A church-leading couple who arrived here illegally ten years ago face being officially stateless in Australia for the rest of their lives.
But Anglican Reverends Kaveh Hassanzadeh and Hoda Ameri are deeply grateful for being allowed to stay in our country.
They lead Melbourne’s Farsi-speaking Emmanuel Iranian Church in Dandenong and Keilor.
The couple told Melbourne Anglican Foundation CEO Felicity Costigan they fled Iran after Kaveh’s grandfather was executed and his father was arrested three times.
The Islamic government considered Kaveh’s family to be enemies of the state and Hoda had converted from Islam, so in desperation, the couple turned to people smugglers.
Hoda was four months pregnant at the time and never realised how long and dangerous their journey would be.
When the Navy intercepted their boat and an officer smiled and said “Welcome to Australia”, Hoda believed it was a sign from God.
In less than a year they began their church ministry.
The Melbourne Anglican Foundation won a state government grant of more than $100,000 during the pandemic to enable their church to help more than 10,000 members of the Farsi-speaking community across greater Melbourne.
Reverend Kaveh Hassanzadeh said: “The project aimed to especially assist those families who are not eligible for any COVID-19 related financial support due to their visa status; who may have lost their jobs; and who are struggling to put food on their table.”
“We also aimed to address mental health issues during the pandemic for the people in the community who are unable to afford mental health support. Additionally, the need for education of communication and computer skills in the Farsi Speaking Community have become especially necessary after the pandemic,” he added.
Reverend Hoda Ameri who has an engineering degree is now a mother of three sons and soon to be ordained as a priest.
She told the Melbourne Anglican she hopes to make a real difference in the life of other Iranian women by helping break down barriers in her culture.
Many of her congregation consider the Emmanuel Iranian Church their family and their home.
Some of their most fervent prayers are for a change in their visa status that will allow them to truly call Australia home.
Photo: Jerome Cole Photography, courtesy of The Melbourne Anglican Foundation
