023 His Excellency Bishop Robert Saeed Jarjis appointed the newly ordained Fr. John Jwad to serve the Chaldean Church in Calgary. Within a short time he was able to raise over $1 million CAD in hopes of purchasing a Church for the growing community. In the spring of 2024, while visiting Sacred Heart Chaldean Catholic Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a parishioner explained to Fr. John that the community in Saskatoon found their current church by sending letters of intent to purchase to random churches in the city until one finally answered. Inspired by this story, as soon as Fr. John returned to Calgary he sent letters to over 100 places of worship throughout the city. After a couple of weeks, he received an email from Prince of Faith Lutheran Church and within a couple of months the terms of purchase were finalized. On November 1st, 2024, on the one-year priestly anniversary of Fr. John, the purchase agreement documents were signed. That night a joint prayer of thanksgiving, with members of both congregations, was held at Prince of Faith Lutheran Church in the presence of His Excellency Bishop Robert Saeed Jarjis. The consecration of the newly acquired Church according to the Rite of the Chaldean Catholic Church is set to take place on June 18th, 2025, which in the Chaldean Church is the memorial of St. Ephrem, Father and Doctor of the Universal Church.
