‘The church comes first’: A Yazidi family’s promise to protect a Christian sacred site

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000
Religion

Despite being Yazidi, a religious minority that has suffered persecution in Iraq, Wael Jejo Khdeida, along with his wife, tends to Mar Odisho Church in northern Iraq without pay and treats it as sacred. / Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENA

ACI MENA, Jun 22, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Though Christians left the northern Iraqi village of al-Nasiriya decades ago, the doors of Mar Odisho Church remain open — thanks to the devotion of a local Yazidi family.

Wael Jejo Khdeida, a young Yazidi man, holds the keys to the church and, along with his wife, tends to the building without pay. Continuing a legacy passed down from his parents, Khdeida ensures that the church is clean, accessible, and respected.

In an interview with ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Khdeida recalled his parents’ unwavering service to the church before they emigrated in 2012.

“Before they left,” he said, “they gave me one instruction: Take care of the church. ‘The church comes first — before your own house,’ they told me.” He smiled, adding that they still ask about the church in every phone call, jokingly warning that if he neglects it, they’ll come back to resume the duty themselves.

Wael Jejo Khdeida, a young Yazidi man, holds the keys to his village’s church and cares for it. Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENA

Despite being Yazidi, a non-Christian religious minority that has suffered persecution in Iraq, Khdeida treats the church as sacred.

“We remove our shoes before entering, we touch its walls and kiss them in reverence,” he said. “This is a place of holy prayer. We respect all religions and will serve this church until our last breath.”

In 2023, for the first time in 22 years, Mar Odisho Church hosted a Mass again, as the Chaldean Diocese of Alqosh marked the feast day of St. Odisho on the Sunday after Easter. Since then, both Christians and Yazidis have resumed visiting the church, especially on Sundays, lighting candles and seeking the saint’s intercession.

Khdeida noted that Yazidis often come to pray as well — many believing they have received miracles.

“Women with lactation problems used to come here seeking healing with the blessed oil, and many were cured,” he said. “I even saw a Yazidi woman healed from a skin disease after being anointed.”

He continued: “Many couples who couldn’t have children came to ask St. Odisho’s intercession. One family came back from the diaspora after years away just to fulfill a vow — their son, now a boy, walked into the church with them.”

The first Mass celebrated in Mar Odisho Church in 2023 after a 22-year hiatus. Credit: Alqosh Parish

The last Christian residents of al-Nasiriya left in 2003. While the reasons are varied — including security concerns and migration — the exodus mirrors the broader Christian decline in Iraq.

Still, Khdeida holds out hope. “We want the Christians to come back. They are our brothers. We miss their presence, and we invite them to return, to visit the church, and to bring it back to life with prayer.”

Yazidism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, and most of its adherents live in Iraq and Syria. Though not a proselytizing faith, Yazidis have long coexisted with Christians and other religious minorities in northern Iraq.

An exterior view of Mar Odisho Church in al-Nasiriya, Iraq. Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENA

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.