Catholics@Work Speaker for February - Sister Diana Momeka, a Dominican Sister of the Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena based in Mosul, Iraq February 10, 2009

The Reality of Day-to-Day Life in Iraq

As A Tyrant is Removed Religious Freedom Declines

The financial crisis in the US has pushed the Iraq war off the front pages and indeed out of the minds of most Americans, on a daily basis. Things have certainly improved but the view from 8,000 miles away belies the day-to-day struggles the people of Iraq face and the particular issues that Christians in Iraq must deal with. What is their sense of personal safety? How do the people of Iraq think of the United States and the American people? What defines success in everyday living? What are the challenges that Christians, in particular, face as the nation struggles to return to a new state of normalcy?

Catholics@Work is proud to announce that Sister Diana Momeka, a Dominican Sister of the Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena based in Mosul, Iraq, will be the guest speaker at the Tuesday, February 10, 2009 breakfast forum. The youngest of twelve children, Sr. Diana grew up in Baghdad, attended the Syriac Church of the East - an Eastern rite church that is in full communion with Rome. At the age of 17, in 1997, she answered God’s call to enter the religious life. She completed her undergraduate studies in English at the University of Mosul and in 2006, came to the United States. She presently lives in Adrian, Michigan at the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse and is scheduled to return to Iraq within two years.

As one can imagine, this twenty-seven year old has seen and experienced more than most people over several lifetimes, having lived through the Iran-Iraq war, Desert Storm, and now the Iraq War.

Sr. Diana’s unique perspective on the daily lives of Iraqis is somber, engaging and informative. Sr. Diana talks about the feelings of the Iraqi people as their world struggles to recast itself in post Saddam Hussein Iraq. Sr. Diana says, “Americans see stories of towns returning to normal, markets opening and people shopping for their daily groceries but the sense of everyday angst, uncertainty, and fear are not seen in the stories.” “Life seems to be going on,” she continued, “but the fear that something could happen at any moment weighs heavily on the Iraqi people.” Sr. Diana will talk to us about the additional pressures Iraqi Christians are under in this environment and their courage in standing tall behind their Christian values in difficult circumstances. It is ironic that freeing Iraq from the tyrant has resulted in the relative religious freedom the Christians had under Saddam disappearing and Christians are now being terrorized by Islamic extremists.

Alison Yount, president of Catholics@Work said, “The lessons we can draw from Sr. Diana’s talk will provide each of us with encouragement to live our Christian values every day of the week, not just on Sundays.”

The event will be held at Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, CA 94526 on Tuesday, February 10, 2008. A full buffet breakfast is served starting at 7:00am. (Mass is offered at 6:30am at the same location.) Cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. To register visit http://www.catholicsatwork.org .

Official Website: http://www.CatholicsAtWork.org