Our story and our faith
An Eastern Catholic community with roots in the highlands of Eritrea and a future in the foothills of the Rockies.
Eastern in tradition, Catholic in communion
The Eritrean Catholic Church is one of the Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris, a self-governing church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. It celebrates the sacraments in the Ge'ez (Alexandrian) rite, the same ancient liturgical family as the Coptic and Ethiopian traditions.
In 2015 Pope Francis established it as a metropolitan church in its own right, with the Archeparchy of Asmara and the eparchies of Keren, Barentu and Segheneyti. Wherever Eritreans have settled, from Rome to Calgary, its communities keep this heritage alive.
David Stanley · CC BY 2.0
Four pillars of our community
The Ge'ez liturgy
Our Qidase is prayed in Ge'ez, the ancient liturgical language, and in Tigrigna, with chant, incense and the beating of the kebero.
Communion with Rome
We are Catholic: united with Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic Church throughout the world, and welcome in every Catholic parish.
Love for Mary
Devotion to the Mother of God, Kidane Mehret, the Covenant of Mercy, shapes our prayer, our feasts and our family life.
Family & hospitality
Buna after the Qidase, meals on feast days and care for newcomers, the sick and the elderly: this is our way of being Church.
From Eritrea to Calgary
The first Eritrean Capuchin friars with their superiors in Segheneyti, 1934 (public domain).
Catholic missions take root in the Eritrean highlands. Communities of the Ge'ez rite grow in Akrur, Segheneyti, Keren and Asmara.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary is consecrated in Asmara, still one of the city's landmarks.
Eritrean families settle in Canada. In Calgary, Catholic families begin to gather for prayer in homes and in borrowed parish halls.
Pope Francis establishes the Eritrean Catholic Church as a metropolitan church sui iuris.
Our community celebrates the Qidase every Sunday, runs a Sunday School, a choir and a youth ministry, and is raising funds for a church of its own.
Shepherds of our community
Abba Tesfamariam Ghebrehiwet
Parish Priest
Ordained in Asmara in 1990, he has served our community since 2016.
Abba Ghebremedhin Okbazghi
Associate Priest
Responsible for youth ministry, catechesis and marriage preparation.
Deacon Yonas Habtemariam
Deacon
Leads the altar servers and the Wednesday Bible study.
Names and photos are placeholders for this demo.