NEWS July 5th, 2007

Fr Roger Hartline, informs that in the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers

2 sisters were seriously wounded in Tell-el-Skop (the convent was also damaged).  A Dominican Convent in Mosul has also been attacked and their lives have been threatened.

The Iraqi Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, founded by the friars 110 years ago, is a dynamic community which is present in Christian villages. The sisters live close to the people and serve the local church. They serve as catechists, run clinics and some teach in their old schools from which they were expelled some thirty years ago. They also direct a house of spiritual exercises and Christian formation, near the University of Mosul. The sisters also have communities in Baghdad as well as abroad.

In Baghdad, the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary including their novices, run a clinic which is one of the best in the city that provides great services in spite of the difficulties in obtaining medicine and drugs as well as medical supplies. Their maternity ward is especially appreciated by everyone and, in recognition of the work of the sisters, a number of Muslim families have named their children Joseph and Mary, .

In Mosul, the sisters of the Presentation operate a small guest house for Christian female students who are subjected to pressures to convert to Islam.

There is a link showing the funeral of the priest and three sub deacons that were martyred here http://www.ankawa.com/audio/ragheed_t.wmv It shows a lot of the Dominican community in Iraq.

To them and all our Dominican brothers and sisters from the Roman Catholic Church we keep you on our daily prayers and thank you for the great example that you are in all of our lives.

In Christ,

The Traditional Anglican Order of Preachers