We opened the new community in Ethiopia in Hossana vicariate in Sadama St. Anna parish on 11-18-2023, and the bishop was so happy to have our congregation in Hossana vicariate; he informed our arrival to the Cardinal Berhane Yesus and the Nuncio, and he stated how happy they were. The beginning of the new community was celebrated with the special mass, which was celebrated by the representative of the Hossana bishop, vicar general Abba Amanuel Josef, and accompanied by several priests and sisters from the neighborhood parishes, including St. Anna parish committees and our sisters from Dubbo and Wallach communities. When the parish committees come to our celebration, they greet us with gifts that can be beneficial for our community.
The celebration of the mass was fascinating because the reading of the day was proper for the celebrant to speak about the co-responsibility of the Christians and the missionaries in the church. Taking that opportunity, the priest gave the homely by using the reading day that was from Romans 16: 3-9, 22-27, how to collaborate with the sisters and the priest in the parish, without expecting only the sisters and priests can do something for the church or the society, but to recognize that all of us are ambassadors of Jesus Christ that can be able to collaborate for the kingdom of God, and all of us are responsible to develop our church, ourselves and the society.
We recognized how the people missed the sisters in their parish and had been praying for them for a long time. As a result, we saw their joy in our presence in their parish. They extended the welcoming celebration until the next Sunday mass, and they continually welcomed us with extraordinary joy. Even after mass on Sunday, they took time to greet us and invited the elders from the parish to bless us according to their tradition in front of the altar. The affection and love that they expressed showed us how much they longed to have the sisters in their parish and made us feel that they were showing us their openness and desire to collaborate with and support us in our journey, and that helped us to feel at home in the place where we came to serve the people of God.
St. Cabrini Community Sadama
Written by Sr. Amarech Lefamo and Sr. Aynalem Paulos
