Bishop Sarhad
The life and impact of a Chaldean Church leader
By Sarah Kittle
Bishop Sarhad Yawsip Jammo, who passed away on February 4 of this year at the age of 83, leaves behind a profound legacy that has touched countless lives within the Chaldean community and beyond. Mention his name to just about anyone who knew him, and they immediately light up and start telling stories about him and his great love for humanity.
Born in Baghdad on March 14, 1941, Sarhad entered into a world full of strife and gearing up for war. His life was likely difficult as a Christian in an Arab world, compounded by world events. At the tender age of 17, he went to Rome where he obtained master’s degrees in theology and philosophy at the Pontifical Urban University. He later earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Eastern Ecclesiastical Studies with a dissertation titled The Structure of the Chaldean Mass.
Sarhad was ordained a priest in 1964 and later named pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Baghdad, serving there from 1969 to1974. In Dora, a suburb of Baghdad, a teenaged girl named Fiona Hermiz was in the youth group. As he came to know her, he thought she would be a wonderful partner for his brother, and so he encouraged young Fiona to write to his brother in the United States.
Bishop Sarhad’s niece Dora Hermiz Sokolowski (Fiona’s daughter) remembers him dearly as Ammu: “Long before we ever realized he was a priest,” she recalls, “he was our beloved, fun-loving and trusted uncle.
“Ammu would come over every Sunday after church (at a minimum), full of laughter and energy, carrying us in his arms, chasing us around and sharing stories that lifted our spirits,” remembers Dora. Her sister Renée Hermiz Suriano says she remembers, “dancing around and with him, being carried and lifted with his legs as if they were teeter-totters, as a child, every Sunday after church.”
As time went on and they grew older, those visits grew much deeper in terms of philosophical discussions and problem-solving opportunities. In college, “I had to write a report answering whether God exists, and I needed ‘proof’ for the assignment,” explains Dora. “He patiently took time to not only explain it to me, but completely reinforced in my soul exactly how God reveals Himself in this world and my life.”
Dora’s Ammu equipped her with the most basic and thoughtful ways to speak to others who struggle with faith, sharing biblical and historical examples of truth that still ring true through changing times. “Ammu not only delivered all Holy Sacraments to me,” said Dora, “but would spend hours on end answering my endless questions on the mysteries of faith.”
He was a great teacher, having taught at the University of Notre Dame, the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
“When our dad died in 1991, I was the oldest of 5 girls at 15, and our baby sister was 3,” recalls Dora. “Ammu drew even closer to us, and always honoring our father’s memory, Ammu was a constant source of comfort and presence in our lives - through the most difficult and hardest moments.”
Renée remembers, “His giant laughter and big kisses, boisterously calling us by nicknames he’d given.”
Dora says, “I know when I see him again in eternity, I can count on him to run to me with open arms and an excited holler of ‘Habbabbeee Dorina Doracha!!!’”
Renée fondly recalls having tea and conversations with him about philosophy and religion. “As well-read as he was, he never made us feel inadequate.” Instead, he imparted his vast knowledge on whoever would listen so they could learn and discover for themselves. “He made faith fun,” says Renée, “as joyous and vibrant as I imagine God to be.”
“He also took me and Renée on our first roller coaster ride during one of the church trips to Cedar Point,” remembers Dora, “and was beyond giddy and delighted during the drop while I screamed in fright - such a thrill-seeking adventurer he was!”
Renée added, “He adored sitting in the front car at Cedar Point!”
Extremely proud and passionate about his heritage, Bishop Sarhad worked to preserve the ancient Chaldean language and history, demonstrating his commitment by the many books he authored, lectures he delivered, and actions he took to address unique problems facing the Chaldean people and his Church.
He didn’t discriminate when sharing his faith. He was one of the first priests to introduce female altar servers. “We were equal,” says Renée. “That influence on our community was stupendous.”
In 2014, Bishop Sarhad traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with political leaders including a congressman who introduced a bill to grant asylum for religious minorities persecuted by ISIS in Iraq. He also worked to raise the cap on refugees from that region to come to the United States.
Following 38 years as a priest, he was elevated to the episcopate by the then Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Mar Raphael I Bidawid. In 2002, Pope John Paul II created a second Chaldean diocese in the U.S. and appointed Sarhad to preside over the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, which spans across nineteen states of the western United States.
He led the diocese through challenging times. In 2010, he led a prayer vigil in El Cajon, California for Chaldeans, including priests massacred in a Baghdad church by terrorists. At that time, El Cajon was home to some 40,000 Iraqi Chaldeans.
As the bishop of the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle for the western U.S. for nearly a decade and a half, he led with strength, wisdom, and empathy, navigating his community through some of the most challenging times in recent history, including the devastation of war and the persecution of Chaldean Christians. He retired in May 2016.
When asked about some special memories of her beloved Ammu, Renée said, “He laughed like Ernie from Sesame Street. He rode a motorcycle around Europe and got speeding tickets in the U.S. because he had a lead foot!”
And his homilies? Dora says, “Ammu gave such passionate homilies after the Gospel that one second, he could be heard outside the church with the walls trembling while he delivered the message, and the next moment — a pause — he would bring it down to a whisper, a slow, tender and clear whisper, to make the moral of the story… That is what I will cherish most. Ammu gave Jesus a voice forever in our hearts.”
Adds Renée, “He made you feel like the most important person in the room.”
Sarhad also championed reconciliation within the Church and ecclesiastical renewal. After the Vatican approved a liturgical reform, the St. Peter diocese became the first to implement the reformed Mass. Bishop Sarhad was also an author and historian who wrote numerous books and other publications on Chaldean Catholic history, language and liturgy.
Bishop Sarhad’s passing marks the end of an era for the Chaldean community, yet his legacy is indelible. Through his scholarly work, dedication to his faith, and unyielding support for his people, he has left an imprint that will resonate for years to come.
Whether guiding his diocese through the aftermath of tragedy, championing the rights of religious minorities, or fostering a spirit of reconciliation within the Church, Bishop Sarhad exemplified what it means to be a true servant of God. As the community mourns his loss, it also celebrates the enduring impact of his life—one defined by love, sacrifice, and a commitment to humanity. May his memory continue to inspire those who were fortunate enough to know him and carry on the work he started.
Renée expresses, “I hope and believe that ultimately, he will be seen as a visionary well ahead of his time.”