On December 10 at 8 pm ET, Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) joins forces with Salt + Light Media to present Witnesses of Hope, a television special to raise funds and awareness for the important work of Eastern churches throughout the Middle East as well as to celebrate the vibrant Eastern and Western "lungs" of the Catholic Church. Produced by the Salt + Light Media team in partnership with CNEWA resources on the ground throughout the Middle East, the television special will feature stories of hope from Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, a panel discussion on Christians in the Middle East, and musical performances from Montreal-based Merna Hanna and St-Ephrem Syriac Catholic Choir, performing in Arabic, Aramaic, French, and English. The program will be hosted by Deacon Pedro Guevara-Mann and Emilie Callan. The panel conversation includes Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto; Father Peter Galadza of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute for Eastern Christian Studies; Pascale Debbané, Regional Coordinator – Middle East, The Migrants & Refugees Section, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; and Carl Hétu, National Director, CNEWA Canada. The television special was developed to replace, temporarily, the annual dinner held in partnership with the Archdiocese of Toronto to achieve the same goals – support the work of Catholic and Christian churches and affiliated groups in the Middle East. Established in 2015, the dinner has raised more than $84,000.

Join us for

WITNESSES OF HOPE – in support of Christians in the Middle East

Thursday, December 10

8 pm ET / 5 pm PT

- About Catholic Near East Welfare Association: An agency of the Holy See, CNEWA works for, through, and with the Eastern Catholic churches throughout the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India, and Ukraine. Founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, CNEWA provides pastoral and humanitarian support to the churches and people of the East. CNEWA Canada was incorporated as a registered charity by Canada Revenue Agency in 2003.