DONATE REBUILT ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHEDO CHURCH IN JAMAICA

Welcome to the ethiopian orthodox tewahedo church in jamaica

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church was established in Jamaica on Saturday May 23, 1970 by the then Archimandrite Abba Laike Mariam Mandefro, who later became Archbishop Yesehaq; in charge of the Ethiopian Orthodox church in the Western Hemisphere. This establishment came about because of an request from brethdrens of the Rastafarian Movement and other Jamaicans who considerd themselves scattered sons and daughters of Africa. Many request were made to the Mother Church in Ethiopia, until finally Emperor Haile Selassie I, discussed the matter with His Holiness Abuna Basilios and the decision was made to send the Archimandrite

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church was established in Jamaica amidst great public fanfare on May 23, 1970 on the premises of the Kingston Parish Church by Archimandrite and Comos Abba Laike Mariam Mandefro. On that historic day, over 600 members were baptized. The first celebration of the Holy Eucharist took place the following day at the same venue attended by officials of other Christian Churches in Jamaica

In 1978, the Church was incorporated by an Act of Parliament. At about this same time period, ground was broken for the first substantial building of the Church at 89 Maxfield Avenue, Maxfield Park, the headquarters of the Church in Jamaica

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In the Church social outreach and educational programmes, we have constructed a small 'Home for the Aged' at the church headquarters which is able to accommodate seven of our 'golden agers'. Theres also three Early Childhood facilities geared towards our children educational development.

His Grace Abuna Thaddaeus Archbishop Of The Caribbean And Latin America

Abuna Thaddaeus was born in Ethiopia in the Province of Wollo. The type of education he attained was Zema (traditional and liturgical music), Tuguame Metshaf (commentary on the Bible especially the New Testament, and Kenye (poetry). As his ambition was to obtain a more modern education and so extend his knowledge both at home and abroad, he moved to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa, where he worked and studied for four (4) years.

After this, he was sent by the Church to do voluntary and charitable missionary work in Trinidad and Tobago. He arrived in Trinidad on October 22nd, 1972 and has been in the service of the people of Trinidad, and more recently, the people of the Caribbean and Latin America since that date.

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Our Church History

The beginning of Ethiopian Christianity could possibly be traced to the apostolic era. The Book of Acts gives the account of the Ethiopian Eunuch of Queen Candace, who was first evangelized and then baptized by the apostle Philip (Acts 8:26-36). Eusebius, the great Church historian, refers to the Ethiopian Eunuch as “the first fruit of Christianity in the whole world.” In addition, Rufinus followed by Theodret, Socrates and Sozomen also recorded this remarkable event. Nevertheless, it was not until the 4th century that Christianity became the official religion of the Aksumite Empire. This period also saw the inauguration of the Bishopric See and administration of the sacraments.

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This is because St. Athanasius of Alexandria consecrated St. Frementius as the first Bishop of Ethiopia during the reign of Emperors Ezana and Syzana (also called Abraha and Atsbaha). King Ezana removed from his coins the sign of the moon and replaced it with the sign of the cross. By doing so, he became “the first sovereign in the world to engrave the sign of the cross on coins.” In A.D. 356 the Arian Emperor Constantinos wrote to the king of Aksum requesting that the Orthodox bishop Frementius as “a corrupter of true Christianity be sent back to the Roman Empire.” Obviously, he wanted the Ethiopian King to become an Arian, but his effort was failed.

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St. Frementius came to be known by the Ethiopians as Abba Selama, which means, “the Father of Peace” and Kesate Berhan meaning, “the Revealer of Light”. Moreover, as the first bishop of Ethiopia, he was given the title Abune, meaning “our father,” as an appellation carried henceforth by all primates of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church accepted the three Ecumenical Councils Nicaea (A.D. 325), Constantinople (A.D. 381) and Ephesus (A.D. 431). Therefore, the Nicene-Constantinople creed has become the symbol of our faith.

Our Creed (Prayer of Faith)