Hope Blooms in the Desert

Dec. 1, 2025

The 10th anniversary of the Catholic University in Erbil marks over a decade of K of C efforts to rebuild the Church in Iraq

By Elisha Valladares-Cormier

Dec. 1, 2025

Alex McKenna stands outside Sts. Peter and Paul the Apostles Church in Erbil, Iraq — Alex McKenna, a member of St. John Neumann Council 11828 in Steubenville, Ohio, stands outside Sts. Peter and Paul the Apostles Church in Erbil, Iraq. (Photo by Tamino Petelinšek)

As a traveler steps off a plane in Erbil, Iraq, the smell of the arid plain fills the air. It’s inescapable — the dust is ever-present. Entering the city, he is surrounded by the sights, sounds and aromas of Middle Eastern culture. Merchants cry out from their bazaar booths as the scent of perfumed incense mingles with that of a multitude of spices. Music rings through the streets, periodically interrupted by calls to prayer.

But something else stands out — something that begins as a glimmer and grows more visible during the drive to the city: a large illuminated cross atop Sts. Peter and Paul the Apostles Church, a Chaldean Catholic parish near the airport. It serves as a welcome sign to visitors and local Christians alike.

Just over a decade ago, in the fall of 2014, Christianity in Iraq was on the brink of extinction. Islamic State militants had systematically wiped out Christian communities across swaths of Syria and northern Iraq — the land of Abraham’s birth, where St. Thomas the Apostle once spread the Gospel en route to India.

More than a million Iraqis were displaced, with 125,000 Christians and other religious minorities fleeing to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq.

Amid the violence and displacement, however, Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil — who leads the local Chaldean Catholic community — was convinced that fleeing was not the answer.

“Look, we’re among the oldest Christians on earth,” Archbishop Warda told his advisers at the time. “We received the Gospel in the first century from the Apostle Thomas and his disciples. This can’t be how our story ends.”

A statue of Mary is carried in procession through the streets of Erbil, Iraq. — A statue of Mary is carried in procession through the streets of Erbil, accompanied by hundreds of faithful, following the Catholic community’s annual crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth on May 31. (Photo by Tamino Petelinšek)

Part of the solution, he resolved, would be to establish a new Catholic university in Erbil, given the huge influx of refugees — including many young people. Educating the next generation of Iraqi Christian leaders was key to a better tomorrow, he reasoned.

With assistance from the Knights of Columbus and its Christian Refugee Relief Fund, the Catholic University in Erbil (CUE) opened its doors in time for the 2015-2016 academic year. A formal grand opening took place Dec. 8, 2015 — the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Ten years later, the university remains a beacon of hope to the Catholic Church in Iraq. Supported by the Knights from its inception, CUE has also spurred the success of several archdiocesan education initiatives, all of which help Iraqi Christians overcome the effects of religious persecution — past and present.

“Hope is not a wish; hope is a commitment,” Archbishop Warda said in a recent interview. “My hope is to see Christians as an influential community in the history of Iraq. How to do that is by building committed Christian leaders for the future of our country.”

REBUILDING BY TEXTBOOK

Iraq’s Christian population approached 1.5 million in the early 2000s but plummeted to about 300,000 when the 2014 offensive began. Approximately 125,000 Christians fled to Erbil from Mosul and the Nineveh Plains after the Islamic State’s onslaught of terror.

Churches were bombed and burned, crosses and other religious symbols desecrated. Christian homes were plundered and marked with the Arabic letter nun — ن — the first letter of Nasara (meaning “Nazarenes”), identifying their inhabitants for extermination or exile.

There was an immediate need to provide displaced Iraqis with food and shelter. But from the start, it was clear that a greater response would be necessary to ensure the long-term survival — and flourishing — of the Church in its ancestral homeland.

Christian books written in Arabic and a Bible in Syriac (left) are pictured in the library of Mar Qardakh International School in Erbil, Iraq. (Photo by Tamino Petelinšek)

Where persecution persists, religious minorities often face barriers to employment, health care, education and more. Archbishop Warda saw higher education as a critical tool to break that cycle. The idea of establishing a Catholic university had been on his mind for two years. Now, with thousands of college-aged Christians lacking the resources and opportunity to continue their studies, the Church needed to act.

To this end, Archbishop Warda enlisted the help of Stephen Rasche, a U.S.-based lawyer who had provided pro bono work to the archdiocese and had spent time in the country for more than a decade. When Rasche arrived in Erbil that fall, he was surprised to learn of the archbishop’s plan to establish a university.

