My fellow Iraqi blogger Dr. Najeeb Hanoudi recently wrote an article about his Iraqi Christian friends from Falluja. Did you raise an eyebrow? I bet you did since most non-Iraqis are clueless about the fabric of the Iraqi society.
Dr. Hanoudi mentioned in his article that there were three Iraqi Christian families who lived in Falluja before 2004. One family were his friends, the Tomas family. My dear Dr. Hanoudi is unaware I'm related to one of the other two Iraqi Christian families who lived in Falluja for many years.
My first cousin and her family lived in Falluja since the 80s. My cousin's husband, an eye specialist, was a doctor at Falluja's hospital. He also had his own private clinic, which was well known in the city. Like the Tomas family, he was very well respected by the locals.
My cousin and her family fled Falluja in 2004 when all hell broke in the city. They finally moved to Australia two years ago. Like many doctors who immigrate to Australia, he needs to pass many exams and requirements before he can practice his profession. He's in his late 50s. He should be ready to retire and enjoy life with his wife. As it is, he has to rebuild his life from scratch.
The biggest losers of the war in Iraq are the most educated Iraqis.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
The Luxury Life of Fr. Michael Jude Fay
*** Scroll down for updates ***
ORIGINAL POST: July 29, 2006
As many other priests work hard at their parishes, there are some who stain the title of a "priest" with their bad behavior. Sadly, the latter are the ones who make the news. The latest is Fr. Michael Jude Fay from Connecticut. The Associated Press reports:
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. Jul 28, 2006 (AP)- A priest who resigned from a church in an affluent Connecticut community misspent up to $1.4 million in parishioner donations to lead a life of luxury with another man, according to a church-directed investigation.
The Rev. Michael Jude Fay spent church money on limousines, stays at top hotels, jewelry, Italian clothing and a Florida condominium shared with the other man, auditors hired by the diocese found. About half the money he spent was kept in a secret bank account, according to their report, which was mailed Friday to 1,700 parishioners of the Darien church and obtained in advance by The Associated Press.
[...]
The report describes a parish finance council that did not meet regularly in recent years, largely because of Fay's health and absences from the parish. Fay was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and frequently cited his health when asked about church finances, the report states.
Read more...
He had cancer!!! I'm not surprised with the bad karma. The report lists more spending by Fr. Fay:
Fay shopped at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, drove a Jaguar, attended a sports club, bought jewelry from Cartier, spent $130,000 for limo rides for himself and his mother and stayed at hotels such as the Ritz Carlton, Hotel De Paris and the Four Seasons Hotel, the auditors found. He spent tens of thousands of dollars on home furnishings and meals and more than $20,000 to mark the 25th anniversary of his ordination, according to the report.
None of the priests I know drives a Jaquar. The Jaquar should have made the parishioners question his financial habits.
UPDATE I - Sept. 14, 2007
Well, it looks like Fr. Michael Jude Fay came to his senses on Wednesday. The New York Times reports:
NEW HAVEN, Sept. 12 — The Rev. Michael Jude Fay, a Roman Catholic priest with a taste for high living, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal charges of defrauding his parishioners of nearly $1 million from 1999 to 2006, when he was forced to resign.
[...]
Now living in Florida in an ocean-view condominium he bought using church funds, Father Fay has been formally relieved of his ability to perform priestly duties. He remains a priest, according to Joseph McAleer, a spokesman for the Bridgeport Diocese, but court officials referred to him repeatedly as “Mr. Fay.”.
Surprisingly, Fr. Fay has admirers too. A Dave L. sent me the following e-mail on Aug. 28, 2007:
Yes. What Fr. Jude did was wrong. But did you ever hear what he did right? Did you ever attend one of his sermons and hear him speak? Did you ever feel the Spirit of Christ standing at the pulpit and speaking to the congregation? While it is correct to point out the wrongs of others - especially egregious wrongs - remember: everyone has "rights" that stand sometimes anonymously on their own.
Sure, even Hollywood script writers can write homilies that make you feel the Spirit of Christ. Parishioners expect more than words from their pastors. They expect good actions to follow in their daily lives.
Don't ever put all priests in one basket. There's a major difference between the luxury life of Fr. Fay and the sacrifices of priests like the late Fr. Ragheed Ganni.
UPDATE II: August 24, 2009
The Darian Timesreports the death of Fr. Fay:
The Rev. Michael Jude Fay, the longtime pastor who stole more than $1 million from Darien's oldest Catholic parish, died Saturday in a Butner, N.C., federal prison.
