Wow 461 Children Receive 1st Holy Communion in Qaraqosh, Iraq, where ISIS Expelled the Christians! VIDEO

The Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul, Iraq, and its surroundings recently celebrated First Holy Communion for 461 children in Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), Iraq. The Church said that 461 boys and girls received the sacrament during liturgies in May in the parishes of the area.

On Aug. 6-7, 2014, ISIS militants stormed Qaraqosh, expelling the town’s 45,000 Christians, removing crosses, burning ancient manuscripts and desecrating its precious religious artifacts, including the Church of the Immaculate Conception, which was turned into a firing range. Since the invasion in 2003, the Christian population of Iraq had fallen from around 1.5 million to around 350,000-450,000 in 2014. Pope Francis' visit to Iraq brought a new springtime of hope to the community. (SEE https://www.catholicnewsworld.com/2021/03/pope-francis-at-angelus-says-our-lady.html)
In his homilies for the celebrations, Archbishop Mar Benedictus Younan Hanno, Archbishop of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul and its Dependencies praised the communities for remaining in their homelands:
"When we watch this group receive the Body of the Lord with faith, we realize that our families are steadfast in their faith and commitment, and that our church is enjoying growth and prosperity." 

"When the father and mother are united in faith, the family becomes a strong fortress, capable of resisting temptation, evil, and deviation."

According to Aid to the Church in Need, ten years after Iraqi Christians fled IS (Islamic State) forces assaulting their homes, 70,000 Christians have now returned to their ancestral homes in the Nineveh Plains. The current population of Qaraqosh numbers about half what it was ten years ago: from 60,000 to 30,000.
https://www.acnireland.org/journal/2024/8/14/6th-august-2014-the-hundred-thousand-faces-of-suffering-iraqi-christians

https://www.resetdoc.org/story/qaraqosh-the-fragile-rebirth-of-iraqs-christian-city/