“I thought I was there to help with evacuations, because it just seemed there was no future for the Christians there,” said Rasche, a member of Bishop John King Mussio Council 9804 in Steubenville, Ohio. “The people were just terrified. But I asked the archbishop what I could do, and he said, ‘Well, I’m going to build a university, and you can help me.’”

Within six months, Rasche ended his private practice and moved to Iraq full time. He began coordinating housing solutions for displaced people, distributing food and supplies, and laying the groundwork for CUE.

The Knights of Columbus provided critical support, as Rasche served as a liaison between the Order and the archdiocese. The Supreme Council launched the Christian Refugee Relief Fund in August 2014 and made an initial donation of $2 million to the Chaldean archdiocese that November. Since then, Knights’ support for Iraqi Christians has surpassed $20 million.

Archbishop Warda was a special guest at the 133rd Supreme Convention, held in Philadelphia in August 2015. In his States Dinner keynote address, he shared his conviction that “ignorance and illiteracy are the most dangerous long-term enemy that we face here in the Middle East.” He then announced that, thanks to a donation from the Italian Bishops’ Conference and support from the Knights, the Catholic University in Erbil would open its doors later that year.

The university began humbly, with just 11 students enrolled when it formally opened in December 2015. Since then, it has grown steadily each year. Today, nearly 1,000 students fill its classrooms, and some 260 have graduated — including 114 in 2025.

“This was not only an educational project but a living answer to challenges that once sought to uproot Christians from their land,” Archbishop Warda said in his remarks at the Sept. 30 graduation, which also celebrated CUE’s 10th anniversary. “Our response was to plant a tree of knowledge in our beloved city of Erbil. We were, we are, and we will remain active citizens of this country.”

Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil delivers remarks to the Catholic University in Erbil’s graduating class of 2025. — Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil delivers remarks to the Catholic University in Erbil’s graduating class of 2025 on Sept. 30. The event also marked the 10th anniversary of the university, which was established with support from the Knights of Columbus in 2015. (Photo courtesy of the Catholic University in Erbil)

Staying true to Archbishop Warda’s founding vision and mission, most graduates remain in Iraq and use their education to serve their communities of origin.

“I will never forget the first time I came to CUE; it triggered a sense of belonging that has continued during my years here because it corresponded with my faith,” said Raaed Asaad Kamil, 28, who graduated from CUE in 2025 with a bachelor’s in international relations. “I want to contribute what I have learned to my community, especially in Kirkuk, where we need peace, … positive peace.”

CUE also welcomes students of other faiths, including Jasim Hasan Ilyas, a 24-year-old Yazidi from Sinjar — where 2,000 Yazidis were massacred by Islamic State militants in 2014.

“As a survivor of genocide, I can make an impact when I return to my community,” said Hasan, an accounting student. “I’m trying to get experience, skills and relationships that help me become a better person in order to help them.”

Since 2020, the Supreme Council has contributed more than $1.3 million to CUE, funding the construction of academic buildings, staff training, and scholarships for local students. The Order’s solidarity and moral support have also encouraged perseverance.

“The Knights of Columbus was one of our first and most important supporters during the time of the ISIS war, and they remain so today,” said Archbishop Warda. “The continued existence and successful growth of CUE serves as a clear statement to the Christian community that the Church in Iraq is committed to maintaining its presence here.”

MISSIONARIES IN THE CLASSROOM

The focus on Christian education in Iraq extends far beyond the university, which remains the only Catholic university in Iraq. The archdiocese operates several schools that serve students of all ages. Some are interfaith, welcoming children from Christian, Muslim and other backgrounds. Others are traditional parochial schools, including Mar Qardakh International School in Erbil — the archdiocese’s flagship K-12 institution.

Established in 2011, Mar Qardakh had just 230 students in 2020. Today, that number has more than doubled to 580.

“Our part is to help families stay [in Iraq], to help them raise their children to be great leaders,” said Hala Warda, Mar Qardakh’s chief administrator. “The school is not just about academics. It’s about how we can create leaders that stay here and fight for the country and be part of the solution — never part of the problem.”

One reason for the school’s growth is the presence of young adult missionaries serving with the St. Thomas Mission. First launched in 2021 through a partnership with Franciscan University of Steubenville, the initiative sends seven to nine recent college graduates to Iraq each year to teach English, theology and other subjects, and to assist the archdiocese with youth formation and other projects. For some, it’s their first time traveling abroad — and for nearly all, their first time in Iraq.

Alex McKenna teaches students at Mar Qardakh International School. (Photo by Tamino Petelinšek)

Among the first missionaries was Alex McKenna, a native of Steubenville and a 2022 graduate of Franciscan University. In the spring of 2021, soon after a professor shared his experience attending Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Iraq, McKenna felt called to commit to a six-week mission — effective immediately. He would complete the final exams for his junior year while adjusting to life in a country he had never set foot in before.

