On Saturday, July 6, Bishop Francis Kalabat will ordain Deacons Perrin Atisha and Rodney Abasso to the priesthood. The ordination Mass will take place at 11 am at Mother of God Cathedral in Southfield, Michigan. The Mass will be broadcast live on our website at chaldeanchurch.org and on the Eparchy’s Facebook page.

Perrin Atisha

Age: 26

Parents: Steve and Ibtihal Atisha

Home Parish: St. Thomas Chaldean Church (West Bloomfield, MI)

First Assignment: St. George Chaldean Church (Shelby Township, MI)

Masses of Thanksgiving:
• Sunday, July 7, at 10:30 am at St. Thomas Church in West Bloomfield
• Tuesday, July 9, at 8 am at ECRC in Bloomfield Hills
• Sunday, July 14, at 10 am at Mother of God Cathedral in Southfield

Who is your favorite Saint and why?
St. Therese of Lisieux is my favorite saint! She’s helped me greatly throughout my time in seminary. She has taught me what it means to be a child of God, to trust Him, and to be confident in His love and mercy.

What were you doing before you entered the seminary?
Before seminary, I was studying Psychology at Wayne State University. I was very involved at St. Thomas serving Masses, teaching Catechism, and leading the CLC youth group. I was also working for my Dad at their store helping with bill payments, western unions, and check cashing.

When did you first start to think about the priesthood?
I started thinking about the priesthood as a young boy. I began serving as an altar boy at Mother of God Church when I was 5 years old, Fr. Boji and Fr. Frank were the priests at the time. After a year of serving, I told my mom, “I want to do what the priest does.” As a child, I always remember wanting to become a priest.

How did your parents/family react when you entered the seminary?
My parents and family were generally supportive when I entered the seminary. I think it was the hardest on my mom because I was the first one in my family to leave the house. I’ve been blessed to have an army of love and support during these last 7 years. If you come to the ordination you will definitely see how excited my family is! I’m blessed to have them.

What will you miss most about the seminary?
The seminary was a great place for prayer and fraternity. I will miss all of the yearly silent retreats we had as well as the fun times I shared with my brother seminarians.

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing the Chaldean community in America?
I believe one of the greatest challenges of our community is the drug epidemic. Whether it’s selling or using many are trying to fill a void with drugs rather than with God. The root of the problem is that people don’t believe God loves them or that he desires to be in a personal relationship with them. When people begin to see that being Catholic is about being in a relationship with God they will begin to turn to him in their trials and struggles and come to understand that only God can fill us when we are hungry or thirsty.

What excites you the most about becoming a priest?
I’m excited to love and serve God’s people!!! I feel like my entire life I’ve been showered with love from God, my family, friends, and our community. My heart is overflowed with joy because I can’t wait to pour out all the love I’ve been given. Pray for me to be a holy, happy, and humble priest who is always loving with the heart of Jesus.

Rodney Abasso

Age: 28

Parents: Saad and Fatin Abasso

Home Parish: St. George Chaldean Catholic Church (Shelby Township, MI)

First Assignment: St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church (West Bloomfield, MI)

Masses of Thanksgiving:
• Sunday, July 7 at 1 pm at St. George Church in Shelby Township.
• Sunday, July 28 at 10:30 am at Holy Martyrs Church in Sterling Heights.

Who is your favorite Saint and why?
It’s hard to pick just one, but if I had to it would be St. John Paul II. He was a tremendous intercessor for me during my discernment into the seminary. But also to have a such a Holy man that lived during my lifetime inspires me so much to follow in his path of holiness!

What were you doing before you entered the seminary?
I was at Oakland University studying Psychology/Pre-law and helping my family at their business.

When did you first start to think about the priesthood?
I began to think about priesthood after my first year in college, but I didn’t really begin to pursue the call until my last year in college.

How did your parents/family react when you entered the seminary?
They weren’t very happy, in fact, my Dad jumped out of the couch in shock.

What will you miss most about the seminary?
What I will miss most about seminary is the beauty of the main chapel and the amount of time spent there in prayer. For those who have seen it know how beautiful it is and spending 6 years there praying every day changes a person.

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing the Chaldean community in America?
I think one of the greatest challenges facing the Chaldean community in America is the loss of cultural identity. America is considered a melting pot, which is beautiful because all these different cultures exist, but that can mean the loss of culture and so it falls to our generation to help preserve this cultural identity for future generations.

What excites you the most about becoming a priest?
Offering the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of Confession.