Syrian religious sister to receive Christian courage award

Sr Annie Demerjian in Damascus © ACN

Source: Aid to the Church in Need

A religious sister who has risked her life for years, offering a lifeline to the sick and elderly in war-torn Syria, is to receive a special honour from a leading Catholic charity later this month.

Sister Annie Demerjian, of the Congregation of Religious of Jesus and Mary, will be presented with Aid to the Church in Need's (ACN) Courage to Be Christian Award at #RedWednesday Mass at St George's Cathedral, Southwark, on Wednesday, 18th November at 6pm.

The award is an annual honour created by the UK office of the Catholic charity and recognises individuals who show extraordinary faith, resilience and witness in the face of persecution.

On hearing of her nomination for the award, Sr Annie said: "I was deeply touched when I heard about this recognition. Yet I feel that I do not deserve it on my own.

"There are hundreds of Christians who truly deserve such recognition for their courageous witness, their commitment and their determination to stand alongside those who suffer."

For more than two decades, Sr Annie has been at the forefront of humanitarian and pastoral outreach in Syria, providing emergency aid, food, medicine and spiritual support to communities devastated by conflict.

Her work has focused particularly on Aleppo and Damascus, as well as neighbouring Lebanon, where millions have been affected by war, displacement and economic hardship.

Originally trained as an engineer, Sr Annie made the decision to remain in Aleppo at the height of the Syrian civil war, refusing to abandon those caught up in the violence.

Despite the dangers, she continued serving families, elderly people and vulnerable Christians, becoming a symbol of hope and resilience for many living through the conflict.

Sr Annie spoke at the first #RedWednesday in 2016 at the height of the Syrian conflict.

Working closely with ACN, she has helped deliver essential supplies to struggling families and spearheaded initiatives to support children and young people affected by trauma.

These have included art and music therapy programmes, youth projects and small-scale economic initiatives aimed at helping families rebuild their lives and withstand ongoing hardship.

Sr Annie said: "What we do is simply our duty, born of our faith, our vocation and our love for every human being in whom we recognise the face of God."

She added: "On behalf of my Sisters, I would like to express our gratitude to Aid to the Church in Need. Thank you for remembering us, encouraging us, and strengthening us to continue moving forward in our mission of serving all those in need.

"Your support is much more than assistance - it is true partnership in our mission, it enables us to help restore the image of God in every human being whose dignity has been torn apart by wards and conflicts, and to bring back a sense of dignity, hope and love to those who suffer.

Established in 2023, the inaugural Courage to be Christian Award recipient was Margaret Attah, who survived a deadly jihadist attack carried out during Mass at a Catholic church in south-west Nigeria.

In 2024, the award was presented to Ribqa Nevash for her courageous advocacy on behalf of Christian women and girls in Pakistan who have been abducted, forcibly converted and compelled into marriage.

Last year, the honour was awarded to Tobias Yahaya, a Nigerian catechist who survived a near-fatal knife attack because of his faith and who publicly forgave his attacker.

LINK

Aid to the Church in Need: https://acnuk.org