McKenna braced himself for a bleak and dangerous environment, calling to mind years of media portrayals of war and destruction. “Once I arrived,” he said, “I quickly found that was not going to be my day-to-day life.”

Those six weeks proved transformative. During a walk one day, a student asked if McKenna would return the next year.

“If I can, I will,” he replied.

“That’s what they all say,” the girl responded.

“Immediately, it tugs at your heartstrings,” said McKenna. “But for me, it was more than that. It was the Holy Spirit coming in and saying, ‘These people need you, and I want you to be with them more.’”

McKenna, who is a member of St. John Neumann Council 11828 in Steubenville, would go on to serve with the mission for three years and continues to advise the archdiocese and university. He lived at McGivney House, a 140-unit apartment complex in Erbil built in 2019 with help from the Knights of Columbus, primarily to house displaced Christian families.

Today, many of McKenna’s former students attend CUE on K of C-funded scholarships.

“Being here for three years, I came to experience the Knights in a way most people don’t,” he said. “Seeing the personnel support, resources and the advocacy that the Knights provide to support Iraqi Christians encouraged me to be a part of that.”

Now in its fifth year, the St. Thomas Mission includes missionaries from a growing number of U.S. colleges. One of this year’s participants is Peter Laubenthal, a native of Davenport, Iowa, and former missionary with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).

“In America, we don’t suffer a lot for our faith,” said Laubenthal, a member of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Council 18673 in Platteville, Wisconsin. “To be with people who have suffered, who have watched family members suffer and die for the faith, is very humbling.”

Paul Laubenthal teaches children at Mar Qardakh International School in Erbil. — Paul Laubenthal, a member of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Council 18673 in Platteville, Wis., teaches children at Mar Qardakh International School, the flagship K-12 institution of the Archdiocese of Erbil. (Photo courtesy of Mar Qardakh International School)

Missionaries immerse themselves in Iraqi culture, attend the Chaldean Divine Liturgy — celebrated in Sureth (Syriac), a dialect of Aramaic — and regularly visit historic and religious sites near Erbil to better understand the ancient Christian heritage of the region.

“It’s not just about the classroom,” Laubenthal added. “It’s about showing what it’s like to truly live as a Catholic — not just culturally. We’re obviously not any better Christians than anybody here, but we are, hopefully, helping to give the children a good education and provide a good example of what it means to live out a life of faith here.”

A LIGHT TO THE NATION

All involved recognize that the mission to preserve the faith and presence of Christians in Iraq is far from over. Christians now make up less than 1% of the population, and those who remain are recovering from the generational wounds left by ISIS. Though the terrorist group ceased to exist as a military force in 2019, the ideology behind it remains a threat.

“The world has shifted its gaze to other places, but those people in Iraq are still trying to recover, and in some sense, we’ve forgotten them,” Rasche explained. “Christians of Iraq could disappear in our lifetime, and if we don’t shift our gaze back to them … it could all be for naught.”

Alex McKenna shares a laugh with students on the campus of the Catholic University in Erbil, the only Catholic university in Iraq. (Photo by Tamino Petelinšek)

McKenna, currently back in the United States, still carries that responsibility with him. He recently began studying law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., so that he can return to Erbil and support the archdiocese in a new capacity. Even from afar, he is helping with CUE’s pursuit of full accreditation and assists students and faculty of Mar Qardakh in navigating visa challenges.

“I truly believe that the students I’m teaching will be the next generation of Iraqi Christian leaders,” he said. “As Archbishop Warda says, ‘We’re here as Iraqi Christians, and with God’s help, he will keep us here. And if we can be a light, as long as he wants us to be a light, we will be.’”

That light shines in the kindergartners whose voices reverberate through the halls as they sing the Our Father to begin each day. It shines in university students preparing to lead their wounded communities into a future of peace. And it shines in the illuminated cross atop Sts. Peter and Paul the Apostles Church, bearing quiet witness to Christ’s enduring presence in the land where St. Thomas the Apostle once preached and Abraham once walked.

It is the light that “shines in the darkness” (Jn 1:5) — and the darkness, despite its many efforts, has not overcome it.

*****

ELISHA VALLADARES-CORMIER is senior editor of Columbia and a member of Sandusky (Ohio) Council 546.

Archbishop William Lori blesses survivors of human trafficking.

Hope Blooms in the Desert

REBUILDING BY TEXTBOOK

MISSIONARIES IN THE CLASSROOM

A LIGHT TO THE NATION

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