This past September 2nd, the dean of the Consolata Missionaries in Ethiopia, Abba Gebre Egziabher Gebru, suddenly passed away. His confreres found him dead in his bed. What struck the three missionaries who entered his room was the serenity of his expression—so much so that one of them wondered if he was really dead.
By Marco Marini *
The following day, according to Ethiopian tradition, the funeral rites and burial took place in the Christian cemetery of Saints Peter and Paul in Addis Ababa, where other Consolata missionaries are also buried.
As soon as the news of his death spread, a long procession of people began arriving to offer their condolences to the community. The father’s body was placed in the parish hall for the vigil. The many women of the parish who came to pay their respects could not stop weeping and crying out the words “Abbaye, Abbaye”—“my father, my father.” It was hard not to be moved by the women’s tears and lamentations.
The following day, Mass was celebrated in the Consolata church of the regional house. The bishop of the Vicariate of Hosanna, Mons. Seyum Francois, presided over the Holy Mass. Unfortunately, Cardinal Berhaneyesus and several bishops who knew the father and wished to attend the funeral could not be present, as they were far away at the Jesuit center in Debre Zeit for their annual eight-day retreat. Friends, parishioners, religious, and priests crowded the church. At the end of the Mass in the Latin rite, the funeral liturgy in the Ge’ez rite was celebrated, which does not include the Eucharist, but consists of litanies and prayers for the soul of the deceased.
In his homily, Mons. Seyum described Father Gebre Egziabher as a man of God: one who prayed constantly—for if someone wanted to find him, they had to first look in the church, and only afterward elsewhere. A man of deep faith, one who believed and hoped in the Lord, awaiting the day when he would meet Him face to face. Faithful to his religious consecration and dedicated to his priestly ministry.
Brief biography
After the homily, the superior of the Consolata Missionaries, Father Tamene Asaro, read a brief biography that Father Gebre Egziabher himself had written years earlier, in which he described his life and vocation.
Father Gebre Egziabher was born in 1940 in what is today Eritrea, but which was part of Ethiopia before Eritrea’s secession. He recalled how, as a young boy, he helped his family by taking care of the animals. One day the sheep disappeared, and out of fear he hid from his parents. Realizing that hiding was useless, he decided to go to the school of the monastery of Debre Btsue. But while following some sheep traders—without knowing the way—he found himself alone, not knowing where to go. After three days of wandering, a holy woman saw him crying, approached him, and asked where he was going. Understanding his desire to study, she took care of him and entrusted him to a teacher who taught him to read and write. Later, he entered the monastery of Debre Samuel, where after some years he became an Orthodox monk.
In 1961 he was ordained an Orthodox priest by Abune Markos, bishop of Eritrea. Two years after his ordination, he was sent as parish priest to the Orthodox church in Asella. It was there that he met the Consolata Missionaries, who had a large center for handicapped children. His encounter with Father Giovanni De Marchi, one of the first missionaries in Ethiopia in the 1970s, was “fatal.” De Marchi’s charismatic personality led Father Gebru to learn about the Catholic Church and the Consolata Missionaries. After several years of discernment, he decided to join the Consolata Missionaries. He was then sent to Ireland for theological studies, followed by the novitiate in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. He made his first vows on September 4, 1983.
Upon returning to Ethiopia, he was assigned to the mission of Gighessa, where he made his perpetual vows in 1986. Father Gebre Egzabher carried out his ministry in the various Consolata missions in Ethiopia: Gighessa, Modjo, Weragu, Shashemane, Wonji, and Gambo. In 2020, from Gambo, where he was parish priest, he retired to Addis Ababa, where he remained until his death on September 2, 2025.
Father Gebre Egziabher left a deep impression as a man of God on all who knew him, especially the confreres who lived with him for years. In October 2024, he took part in Rome at the canonization of Saint Joseph Allamano, founder of the Consolata Missionaries. Upon returning to Ethiopia, joyful for the grace of having participated in Allamano’s canonization, he said: “Now I have no other desire, I only await the day when the Lord will call me to Himself.” His prayer, expressed on several occasions, was to leave this world without causing problems to his confreres, such as with a long illness. The Lord deemed it worthy to grant the prayer of His servant.
The name Gebre Egziabher means “servant of God.” Father Gebre Egziabher was truly a faithful servant. Now that he is Heaven, he continues to be close to us with his intercession and prayer. May he rest in peace.
* Father Marco Marini, IMC, missionary in Ethiopia.
