JANUARY 2022

Building Community
Where Chaldean Students Go to Thrive
BY CAL ABBO
Cameron Jajonie is in his second
year at Wayne State
University. Last year, he attended
almost every class virtually,
from home, unable to interact with
peers and likeminded students. It’s
difficult enough to transition to a
different school, let alone doing it
online. That’s why his mother told
him to join a club.
Jajonie chose the Chaldean
American Student Association,
better known as CASA. This club
has chapters at almost every major
college campus in Michigan and
is meant to forge stronger bonds
among Chaldean students acquiring
a degree and support the community
through charity. When Jajonie first
joined, WSU’s campus was closed,
and CASA met virtually.
Despite the initial obstacles,
Jajonie stuck with the group and
eventually met the club in person.
As a pre-law student, Jajonie had
difficulty finding mentors and similar
students until he joined CASA.
“You find so much rapport with other
people,” he said.
One of those Chaldeans, Rheyana
Karjo, is a pre-law student and
one year older than Jajonie. She
serves as the president of CASA
and runs the club’s day-to-day operations.
Since Karjo will graduate
this year, she is busy applying to law
schools, and Jajonie has learned a
lot from her example.
As the organization’s leader,
Karjo plays an important role when
it comes to the community’s future.
CASA’s community-building mission
creates relationships and connections
that will last for generations.
Aside from getting career help
and making friends, CASA serves
a much greater purpose. It is the
foundation and organizing principle
of the young Chaldean community,
a group that faces constant pressure
to Americanize and has to actively
work to maintain their identity. To
that end, CASA’s most important
effort is connecting this young community
with the Catholic faith.
Fr. Perrin Atisha, a priest at St.
George Chaldean Church, hosts a
student mass organized by CASA at
Our Lady of the Rosary Parish every
Thursday at 12:30 p.m. “In 2020,
the archdiocese of Detroit said they
want a Chaldean priest in Detroit
to preach to Wayne students especially,”
said Fr. Perrin, who attended
Wayne State before beginning his
formation at Sacred Heart in 2012.
“I really felt called to it, so I come
once a week. Last year was harder
because of COVID and online classes,
but this year we’ve made a huge
comeback.”
The weekly Mass is a perfect
time for Chaldeans to break from
their duties as students and bask in
God’s light. Before Mass, students
have an opportunity to attend confession.
After the Mass, students
gather in the church for fellowship
and food, spending hours talking
with one another and receiving
counsel from Fr. Perrin. This time
is crucial to maintaining faith since
the endeavor requires a community
of faithful Catholics rather than
someone’s individual effort.
“The older generation has faith
because it’s cultural,” Fr. Perrin said.
“For the younger generation it’s more
difficult. When they have faith it’s
very strong and lifechanging. They
have faith because it’s something
they really had to work for.”
In the U.S. overall, Catholicism
has declined steadily in the past decade.
This trend has a lot to do with
young people rejecting the church
and falling out of faith. In contrast,
the Chaldean community has seen
spectacular engagement from its
young parishioners.
St. Thomas Chaldean Church,
for example, hosts a weekly youth
group that regularly gathers 200
teenagers. On the east side, the
church has three youth groups that
each serve 100 teenagers. “I get the
chills when I talk about it,” Fr. Perrin
said.
“For Latin rite parishes around
Detroit, their youth groups have
like five or ten kids. They have one
group leader who is on salary,” he
said. “For us, we’ll have 20 youth
ministers and they’re all volunteers.
They’re here because they love God
and want to pass down the faith.”
Fr. Perrin is glad young Chaldeans
are building their own faith
tradition but is also thankful for the
wonderful contribution of the older
generation. “The older priests are
from Iraq,” he said. “They did an
amazing job building the church.
We wouldn’t have anything without
their excellent administrative
and leadership skills, but it’s hard to
relate to someone younger. Younger
priests like me grew up here and
went to school here. We understand
the issues young Chaldeans face on
a daily basis.”
Fr. Perrin said CASA was around
when he attended WSU, but it was
much less organized and less involved.
Now, he said it feels like a
real community.
WSU’s CASA regularly hosts
large fundraisers to help the community.
In the summer, CASA
hosted a volleyball tournament that
drew over 200 people to raise over
$1,000 for Help Iraq. Last month,
CASA’s year-end Christmas party
hosted 120 attendees and raised
over $3,000 for Iraqi Christian students
facing persecution.
Though COVID-19 shut down
the university, CASA was determined
to continue no matter where
or how. CASA’s usual meeting place
in the student center was shut down
as WSU closed all of its buildings.
As a result, they moved to Our Lady
of the Rosary Parish, which offers
all the freedom they need. “What
do you do when you stay home for 3
months? I don’t know what kind of
life that is,” Karjo said.
18 CHALDEAN NEWS JANUARY 2022