St. Lalibela

Joyous feast! On this the 12th of Sené on the Ethiopian calendar we commemorate the righteous Emperor Lalibela. St. Lalibela is remembered as the greatest of the emperors of the Zagwé dynasty that temporarily supplanted the Solomonids in the 1100s and 1200s.

Born in Lasta in what today is northeastern Ethiopia the future emperor was named Lalibela ('the bees acknowledge his supremacy') because at his birth a swarm of bees surrounded him, which at the time was taken as a sign that the child would one day be emperor.

The seeming divine favor naturally made St. Lalibela unpopular with the reigning emperor, and as a young man the Saint retreated from the world to live as a hermit. He later went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land before returning to Ethiopia, where he was acclaimed as emperor even by the reigning Emperor Harbay and enthroned with the name Gebre Mesqel ('servant of the Cross').

During St. Lalibela's reign he established the town of Roha (now called Lalibela after him) as his capital and there carved ten churches out of the ground in accordance with a vision he was given that commanded him to establish Roha as a 'new Jerusalem' in Ethiopia. In addition to having the world-renowned churches in Roha built St. Lalibela also gave generously to the poor.

When the construction of Roha's churches was complete St. Lalibela abdicated in favor of his nephew and reposed in peace. To this day his hand cross is treasured in his former capital and the churches he built continue to amaze pilgrims, who come to the city from throughout Ethiopia. More on his life can be found here and in the Synaxarium of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. May St. Lalibela's blessing and prayers be with us all!

Pictured is St. George's Church, one of the monolithic rock-hewn churches built in Roha during St. Lalibela's reign.

St. Athanasius the Great

Christ is risen! Joyous feast! St. Athanasius the Great of Alexandria is a towering figure of the early Church and a beloved saint of the Alexandrian and Coptic Orthodox Churches. He's also responsible for the organization of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which is today the largest Orthodox Church in its communion. More on St. Athanasius' life can be found here. May his blessing and prayers be with us all!

"Shaikh Zekaryas"

A fascinating survey of the life of an Ethiopian Muslim sheikh who led roughly 10,000 Ethiopian Muslims into Orthodoxy during the reign of Emperor Menelik II can be found here.

Fast of Nineveh

Today is the first day of the Fast of Nineveh. While the Roman Orthodox world (Arabs, Greeks, Russians, et cetera) celebrates this as a fast-free week the Copts, Ethiopians, Syrians, Eritreans, and Indians fast for three days in memory of God's mercy to the city of Nineveh and the preaching of St. Jonah there. The Fast originated amongst the Assyrians living around the site of ancient Nineveh and spread westwards from the Church of the East to the Syriac Orthodox Church and its sister churches in Africa. More here. God help you all whatever you are doing this week as we draw closer to the Great and Holy Fast!

"Ethiopian Liturgy"

A fascinating survey of the services of the Ethiopian Rite in comparison with its mother, the Alexandrian Rite as used in the Coptic Orthodox Church, can be found here. The article is unfortunately limited in that it only discusses the Ethiopian and Alexandrian Rites. It would have been nice had the author more intensively studied the liturgics of the West Syrian Rite - it could be that more than one or two of the pecularities he ascribes to Ethiopian custom are actually Syriac Orthodox practices brought by the Nine Roman Saints or later Syrian (or even Indian?) visitors to Ethiopia.

Afar Districts Oppose FGM

Two districts in Ethiopia's Afar Region have committed to prohibiting female genital mutilation (FGM) or circumcision. In both districts elected and customary leaders together with many of the circumcisers committed to abandoning the practice.

The Afars are Muslim, but FGM is widespread throughout the Horn of Africa amongst both Muslims and Orthodox Christians. Some see it as a counterpart to male circumcision, which is also universally practiced amongst Muslims and Ethiopian Orthodox, while others think it keeps women (who are considered to be inherently sexually promiscuous) from cheating on their husbands.

More on the recent abandonment drives in the Afar Region can be found here.

Quote of the Day: St. Fiqerte Kristos

You are a king and not an evangelist. You need religious guidance from us as we need righteous rule from you.

Spoken by Mother Fiqerte Kristos to Emperor Susniyos of Ethiopia when he established Roman Catholicism as the state religion.

Ethiopian Monasticism Today

The CNEWA has posted an excellent article on monasticism in Ethiopia and the challenges that it has faced since the Revolution in 1974. More here.

Stolen Tabot at Westminster

The situation regarding Westminster Abbey and its stolen Ethiopian Orthodox tabot (ark) has been in the news for a while now, but I wanted to post a link to The Guardian's article on the situation for whoever hadn't heard about it. It's a complete travesty that the tabot was taken at all. Westminster's refusal to return it only compounds the outrageousness of the situation.