Teacher at K-12 Catholic International School

Archbishop Bashar Warda has identified high quality Catholic education as a promising avenue for strengthening the ancient minority community of Christians in Iraq. With the assistance of Franciscan University, he established St. Thomas Mission, a way to connect the Archdiocese of Erbil to teaching talent in the US.

St. Thomas Mission is a unique opportunity to:
•Serve the universal Church

•Form the future leaders of Iraqi Christians

•Authentically experience Middle Eastern culture

•Explore the historic Kurdistan region of Iraq

•Participate in the ancient and liturgically rich Chaldean Catholic rite

•Plan and develop school curriculum

•Live in community with young Catholics passionate about education

•Travel during breaks

The Archdiocese provides each teacher with an apartment and a modest salary, as well as transportation between the US and Iraq for summer and winter breaks. For our week-long mid semester breaks, we are free to travel (Last year, we traveled to Turkey, Greece, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Jordan!).

During the 2023-2024 school year, 7 young Americans served with St. Thomas Mission. For the upcoming school year, we are hoping to expand our team to 12 teachers.

If you are interested or have further questions, please contact alexander.mckenna001@gmail.com.

*Instagram: st.thomas.mission

*LinkedIn: Saint Thomas Mission