Seeds of Faith- Special Edition- Spring 2015

SPECIAL EDITION VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1

A Publication of Saint Andrews Assyrian Church of the East-

Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East Page 1

Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East Page 2

The Late Mar

Dinkha IV

His Holiness

Mar Dinkha IV

was born to his

parents, Andrew

and Panna

Khananya on

September 15, 1935 in Darban-

dokeh, Iraq. Panna, a well devot-

ed Christian abstained from eat-

ing meat to offer her first son as a

lamb for the Holy Church. His Ho-

liness received the Sacrament of

the Holy Baptism in the church of

Mar Qaryqos by his grandfather,

the late Rev. Benjamin Soro which

whom also was his elementary

education teacher. At the age of

twelve years old he was entrusted

under the care of His Beatitude,

the late Mar Yousip Khananisho,

Metropolitan of Iraq to continue

his studies in the Aramaic lan-

guage and the faith of the Holy

Apostolic Catholic Assyrian

Church of the East. As His Holi-

ness' grandfather, Rev. Fr. Benja-

min held the hand of Khanania as

he entrusted His Beatuide Mar

Yousip he said, "...Your Beautide,

I am now offering to you this

young lamb, in order to work for

the Holy Church. Thus from this

moment forward, he does not be-

long to us, he belongs to the Holy

Church." After twelve years of

rich education by His Beatuide

Mar Yousip, His Holiness was

ready to be ordained to the rank

of Deacon through the Apostolic

laying of hands by His Beatitude

Mar Yousip on September 12,

1949. His Holiness continued his

studies with His Beatitude Mar

Yousip and was able to accept the

Holy Order of Priesthood on July

15, 1957 just eight years after be-

coming a deacon. As the faithful of

Iran desperately needed a bishop

to ordain priests and guide the

diocese, His Beatitude Mar Yousip

Khananisho , with the approval of

His Holiness Mar Esahi Shimun,

the late Catholicos-Patirarch,

chose a well educated twenty-two

year old, Rev. Fr. Khanania to fulfil

the post. Rev. Fr. Khanania was

raised to the rank of Bishop of Iran

on February 11, 1962 taking his

family name of Mar Dinkha. He

served as the faithful bishop of

Iran until October 17, 1976 where

he was unanimously elected by

the prelates of the Holy Church to

the highest ecclesiastical rank,

the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Ho-

ly Apostolic Catholic Assyrian

Church of the East after the assas-

sination of His Holiness, the late

Mar Eshai Shimun in San Jose,

California. His Holiness Mar Dink-

ha IV established the patriarchal

residence in Chicago, Illinois be-

cause of the instabilty of the Iraq-

Iran War. His Holiness has re-

ceived many recognitions but in

2008, His Holiness was awarded

with a honorary degree from the

University of Chicago because he

only appointed Bishops with doc-

toral degrees. Through the power

of the Holy Spirit, His Holiness

was able to expand our church

and create many relationships

with our sister Apostolic church-

es. His Holiness has also tremen-

dously helped our Assyrian nation

by establishing the Assyrian

Church of the East Relief Organi-

zation (ACERO) to provide neces-

sary resources for our people in

the Middle East. In conclusion, His

Holiness has worked tirelessly for

the benefit of our Church and our

Assyrian nation; I plead that pray-

ers are continued for the health

and wealth fare of our Holy Fa-

ther.

Works Cited:"Dinkha IV." Wikipedia.

Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Mar.

2015. Mooken, Aprem. Patriarch Mar Dink-

ha IV: The Man and His Message. Trichur,

Kerala:

By: Peter Azzo

.

:

.

HOLY APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ASSYRIAN CHURCH OF THE EAST


Copyright 2015 by Assyrian Church of the East

The Passing

of the Nine-

vite Patriarch

The Mar

Dinkha Lega-

cy and the

Future of the

Assyrian

Church of the East

By any account, he was an ex-

traordinary man. He had to be.

