I was born in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, from a family that originally came from Eritrea. Every time I tell people that I come from Eritrea, they almost always ask me where it is. Thus it becomes a sort of Geography lesson for me to tell them. Eritrea is a small country of 4 million people, which forms part of the “Horn of Africa”. It was an Italian colony from the 1880s until the end of the II World War when it was annexed to Ethiopia in 1952 by the United Nations. It became independent in 1991 from Ethiopia after a very long struggle for independence that lasted thirty years. Every Eritrean has someone or more from their family who have paid the ultimate price for independence. Eritrea became a member of the United Nations after a Referendum in 1993, when a staggering 98% people voted for independence. The major religions in Eritrea are Christianity and Islam. The majority of the Christians are Orthodox and Catholics are only about 2% of the population. Christianity has been official religion in Ethiopia since the 4th century. Thus Ethiopia and Eritrea can boast one of the longest traditions of Christian civilization in Africa.

I am chaplain of the Eritrean Gheez-Rite Chaplaincy in London. My predecessor Fr Kidane Lebasi was the first chaplain. Our chaplaincy serves Eritrean Catholics who live in London. The vast majority of them have settled here after a long journey as refugees and asylum seekers. Many of them had to cross the Sahara Desert on foot and camels and had to live in hostile Muslim countries before they found their way to the UK or other European Countries. Some of them had to live incognito as it would have been dangerous for their safety. One of the toughest challenges for many of them has been living in countries where Christianity is not allowed. Once they reach the UK, their first desire is to find a church (Catholics to find a Catholic Church, and the Orthodox an Orthodox Church). In the 1980’s the only Eritrean point of reference, as far as the Church was concerned, was the Eritrean Catholic Gheez-Rite Chaplaincy led by Fr Kidane Lebasi. Here all Eritrean and Ethiopian Catholics found a place of solace and comfort. Even the Eritrean Orthodox Community did not have its own place of worship. As a result, many Orthodox brothers and sisters came to the Eritrean Catholic Gheez-Rite Chaplaincy too to pray and celebrate with their Catholic counterparts. In the latter years a couple of Orthodox Churches and many Pentecostal Communities have emerged in London and many different parts of the UK.

The Gheez Rite

I always find it not easy to convey the real image of the Eritrean Catholic and Christian Traditions to my Western friends because of its unique history. The only two countries in the whole world that use the Gheez-Rite are Eritrea and Ethiopia. And Eritrea is the only country in the whole world that has only Gheez-Rite Catholic Dioceses. Even Ethiopia uses the Latin Rite in many of its Dioceses. That makes Eritrea very unique. The Catholic Church being catholic (universal) has many Liturgical Traditions under its wings. There are two major Rites in the Catholic Church; the Latin (Western) and the Oriental (Eastern) Rites. We may use thousands of languages to celebrate these Rites but all Rites fall under these two categories. Gheez-Rite is one of the Eastern Rites in the Catholic Church. The Orthodox Churches also use Eastern (Oriental) Rites but they are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. Thus one can meet an Eritrean Orthodox who uses the Gheez-Rite but who is not Catholic or on the contrary, an Eritrean Catholic who uses the Gheez-Rite and who is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. The latter describes the chaplaincy I serve and myself perfectly. The way we celebrate our Liturgies can be different even though we celebrate the same Eucharist as those of the Latin-Rite Catholics.

As there are many different Eastern Rites, we use the word “Gheez” to distinguish ourselves from the rest. Gheez is one of the oldest Oriental languages that are now used only in the Church’s Liturgies though it is not used in the day to day conversation. It is just like Latin where the Latin-Rite takes its name. Today no one uses Latin for day to day conversation but it is the Church’s official language. It is the same with Gheez. As the Latin-Rite can be celebrated in many vernacular languages, the Gheez-Rite can be celebrated in many different vernacular languages of Eritrea and Ethiopia. We are an ethnic minority not only here in the UK but also in our own country. Eritrea is not a big country as such nor are we Catholics numerous as I have indicated earlier. So being minority is not something new to us. But what does it mean to be Catholic to us? It means everything to us. God and the Church come first in our lives. Without both we know we could not have survived our ordeals so far. After becoming independent against all the odds and still existing as a country, this little arid land and its people do not seem to be fazed by the glamorous appearances of the so called super powers who always disregard the small ones and ally with the so called powerful and big. Only faith in God and self-reliance helps us to stand up for our beliefs and higher values. Every Eritrean holds this belief which is infused right from his birth.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal was introduced in Eritrea in the early 70’s by an Eritrean Franciscan priest who came into contact with the Renewal while he was studying in Italy and America. The response of the people was great while that of the clergy was divided. This affected the people and it has not been an easy ride for the Renewal to be accepted as Traditionalism is also one of our characteristics. Thus Catholic Charismatics are very much minorities. But the Catholic Church as a whole and the CCR have been very influential in the lives of many Catholics and non Catholics alike.

I personally was introduced to the Renewal by an Eritrean Cistercian monk when I went for a retreat to his monastery with eight other members of our parish youth group. I was living in Ethiopia then and was doing my last year in a commercial college. I did not have any idea about the Renewal because I had never heard about it before. The priest who led our retreat basically gave us the Life in the Holy Spirit Seminars in six days. He never mentioned anything about the Renewal; his main concern was that we should be renewed by the Holy Spirit. So I was initiated into the life of the Renewal without even knowing what the Renewal was all about. When I think about it now, I admire the wisdom and prudence of that wonderful priest.

Thanks to my involvement in the Renewal in the subsequent months, I became aware of my insatiable hunger and desire for God which could not be satisfied unless I gave all my life to Him. That led me to consider the priesthood very seriously and with the Lord’s help I joined the Cistercians (the same religious congregation of our retreat master). I was ordained in 1990 after which I worked in Ethiopia and Eritrea for about five years before I moved to Italy where I stayed almost for four years. I studied in the Gregorian University of Rome for two years before I moved again to London in the summer of 2000 to help in the Eritrean Gheez- Rite Chaplaincy. Among the group of youngsters who has been deeply touched by the life and teaching of Fr Mesfin Tsegai (the Cistercian monk who gave us the retreat), there emerged four young men as priests. Not bad to have four priests out of a group of dozen young men and women! Ever since I discovered my vocation as a priest, I decided to help the Renewal in every possible way I can because it is because of the Renewal that I found my vocation. Wherever I go, the first thing I do is to contact the Renewal there and get involved. I love the Renewal so much because it has opened my eyes and helped me to become a better Catholic Christian. I deeply believe that the Renewal is a great chance to our Church and the world at large.

Here in London, we have an Eritrean Charismatic Prayer Group in our chaplaincy. We get together every Thursday evening 6:30pm – 9:30pm for prayer, teaching and worship. It is well attended by the young as well as the old; fifty to sixty people fill our small hall for prayer. We are not big in numbers but the dedication and faithfulness of our faithful is very encouraging. Those who are involved in the Renewal are very much involved in the life of our community which is very uplifting. As a chaplain, this really gives me great encouragement. It has been great honour for me to be always associated with the CCR. Yes, it is great to be alive, human, Christian, Catholic, priest and charismatic!

For more information about the Eritrean chaplaincy please visit our website: http://catholicgheez.org