A commemoration for the coming of Tabote – Tsion to Ethiopia /the Ark of Zion/

The Ethiopian Orthodox church has finalized its preparation to commemorate the coming of Tabote –Tsion [the Ark of Zion] to Ethiopia from Jerusalem. According to H.H. Abune Paulos, patriarch of the Church, the ceremony is scheduled to be conducted on Tir 17, 2004 E.C /25 January 2009/ at Mesqel square. The ceremony will also have a dramatic play on the issue which will be open to the public on the same day. The Holy patriarch has called upon all to be a part of the ceremony.

3,215 Books Donated

The Donate – One – Book program of Mahibere Kidusan conducted on Tahsas 11 & 12, 2001 E.C. /December 20-21, 2008/ has managed to collect 3215 spiritual books. Therefore, Churches, nunneries, monasteries, Sunday schools and church schools will be beneficiaries of the raised stock.

According to w/z Alemtsehay Meseret coordinator of the program, the expectation was to raise over 2000 books. The donation of books has brought 200 copies of the holy Bible which have been obtained as part of the donation. Alemtsehay has indicated that this is estimated as more than 125,000 ETB.  Their Graces Bishops and Archbishops, Associations and ordinary individuals have donated books that will be of vital importance in needy areas, Alemtsehay has added.

Aid Requested to Rejuvenate a church Surrounded by Heretics

Aid has been requested to build the St. Gabriel’s church of yimerwacho Kebele, Meseqa and Mereqo District, Guragie diocese, Southern Ethiopia. The temporary shelter /Mekagno/ was constructed in 2000 and, in 2004; the Ark of the Covenant was admitted to the temporary shelter.  The area is known to be infested by heretics which makes the site more vulnerable to vandalism.

For a century before the construction of the temporary shelter, there has been in the site the holy water named after St. Gabriel. There were repeated attempts by agents of Heresy and officials of the defunct Derg Regime to snatch the holy site from the holdings of the church. The will of the Lord has preserved it still in our hand, the church’s head Father Bisrate Gabriel has indicated.

The Holy water of the site has cured many from leprosy, labor complication, blood cancer, visual impairment and other sickness, the head has witnessed. According to Father Bisrate Gabriel, sheltering the beneficiaries of the holy water has been a problem and there is a need to build a shelter of better housing capacity.

A more urgent issue is the need to build the permanent church. The repeated effort has been constrained by the ever increasing price of building materials. The earlier estimation was that the overall construction will cost some 775,000 Birr. Now, due to the prevailing inflation, the estimation is raised to about 850,000 Birr. The Father has called upon all, in the country and abroad, to contribute their share in this holy venture.

Donate at:
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia,
Butajira Branch,
yimer wacho St. Gabriel Church,
Acct. No 10072
Butajira, Ethiopia

Jimma dioceses organized a Bazaar to finish its developmental projects

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church of Jimma diocese has prepared a bazaar in order to finish the many developmental projects it is already undertaking to help the different monasteries and Churches. Jimma diocese main office has also disclosed to Simia Sedeq that the bazaar is going to be open from Tir 9 to 30. The diocese currently has started numerous projects that aim to eliminate the problems of the monasteries and churches in Jimma. It has therefore the objective in opening the numerous Churches and Monasteries which had been closed from giving service due to lack funds.

The diocese is now constructing a five storied modern building in Jimma for the above mentioned purpose with an outlay of 27 million birr. Moreover, the diocese’s main office has also reported that it has opened many modern schools in different Churches and monasteries so that the local community gets a chance for education. This has also solved the unemployment problem. It has also bought two buses for public use and they are solving the problems of transportation in Jimma town and generating some amount of money for the churches.

In addition to these developmental activities the diocese has also opened a theological training institution in order to solve the shortage of preachers and strengthen the evangelization activity in the area. The institute has the capacity to train more than 200 trainees in one term. Many young men from the diocese have already been trained as deacons and priests. In such a holy endeavor the diocese has succeeded in opening the church of Abelti Merafe Kidusan Kidist Kidane Mehiret by building a new church at the cost of 2 million birr from being closed due to the lake of funds.

The dioceses, therefore has made a call for all the members of the EOTC to come to the bazaar from all parts of Ethiopia. Those laities who live abroad are also called to partake in this holy work.  Jimma diocese has stated that it has made this wonderful stride which can be exemplary to others after the coming of his eminence Abune Stifanos in 1993 E.C. 

Cross Coins and Other Heritages of King Armah Discovered

Ze-Gebrelwa

At the foot of a mountain called siba’at, at Adowa, various heritages of king Armah have been recently discovered, the Amharic biweekly, Reporter, said  on its Tir 3,2001 E.C /11 January 2009/ issue. The heritages included antiques of a town, statues of different designs, crosses of ancient churches, engravings of king Armah’s image and coins with engraved crosses.

According to the report, the excavation was conducted by the Eco-tourism team of Addis Ababa University, which is composed of authorities from different disciplines.

As quoted in the report, Ato Tekle Hagos, Head of the Heritages Registration and Control Department, in the Heritages Study and Protection Authority, has indicated that underneath building of the Debre-sahil St. Michael Monastery, there was an ancient church built by the ancient kings and queens of Axum. Seven stairs of an ancient church have been found and the current monastery’s foundation lies on the ancient basement. The old building has a foundation, nine meters wide and seven meters high. According to the heritage official palaces and churches of ancient Axum had elevated, high- rising foundations. This being the case, the new discovery is, as he said , undoubtedly of that age. Added to this evidence is that the current monastery’s foundation which has taken some part from the ancient basement has the cross engraved on it. The nine statues now discovered are similar to those of the Axumite age, he has told the reporter.

Of the six silver coins found, two of them are King Armah’s they clearly show him sitting on his Majestic chair holding  a large cross by his hand. His name and title is visibly engraved on the coins thus witnessing his undisputable Christian creed. Movable and immovable heritages including crosses and stone seals have been discovered at the archeological site. The inscription which visibly reads “ ng\ xrmh” , to mean ‘Armah is the king ‘ indicates the rise and development of Geez Characters on top of the testimony it bears regarding a Christian king of the time, Armah.

Meanwhile, as the official underscored, the rich heritages available in Adowa and it environs deserve the watchful protection of all nationals for the nation to benefit economically.

As individuals who have already read the report on the discovery indicated, the new findings give convincing answers to those who baselessly try to Islamize history in their false claims purporting as though there lived a Muslim king by the name Nejjash, the Islamic name they have forged out of the blue for King Armah, a devoted Christian 

      Praise be to God. Amen!!