Priest describes escape from Daesh (ISIS) as a "miracle"

Fr Jacques Mourad

Father Jacques Mourad, the Syrian priest who escaped captivity last week after spending nearly six months in a Daesh (ISIS) prison in Qaratayn, Syria, has expressed his gratitude in a letter to Aid to the Church in Need.

Fr Mourad, who fled with the help of the friend on the back of a motorbike disguised as an Islamist fighter, described his liberation as a “miracle”.

He said: “And this miracle is not limited to the unforgettable moment when I was able to escape from the place of my captivity.

“If I have come to this moment, if the good Lord has been able to bring this about, then it is thanks to a series of steps which have involved many different partners within the universal Church – that is to say, the benefactors and the humanitarian organisations, of which you are one, and also our Church.”

Addressing benefactors of ACN directly, Fr Mourad thanked them for their support.

“Dear friends, throughout this difficult period you never ceased to show your solidarity with us, as a religious community living at the heart of this suffering country – suffering on every level: spiritual, material and human.”

ACN has supported the rebuilding of homes, help for displaced families and the care of the sick and disabled in Syria through the leadership of project partners like Fr Mourad and others.

Though Fr Mourad also acknowledged the suffering of Syrian Christians still continues, he expressed his absolute trust in the Lord.

He said: “Faced with the many, many sufferings that are our lot, but also with signs of God’s divine presence, we remain firm in our faith in God our Saviour, sure that he will never ever abandon us. Amen.”

If you would like to make a donation to help those suffering in Syria, you can do so on our website: www.acnuk.org/donate

Or by calling us on 020 8642 8668

Special visit to ACN

Today the ACN UK office received a very special gift from one of our good friends, Nick Goryachkin. Nick, the Executive Director of Blagovest Media, presented Neville and the team with a wonderful icon from the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St Petersburg, Russia.

ACN staff with Nick Goryachkin (third from left)

 

The Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra was established by Peter the Great as the first and the largest monastery of St Petersburg in 1710.

Famous for its four historical cemeteries, tourists still flock to visit the site where St Petersburg‘s aristocracy and the most outstanding people are buried, including Dostoevsky and Tchaykovsky.

The Skladen icon, set in a beautiful red velvet box, displays images on two folding panels of the Virgin Mary and of Christ Pantocrator. It was blessed by Russian Orthodox Bishop Nazary who has been Abbot of the Lavra (major monastery) of Alexander Nevsky, St Petersburg for 14 years and bishop of Viborg for the last seven.

Icon blessed by Russian Orthodox Bishop Nazary

Aid to the Church in Need has previously worked with Bishop Nazary to help fund the the Cultural and Inter-Denominational Centre for Dialogue.

The centre has since hosted a festival of Christian films as well as providing a space for discussion between different Christian groups.

Nick stopped by the ACN office after visiting the Anglican Bishop of Coventry to discuss a new film about reconciliation set to be filmed in the UK.

To read about ACN's previous work with the Russian Orthodox Church, visit: http://www.acnuk.org/key-projects.php/144/

You can also find us on Twitter at @acn_uk