In June 2014, the city of Mosul, Iraq, fell into the hands of Islamic State militants, prompting an exodus of over half a million people, including more than 150,000 Iraqi Christians. As ISIS expanded its control to the Nineveh Plains, Christians were compelled to abandon villages that had been their homes since the first century AD. Concurrently, thousands of miles away in Maine, Stephen Rasche, a lawyer experienced in international transactions, was recovering from open-heart surgery and reevaluating his life and faith.
During this period of convalescence, Rasche decided to redirect his career towards a more fulfilling purpose – aiding Christians in Iraq. This decision eventually led him to the war-torn region, where he dedicated five years to humanitarian and development efforts. His experiences are captured in photographs featured at an exhibition titled “Among the Persecuted and Displaced” at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Connecticut. This exhibit, supported by the Knights of Columbus, also showcases his encounters with persecuted Christians in Nigeria.
Rasche’s journey to Iraq in November 2014 was initially intended as a short mission to assist Iraqi Christians in fleeing the country. However, his plans changed after meeting with Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil. The Archbishop revealed that the local Christian community was determined to stay and rebuild, sparking Rasche’s extended commitment to the region. Over the next year, Rasche fully integrated into the efforts of the local church, helping to stabilize and rebuild Christian communities.
Working closely with Archbishop Warda and major donors such as the Knights of Columbus and Aid to the Church in Need, Rasche contributed to significant projects. These initiatives included providing food and housing for displaced Christian families, founding several schools, and establishing the Catholic University of Erbil, which now serves 1,000 students. In 2015, they also opened a hospital, reinforcing the community’s infrastructure and resilience.
As the U.S.-led coalition forces began liberating towns from ISIS control, Rasche and a team documented the status of church properties and the extent of desecration they suffered. Through his photography, initially intended as documentation, Rasche began to appreciate the powerful narratives conveyed through the portraits of those he met. These images illustrate the dignity and perseverance of individuals despite severe adversity, a theme that Rasche found consistently among the displaced, not only in Iraq but also later in his work in Nigeria.
At the opening of his exhibition, Rasche reflected on the transformative power of these images. He noted that the portraits not only documented suffering and loss but also captured the inherent dignity and resilience of the human spirit. This insight drove Rasche to share these stories more widely, hoping to foster a greater sense of solidarity and support for the persecuted communities.
The exhibition “Among the Persecuted and Displaced” will run through September 7, 2025, at the Blessed Michael McGivney Center in New Haven, Connecticut, and is open to the public without an admission fee. It offers visitors a profound insight into the struggles and resilience of persecuted communities through the lens of Stephen Rasche’s dedicated humanitarian work.
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