Like hundreds of immigrant groups settling in Southern California, establishing a house of worship marks an important rite of passage for Ethiopians as they struggle to preserve their language and religious identity and pass those traditions on to their children. Scores of Ethiopians began immigrating to this country in the mid-1970s, driven by war, drought and famine. The principal religions of the country are Islam and Orthodox Christian. The community settled across Los Angeles County, transforming Sunday services into common meeting places.
For this Ethiopian Christian congregation, the path to finding their own church was a difficult one filled with tension and complication.
An Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
The Early Years and the Founding of St. Mary's Church
“The Ethiopian exodus has only happened in the past 20 to 25 years,” said Habtewold Kassa, a longtime church member who lives in Los Feliz. “Compared to some other groups we haven’t been here very long. But we are religious and need this church to hold us together. People finally feel like they belong here. We feel proud to have a church.”
Walking into St. Mary’s on Sunday morning, visitors seeing candles planted in sand at the entrance felt transported instantly to the African land. Women attend services in white gauze gowns with scarves swirled around their faces, only their dark eyes left visible. Abba Mengistu Negussie, the Orthodox priest in charge, preaches in Geez, the melodic liturgical language used by Ethiopian Christians. They respond mightily, praising God.
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At St. Mary’s, about 500 Ethiopians gather at the church every Sunday. Last month, more than 1,000 community members packed the church to celebrate the holy day Lideta, the birthday of Mary. Though a majority of the congregation speaks Amharic, the services are held in Geez, a liturgical language that uses the same intricate squiggles of the Amharic alphabet.
Challenges and Growth
While they were sharing space in another church on Robertson Boulevard, they were only allotted three hours and run about four or five hours. Often, they were forced to shorten services to comply with rental agreements and make room for the next congregation.
“We had to sacrifice a lot in those three hours,” said Abba Tsegie Dengel Degefaw, one of the priests at St. Mary’s. “Now, we don’t have to rush, and people can stay and socialize.”
Schism and Reconciliation
In 1990, some members of the Ethiopian Orthodox community became embroiled in a bitter dispute that resulted in the formation of two churches. Tesfaye Knife, head of the board of directors at St. Mary’s Church, said a lawsuit resulted in only one of the congregations being able to use the name St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. As a result, the other Ethiopian Orthodox church, which is in South-Central Los Angeles and has about 300 members, has begun using the name Virgin Mary Apostolic Church.
Since the congregation at St. Mary’s has found a permanent home, Knife said, the two churches have begun working to heal their differences.
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“We’re trying to establish a relationship as sister churches,” he said.
An Ethiopian Orthodox priest in Addis Ababa.
Christianity in Ethiopia | BBC Earth
Community and Future Plans
As the church gets settled in Ladera Heights, several members are planning an array of programs that they would like to start, including Amharic language classes, a basketball league and a senior citizen center.
Mariam-Sina Seyoum, a USC student who works at the church in her free time, would like to set up a regular drop-off of food and clothing to be sent to Ethiopia occasionally. Like other church members, she still has many family members in Africa, and the escalating violence between Ethiopia and Eritrea is a major concern.
“We cannot forget what is happening in Ethiopia. We can never forget. But, when we are here, we are Christians and we love and respect each other. No matter where you are from,” she said.
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Many parents also expressed concern about preserving their language and culture and passing traditions on to their children. But young people like Habtamu Malede said the parents don’t need to worry. Though he was sporting blue jeans and a button-down Fubu shirt, the 19-year-old said as Ethiopian children get older, they begin to understand the importance of their heritage.
“The older you get, the more it hits you,” Malede said. “When I see kids who don’t know the [Amharic] language, I tell them they’re going to feel left out. They’re going to regret it.”
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church: A Brief Overview
With worldwide estimated membership of about 36,000,000, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest of the so-called Oriental Orthodox Churches (the others being Armenian, Coptic, Eritrean, Malankara-Indian, and Syriac). Unlike Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches recognize the validity of theological decisions of only the first three Ecumenical Councils. Headquartered in Addis Abbaba (Ethiopia), the history of Ethiopian Church dates back to the acceptance of Christianity by the Kingdom of Aksum in 330 AD.
The Ethiopian Church is unique in retaining a number of Jewish practices, such as circumcision, the observance of dietary laws, and Saturday as well as Sunday Sabbath. This is probably due to the fact that Christianity arrived in Ethiopia directly from Palestine, while it was still strongly influenced by its Jewish roots.
Administratively, the Ethiopian Church was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church from the first half of the 4th century until 1959, when it was granted autocephaly (full independence) by the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
A timeline of Ethiopian Orthodox Church History.
In this same year, the first Ethiopian Orthodox parish was opened in the US: Holy Trinity Church in the Bronx, NY. Its founder was Fr. Notably, this first parish was envisioned as a mission for African Americans rather than a church for Ethiopian immigrants.
The 1974 Marxist revolution in Ethiopia not only overthrew the Emperor but also began a campaign against all religious groups in the country. After the collapse of the Communist government (1991), the head of Ethiopian Church, Patriarch Merkorios, was accused of collaboration with the former regime. A number of other Ethiopian bishops joined him, which further intensified the spread of Ethiopian Orthodox churches in America. Eventually, the exiled group formed “The Legitimate Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church” with headquarters in Oakland, California - a Church body in opposition to the Synod of Bishops in Ethiopia. For a number of years, Ethiopian Orthodox churches in America were divided between the two rival factions.
This schism lasted until 2018, when delegations from both sides, along with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, met in Washington, DC. An agreement was reached that provided for the return of Patriarch Merkorios to Ethiopia to become co-patriarch along with Patriarch Matthias (elected in Ethiopia in 2013). The two Patriarchs would be of equal dignity, and all the bishops of both Synods would be mutually recognized. Presently, Ethiopian Orthodox churches in the USA are divided into five dioceses, and they continue to grow rapidly.
