Knights of Columbus exhibit honors persecuted in Iraq, Nigeria

The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center in New Haven, Connecticut, has opened a powerful new exhibition spotlighting some of the world’s most persecuted Christian communities. Titled Among the Persecuted and Displaced: Photographs from Iraq and Nigeria, the exhibit runs from March 22 to September 7, 2025, and offers an unflinching look at the suffering — and resilience — of Christians targeted by extremist violence.

According to the 2025 Open Doors World Watch List, more than 380 million Christians currently face persecution and discrimination for their faith. Iraq and Nigeria stand out as two of the most dangerous places to be a Christian today, where groups like ISIS and Boko Haram have displaced thousands, destroyed homes and churches, and inflicted trauma on entire communities.

The exhibition features striking photography from Stephen Rasche, an American attorney and humanitarian who spent years on the ground in Iraq serving displaced Christians in the Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Erbil.

Rasche’s lens doesn’t just capture destruction — it reveals courage. His images bear witness to families rebuilding after unimaginable loss, priests ministering amid rubble, and children receiving education and medical care through grassroots Catholic efforts.

Recently, Rasche extended his mission to Nigeria, where his work now supports education and healthcare for Christians affected by targeted violence. Through the photographs, visitors can see not only the cost of faith, but the strength it inspires. Many of the faces in these images carry both sorrow and unwavering dignity.

Rasche is a member of the Knights of Columbus; the fraternal organization sponsors his work in both Iraq and Nigeria. The Knights also operate the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center, named after their founder, a parish priest from New Haven who is now one of the Church’s blesseds. The Center continues his legacy of defending the vulnerable and serving the Church in times of hardship.

Rasche’s mission reflects the growing importance of Catholic humanitarian work in areas of religious conflict. He currently serves as Director of the Institute for Catholic Humanitarian Service at Franciscan University of Steubenville and as a Senior Fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington, D.C.

His photography is not just art — it is advocacy, inviting Catholics and others to see what is often left out of headlines.

Visitors to the McGivney Center can experience this testimony free of charge. The center is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with complimentary parking and admission.

In a world where persecution often happens in silence, Among the Persecuted and Displaced gives voice to those whose only “offense” is their Christian faith.

For Catholics, and all people of goodwill, this exhibit is more than an invitation to awareness—it’s a summons to solidarity. The faithful may find in these photographs a deeper call to prayer, advocacy, and action in support of our brothers and sisters who, in the words of St. Paul, are “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed … struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor 4:8–9).

Learn more at michaelmcgivneycenter.org.