Two Ethiopian Comboni missionaries serving for good

Abebayehu Tefera Atara and Tamirat Tegegn Tanga made their perpetual profession for the mission of the Church in the Comboni Institute last Friday, on August 25, 2023, at Qillenso’s rural parish church.

Fr Asfaha Yohannes, superior provincial, received their perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, according to the MCCJ Rule of Life, on behalf of the Superior General. He presided over the Eucharist in Guji while the rite of the Final Profession was done in English. The vows took place during the weekly women’s mass, at Qillenso, the first mission the MCCJ opened among the Guji people in Southern Ethiopia in 1981. It was attended by a good number of faithful.

Abebayehu was born in Haro Wato's parish 36 years ago, a mission that was created in 1995 with a number of outstations that belonged to Qillenso’s mission, in the Uraga zone. He is the first of nine children. He frequented for sometime the Hawassa Major Seminary before rejoining the MCCJ Postulancy in Addis Ababa. He did the novitiate in Namugongo, Uganda, and completed his theological formation at the Tangaza Institute in Nairobi, Kenya. His home-parish welcomed him for his diaconal service.

“Being called by Him, consecrating ourselves and being Comboni Missionaries personally is placing oneself at the service of others, at the service of God’s Kingdom. Jesus himself said that ‘I have come to serve, not to be served’, which is an invitation to imitate him. Therefore here I am for this service where Jesus invites me to spread his Kingdom”, Abebayehu underlined.

Tamirat is 36 and is the first Comboni Missionary from Soddo Apostolic Vicariate. He hails from Hembecho parish. The firstborn of nine siblings, he was a teacher of Mathematics and Physics for five years in a Junior Secondary School before joining the MCCJ postulancy in Addis Ababa. He, too, did his novitiate in Uganda and completed his basic formation in Lima, Peru. He was assigned to Peru to where he will return after his priestly ordination. He is doing his pastoral service as a deacon in Qillenso.

“I am very happy with my vocation regardless of some difficulties in my vocational journey. Some challenges which I faced taught me how to be strong”, Tamirat stated.

The two Comboni Missionaries were ordained deacons in a very well attended and colorful Sunday Mass, at a packed St Daniel Comboni Church in Adola, the urban center of Qillenso Mission. Choirs from Adola, Qillenso and Soddu Ababa animated the Eucharist that was celebrated in Amharic.

Fr Juan Núñez, the Comboni Apostolic Administrator of the Vicariate of Hawassa, local and MCCJ priests, Comboni, FMM, Missionaries of Charity and local sisters, the parents and relatives of both missionaries, together with some faithful from Qillenso, Haro Wato and Soddu Abala, the three Catholic parishes among the Guji, took part in the ceremony.

Bishop Roberto Bergamaschi, Apostolic Vicar of Gambella, who ordained the deacons, told them during the homily: “God chose you because He loves you. Now you have to witness God’s love to the people you serve”.

The Salesian Bishop underlined that the new deacons need to pray in order to keep their faith alive: “If you don’t pray your faith will die slowly. The Church also asks you to be holy”, he noted.

Bishop Bergamaschi, who was for some years the Apostolic Vicar of Hawassa, asked the participants in the celebration to help the new deacons by praying for them.

The newly ordained deacons thanked all the participants and all the people who were meaningful during their vocational journey that led them to the diaconate. They also asked them to pray for them, in their journey that continues to become priests.

At the end, they had a special word of thanks for God and for their families:

“We thank the Lord for all what He has done in our lives. We have reached so far today because of Him. From beginning till to day He led us and made us to remain focused. Here we are today in the presence of God and in the presence of you. It isn’t with our own effort, strength, capacity and help, but He became everything in our life. We are grateful to God for what we became today and continue praying that He may journey with us as we continue our mission wherever we will be”.

“Our next thanks goes to those who are foundation of our call and vocation, that is our beloved parents, who showed us what faith is, and accompanied us to grow in faith, who became also a school of life: we are really very grateful for making us of who we are today. Thank you very much indeed for all what you became in our life. Thanks for everything”, they added.

After the Eucharist, that lasted for almost three hours, the participants were treated to a rich lunch of local dishes prepared by the Catholics of Adola who served them in the Saint Daniel Comboni Public Library, within the church’s compound.