Father Fay, 58, was suffering from prostate cancer. He was 10 months into a 37-month sentence for the theft.
The Diocese of Bridgeport confirmed the death with The Darien Times, which was first to report the news Saturday. No other details were released by the diocese.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
The West Bank Oktoberfest
Source: BBC News
Taybeh beer comes in a variety of different guises, from Dark to Gold, with a green-labelled non-alcoholic version in development.
The media is blamed for mostly reporting the bad news. So, when the media reports pleasant news for a change, especially from the Middle East, I have to give them credit. The BBC News reports:
Probably one of the things one least expects to come across on a visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank is a high-spirited beer festival in full swing.
But that is exactly what visitors to the small Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh were treated to at the weekend.
[...]
One of the curiosities of the original Bavarian version is that it starts in September - something to do with timing of the brewing process.
This year, Taybeh's Oktoberfest also took place in September - although Mr Khoury [The brewey's owner] says he brought it forward out of respect for his Muslim neighbours, who begin their holy month of Ramadan this week.
I don't drink much beer. But, this festival sounds like fun.
When we lived in Dallas, we never missed The Grapefest. The pictures from the West Bank Oktoberfest reminded me of the good old days in Dallas when we attended the wine festival. Those were irreplaceable days and I miss them.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Spelling To Get Into Heaven
A woman arrived at the Gates of Heaven. While she was waiting for Saint Peter to greet her, she peeked through the gates.
She saw a beautiful banquet table Sitting all around were her parents and all the other people she had loved and who had died before her. They saw her and began calling greetings to her "Hello, how are you? We've been waiting for you! Good to see you."
When Saint Peter came by, the woman said to him, "This is such a wonderful place! How do I get in?" "You have to spell a word," Saint Peter told her.
"Which word?" the woman asked.
"Love."
The woman correctly spelled "Love" and Saint Peter welcomed her into Heaven.
About a year later, Saint Peter came to the woman and asked her to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day.
While the woman was guarding the Gates of Heaven, her husband arrived. "I'm surprised to see you," the woman said. "How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been doing pretty well since you died," her husband told her. "I married the beautiful young nurse who took care of you while you were ill. And then I won the multi-state lottery. I sold the little house you and I lived in and bought a huge mansion. And my wife and I traveled all around the world. We were on vacation in Cancun and I went water skiing today. I fell and hit my head, and here I am. What a bummer! How do I get in?"
"You have to spell a word," the woman told him.
"Which word?" her husband asked.
" Czechoslovakia ."
Moral of the story:
Never make a woman angry... There will be Hell to pay later!
Written by Unknown Author
She saw a beautiful banquet table Sitting all around were her parents and all the other people she had loved and who had died before her. They saw her and began calling greetings to her "Hello, how are you? We've been waiting for you! Good to see you."
When Saint Peter came by, the woman said to him, "This is such a wonderful place! How do I get in?" "You have to spell a word," Saint Peter told her.
"Which word?" the woman asked.
"Love."
The woman correctly spelled "Love" and Saint Peter welcomed her into Heaven.
About a year later, Saint Peter came to the woman and asked her to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day.
While the woman was guarding the Gates of Heaven, her husband arrived. "I'm surprised to see you," the woman said. "How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been doing pretty well since you died," her husband told her. "I married the beautiful young nurse who took care of you while you were ill. And then I won the multi-state lottery. I sold the little house you and I lived in and bought a huge mansion. And my wife and I traveled all around the world. We were on vacation in Cancun and I went water skiing today. I fell and hit my head, and here I am. What a bummer! How do I get in?"
"You have to spell a word," the woman told him.
"Which word?" her husband asked.
" Czechoslovakia ."
Moral of the story:
Never make a woman angry... There will be Hell to pay later!
Written by Unknown Author
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Prayer To Saint Joseph
God our father and Creator,
You bestow on us gifts and talents to develop and use in accord with Your will.
Grant to me, through the intercession of St. Joseph the worker, as model and guide, employment and work, that I may, with dignity, provide for those who depend on me for care and support.
Grant me the opportunities to use my energy and my talents and abilities for the good of all, and the glory of Your name.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Daily Prayers by Priests of the Sacred Heart
You bestow on us gifts and talents to develop and use in accord with Your will.
Grant to me, through the intercession of St. Joseph the worker, as model and guide, employment and work, that I may, with dignity, provide for those who depend on me for care and support.
Grant me the opportunities to use my energy and my talents and abilities for the good of all, and the glory of Your name.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Daily Prayers by Priests of the Sacred Heart
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