Today, Sunday, June 22, the Feast of Our Lady of Consolata was celebrated in Addis Ababa in the compound of the regional house of the Consolata Missionaries. Hundreds of people participated from various parishes across Addis Ababa. Groups of Catholics also arrived from other centers outside the capital that belong to the Archdiocese of Addis Ababa.
By Marco Marini *
The celebration was presided over by Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Surafiel and concelebrated by more than twenty priests and Consolata missionaries. The Holy Mass was celebrated in the Ethiopian Ge’ez rite. At the beginning of the Mass, the parish priest of the Consolata Parish, Father Daniel Yoseph, on behalf of the regional superior, Father Tamene Asaro, and all the Consolata missionaries, welcomed all the faithful, thanking them for being so numerous at the Consolata celebration.
On this occasion, Catholic TV channel Paxctv was also present, broadcasting the celebration live on the national television channel.
During the celebration, the Cardinal administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to seven young people, and six children received their First Holy Communion.
In his homily, the Cardinal remembered the late Pope Francis, recalling how the day before his death, he was still among his people in St. Peter’s Square, and he expressed joy for the new Pope Leo XIV. The Cardinal reminded the entire congregation of the need for peace in the country and urged everyone to pray for peace in Ethiopia. After the Cardinal, Father Daniel, of the Cistercian order, invited the assembly to honor the Virgin Mary and to live as true Christians with the help of Our Lady.
The celebration, which lasted over four hours, concluded with a communal lunch for all participants, featuring typical Ethiopian food: injera (a spongy flatbread similar to a pancake), segawot (spicy meat stew), kifto (seasoned raw minced meat), gomen (chopped collard greens), and denich (potatoes).
Warm wishes to all for a Happy Feast of Our Lady of Consolata, from the country loved by our holy founder Joseph Allamano: መልካም የኮንሶላታ በዓል (Melkam Consolata ba’al).
* Father Marco Marini, IMC, missionary in Ethiopia.