His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Patri-

arch of the Assyrian Church of the

East, Baban Malya (Our Exalted Father) as he was endearingly-

referred to by the members of the

Church of the East, was a man

who followed in the footsteps of

legendary figures whose deeds

and martyrdoms have fueled a

mythic history, one unique to the

Church of the East. He reconciled

the differences of East and West,

like his people, and pressed them

to be loyal citizens of countries

they resided in, but true to their

heritage, language, and Assyrian

identity. The position of Patriarch

among the Assyrians holds a cer-

tain divine mystique and it was so

with the late Patriarch Mar Dinkha

IV. Born in 1935 in the tiny village

of Darbandoke, in the hills of As-

syria, Mar Dinkha developed to

learn the heritage of his Church

under the old priests and bishops

in the traditional ways of the el-

ders. He was a student of his

grandfather, Benyamin Soro, and

later of the late Mar Yousip

Khnanisho, the saintly figure of

the Church of the East. Having

given of himself for nearly 70

years to the priesthood, he was

entirely loyal to the liturgy and

traditions of his Church and nation

and refused to change one iota of the customs of his ancient

Church, as he himself declared

once in Mar Gewargis Cathedral

in Chicago. His life was personi-

fied by his tenacious allegiance to

the ways of his Church and peo-

ple, and no matter how cosmopol-

itan he seemed to some, no matter

how diplomatic his ways, no one

was able to bend him from the

faith and ways of the Awahate (the

fathers). He was a loyalist to the

core to a Church and people

strengthened from centuries of

persecution. The Church of the

East has a glorious history and

had expanded its jurisdiction all

over Asia, and had churches and

monuments in China. In time,

however, it came under severe

oppression. At the end of the

reign of Timur, or Tamerlane, the

Mongol conqueror, the Church of

the East had been virtually eradi-

cated. In two locations, however,

the Church survived; in the prov-

inces of Assyria, which had re-

tained its name in Christian times,

(in the districts of Beth Garme,

Adiabene, Arbil, Karkh dlbeth

Seluq [Kirkuk], Nuhadra [Dohuk],

Nineveh [Mosul], etc.), where the

church had acquired much of its

nourishment, and in the Hakkari

mountains of Southeastern Tur-

key, where the Assyrians lived

largely an isolated existence until

being expelled from their villages

and homes by Kurds and Turkish

troops during the First World

War. Additionally, a number of

Indians remained faithful to the

Church in the Malabar district in

southern India. All of the other

dioceses of the Church of the East

were lost forever. In the Sixteenth

century, a split occurred within

the Church of the East that led to

one side seeking union with

Rome, a side that became the

Chaldean Church, now under the

leadership of His Beatitude Mar

Louis Raphael Sako. In addition, a

factional split within the Church in

the 1960s led to the Ancient

Church of the East, now headed

by His Holiness Mar Addai II. The

Late Patriarch did his best to

bring about healing. In assessing

the Christianity of the Church of

the East, historians Patricia Croan

and Michael Cook found both a

provincial local Church of Assyr-ia, and a cosmopolitan one which shared its Christianity and cus-

toms with the world; a cosmopol-itan assertion of a gentile truth. Croan and Cook conclude that the

history conclude that the history

of one Assyrian city begins with the Assyrian kings and ends with

the Assyrian martyrs Sargon

founded it and the martyrs made

it 'a blessed field for Christianity'.

Likewise in the seventh century

before Christ all the world stood

in awe of Sardana, and in the sev-

enth century after Christ the saints

took his place as the 'sun of Athor'

and the 'glory of Nini-

ve'. (Hagarism, by Patricia Crone and Michael Cook, Cambridge

University Press, 1980)

To his people, scattered and dis-

persed all over the world, Mar

Dinkha brought a sense of com-

fort and stability as a leader who

upheld their ethnic identity herit-

age and collectivity, threatened

by assimilation in the West and

violence and persecution in the

East. He was to most members of

his Church, the Ninevite Patri-arch. He was charismatic, physi-cally fit, and handsome. Those

who met him were taken by his

friendly manners and his ever-

present smile. Having taken over

the patriarchy from the late Mar

Eshai Shimun XXIII in 1976, Mar

Dinkha IV faced the challenges of

factionalism with grace and digni-

ty.

Continue next page



Among his people, to the conster-

nation of some, he was kind, com-

passionate, and diplomatic rather

than harsh and swift in judgement.

He sought counsel and mulled

over issues carefully and reflec-

tively, and steered clear of con-

troversy. In the West, he once told me, it is easy to lose people whom we anger so we must be

careful His followers revered him as if he were a prophet or

prince from ancient times. Their

sorrow is profound and will be for

some time to come. With tears in

her eyes, one Church member

remarked we have lost every-thing; our villages in Nineveh, our

villages in Khabour, and now our

Patriarch. The late Patriarch leaves and peo-

ple and Church at the fork of the

road; losing their homeland

through violence and displace-

ment, but facing greater opportu-

nities for success as well as hav-

ing the risk of assimilation in the

West. The challenges of the mod-

ern world will no doubt fatigue

the mind and body of he who will

inherit the duties, responsibilities

and privileges of one of the most

honored positions in Christen-

dom. Like his predecessor before

him, he must be one who under-

stands and absorbs the duality of

East and West. He must challenge

his people and Church to both

modernize and keep their ancient

faith. He must keep up with the

times, but be loyal to his ancient

faith as he attempts to steer the

Church through the uncertain

times ahead, and keep its unique

provincial and cosmopolitan natures intact. He must not be or-

dinary in any sense. The salvation

of the Church of the East and the

Assyrians require it.

