Tuesday, March 15, 2016
The Comboni Missionaries have founded two missions among the Gumuz after the opening of a community by the Comboni Sisters in 2001. The first mission station was Gilgel Beles (2006) dedicated to Mary Mother of the Church, 11 km from the Comboni Sisters’. The second mission station was Gublak, an split of the previous one in about 50 km westwards and dedicated to the Blessed Martyrs of Paimol, Jildo and Daudi. The opening was motivated by the Apostolic Nuncio who was concerned about the advance of Islam in the area. After the different options, the Province of Ethiopia opted for the Gumuz and nourished the missions with the needed personnel combining both young confreres, confreres with long missionary experience in Ethiopia and Ethiopian confreres. The Mission among the Gumuz people represents today the first priority of the Province in the field of evangelization.

Evangelization
Among the Gumuz People


The Mission among the Gumuz people represents today the first priority of the Province in the field of evangelization. The expansion of the Mission among the Gumuz people is significant for various reasons:

  1. It is the last opened field of mission in Ethiopia outside the Vicariate of Hawassa in the last 50 years;
  2. The characteristics of the missionary methodology are born out of an experience of insertion;
  3. The importance of the evangelization of a marginalized people in a predominantly Orthodox environment;
  4. The positive response and participation of the young local catechists in the evangelizing activities with a positive projection in the local Church of Addis Abeba and the Bahar Dar-Dessie Eparchy;
  5. The impact that the experience has in the local Church, particularly in the Archdiocese of Addis Abeba and in the newly established Eparchy of Bahar Dar-Dessie where the growing number of Catholics are found in this area among the Gumuz.