Page 49 - DinQ 222 July 2021

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Presently, there are 65 members of Although the church has ex-
Since then the Ethiopian Or- panded a great deal
thodox Tewahedo Church throughout the Carib-
(EOTC) in the Caribbean has bean, there are still
been expanded considerably to several challenges fac-
the rest of the Caribbean coun- ing the EOTC in the
tries and the Americas. EOTC Caribbean, among
subsequently expanded to these are languages,
North America in 1959, when a cultural and traditional
group of Ethiopian priests and barriers, together with
deacons were sent from Ethio- the need for greater
pia to the Americas by the or- presence of Ethiopian
der of Emperor Haile Selassie, በካሪቢያን ከሚገኙት ትልቁ ደብረ ገነት አማኑኤል ቤተ ክርስቲያን clergy members
with the blessing of the then ምዕመናን ሲያስቀድሱ throughout the Carib-
Patriarch, His Holiness bean. Additionally, the
Abuna Basilios, for ad- Rastafari community in the Carib-
vanced study. bean who have identified them-
selves with the African/Ethiopian
Presently there are identity, have found spiritual har-
twenty-five (25) Ethiopian mony and self-contentment by ob-
Orthodox Tewahedo serving the EOTC as their religion
Church throughout the of choice. Thus, these same chal-
Caribbean. Thechurch was lenges motivates them to continue
also introducedto Guyana the traditional practices of the
in1953, Jamaica in 1970, EOTC, while seeking to integrate
Bahamas in 1978, St. Kitts የደብረ ገነት አማኑኤል ቤተ ክርስቲያን አገልግሎት
in 1979, Martinique in
2004, Guadeloupe in 2005, Barba- the Caribbean born clergy, trained
dos in 2009 and Antigua in 2009. by Ethiopians, in the Archdiocese
lending their support to the
Archbishop in administering the
church.

His Grace Abuna Thaddaeus is
the current Archbishop for the Arch-
diocese of the Caribbean and Latin
America, and has served the people
of the Caribbean along with the
Head Administrator Archimandrite
Abba Gebreyesus. The headquarters
for EOTC is located in Trinidad and
Tobago and the Patriarch has vis-
ited the Caribbean on two occasions.
The first visit occurred in 1973 by ኢትዮጵያዊያን በኪንግስተን ቅድሥት ስላሴ
His Eminence Abuna Theophilos ቤተ ክርስቲያን ቅጥር ግቢ ውስጥ።
when he returned to the Caribbean
as Patriarch and the second visit by their Rastafari religious practices
Holy Trinity EOTC Kingston Jamaica Dakon His Eminence Abuna Paulos oc- (eg. ganja sacrament; Nyabinghi
curred in 1993.
drumming) in their newly-adopted
faith.

DINQ MEGAZINE April 2021 STAY SAFE 49
DINQ magazine July 2021 Stay Safe 49

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