Mass Stipends for Missionaries in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic state. In the Horn of Africa, no fewer than 80 different ethnic groups live together, speaking as many different languages. And Christianity in Ethiopia has almost 2,000 years of history. Roughly 45 percent of the population belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, whereas Catholic Christianity is still relatively young in the country, and Catholics today account for an extreme minority (just one percent) of its 112 million people.  

Yet while Christianity in Ethiopia has deep and ancient roots, there are nevertheless still tribes that have never heard of Jesus Christ. Not surprisingly, they live in remote and underdeveloped regions with little infrastructure, and where people still live very much as their ancestors did long ago. Among those caring for the people there are the Apostles of Jesus Missionaries, a congregation founded in Uganda in the 1960s for men wishing to serve in the field of primary evangelization. In other words, these men – priests and brothers – are proclaiming Christ in places where the people have still not come into contact with the Christian faith. And they have been working in Ethiopia since 1992.  

Father Pius Prosper Nagawantu, the Superior of the congregation, has written to us from the Diocese of Awassa, in southern Ethiopia, where there are currently violent conflicts between various different ethnic groups. He writes: “In our work of primary evangelization, there is a great deal still to do here. So we are working very hard to establish Catholic communities in this vast region. The 33 years we have already spent working in Ethiopia have been a time for us of witnessing to God in the most difficult conditions and meeting people in their humanity at their weakest point. In this environment, we are sharing in Christ’s compassion for his sheep in the face of political, social, economic, and cultural difficulties and conflicts. We remind ourselves of the words of Jesus, who said to his disciples, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ (Mt 14:16). Despite all the insecurity, we, the Apostles of Christ Missionaries, are continuing to bear witness for Christ in places where the Catholic faith has never yet been preached.” 

Father Pius is requesting Mass stipends for the five missionaries currently proclaiming the Gospel in the Diocese of Awassa to people who have never heard of Christ. They have no other source of income, and so we have gladly agreed to pass on some of your Mass stipends to them.   

Will you join us in helping them? 

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