By: Robert w. DeKelaita

Make His

Memory

Blessed

When I first

heard news of

the passing of

His Holiness

Mar Dinkha IV, I was shocked.

Like most of us, I knew hed been ill, and had been hospitalized off

and on. But he was such a strong

and vibrant man so energetic in his late 70s, so vital that I did not believe simple flu complications

could be deadly for him. Besides,

he had much work to do. With the

plight of our brethren in the Mid-

dle East under the onslaught of

Daesh, and his tireless efforts to

bring their suffering to light and

to do all in his power to alleviate

it, God would not take him so

soon. Not when his people need-

ed him. I was comforted in my

fantasy of Gods plan, showing none of the humility that Qessi

demonstrated in his daily life and

teachings. I was wrong.

I dont think any of us will ever forget where we were in that mo-

ment - our Kennedy moment, as

devastating as when the world

learned of President Kennedys assassination. I was at my desk at

work. My brother sent me a sin-

gle line email, According to the Church's Facebook page, he just

passed away. This is so sad. A frantic exchange of emails fol-

lowed, and then I called my dad.

He was on his way to Minnesota. I

knew instantly from the way he

could not speak, and I could not

speak, that it was true. Then I

called my mom. Can you be-lieve it? She asked. What can you do?

Continue page 6


When it is our time, it is our time. I am reminded of a line from Mari-

lyn Robinson novel Gilead in which her narrator ruminates on

the treatment of children like

Isaac and Ishmael in the Old Tes-

tament. Isaac was spared death at

the final moment when an angel

stopped the sacrificial knife of his

father. Ismael and his mother are

spared death in the desert when

an angel strikes a rock and brings

forth water. But we know it is not

always so. That despite fervent

and devoted prayers of millions,

even children die. But Robinson

reminds us that the child is with-in the providential care of God.

And this is no less true ... if the

angel carries her home to her

faithful and loving Father than if

He opens the spring or stops the

knife and lets the child live out

her sum of earthly years. And so it is now with Qessi, as it is with all

of us: always in the providential

care of our faithful and loving Fa-

ther. I must admit that I am

shocked by the ferocity and all-

encompassing nature of this grief.

I knew and loved Qessi, as did we

all. I was very fortunate to have

him come to my childhood home,

to have dinner prepared by my

mothers hands. I spoke with him, laughed with him. He always

asked what I was doing. He was

so interested in my education.

When I was accepted into the Uni-

versity of Chicago, he was one of

few voices encouraging me to at-

tend, and to do everything neces-

sary to succeed. When I was ac-

cepted into Yale Law School, he

again urged me to attend, to do

well. For me, he was a respite

from what often felt like stifling

and parochial cultural restrictions

on gender roles. Qessi, I felt,

wanted all of us to be our best

selves to go forward, succeed, and serve our people. Why cant I celebrate the legacy of this in-

credible, humble, compassionate

and fiercely intelligent Holy Man?

Why cant I take comfort in the knowledge that he is having his

reward for life time of toil at the

table of Our Lord? I cant! It was too soon! (Even now, I cannot

demonstrate the humility he

urged us to show.) Why this dev-

astating grief? I think it is, ulti-

mately, because I failed him. He

was too kind to say it, and too for-

giving to do anything but give

comfort, but I have not used my

gifts, such as they are, for my Peo-

ple. All people are my people, I

used to say with the arrogance

and certainty of youth (but not to

him, I hope.) I moved away. I

failed to teach my children our

language. I kept my church mem-

bership, married and baptized all

three children in our Church, and

occasionally made donations to

the Church, but that is the sum

total of my contribution.

What can you do? My mother had asked me as we grieved to-

gether on the phone. I can do

this: I can use his memory and the

example of his life as inspiration

to finally try to use any talent I

have for my People. For me, it is

the gift of the word the power of persuasion, of argument.

And this is what I will do: I will

write an opinion piece reminding

readers that if We Are All Charlie

Hebdo, the rallying cry for free (if

blasphemous) speech defiantly

proclaimed when a dozen people

were tragically murdered,

then surely We Are All Khabour and remember that hundreds of

innocent men, women and chil-

dren our People - are still in the perilous clutches of Daesh and

have been for over weeks. And I

will send it to every major news-

paper and blog that I think might

run it. And maybe nobody will

run it, and so nobody reads it. But

I will try. I will try to be a voice

for the voiceless, and to use

Qessis commitment to our People to commit myself for his Chris-tian humility, for his Christ-like

compassion, and for our People. I

wont stop there, but it is a start. What can you do?

By Riva Khoshaba Parker

John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commands

Two things we will never com-promise, our faith as Christians

and our nationality as Assyri-

ans

H.H Mar Dinkha IV Sept 1935 Mar 2015

Documents

Seeds of Faith- Special Edition- Spring 2015