Evangelisation in Ethiopia

Catholicism is growing extremely quickly on the continent of Africa. This is partly down to the efforts of missionaries such as Father Kenneth Iwunna. Father Kenneth ministers to a parish in the south of Ethiopia. In the last few years, 5,000 out of the 9,000 people in this parish have accepted the Catholic Faith.

By Conn McNally

Fr. Kenneth Iwunna with parish youth. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Ethiopia is a large and ethnically diverse country. The majority of Ethiopia’s population are Christian (mostly members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church), with there also being a substantial Muslim minority. In addition to this there are ethnic groups in Ethiopia who still practice traditional tribal religions. This is the case with the Borana people in the south of Ethiopia. The Borana people are a nomadic people, who travel across the land with their herds to eke out a living. For this reason, Father Kenneth Iwunna (who is from Nigeria) has been on an evangelisation mission for the last eight years to bring the Gospel message to the Borana people.

Fr. Kenneth Iwunna ministering to his parishioners. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Father Kenneth Iwunna has seen a lot of success in running Holy Cross Parish in the town of Dhadim. Approximately 9,000 people live within the parish boundaries. Of these, around 5,000 have accepted the Catholic Faith over the traditional tribal religion.  Many of these people are now catechumens preparing for baptism. It is almost certain that thousands more will convert to Catholicism in the coming years. The rapid conversion of so many people has raised certain problems. One issue is of couples who have been married prior to being baptised. They need to be validly married in the eyes of the Church before they can receive Holy Communion. Weddings, as many of us are aware of, can be very expensive. Wedding rings, clothes and celebratory meals are particularly expensive. In order to help his parishioners with the costs of the weddings, Father Kenneth Iwunna has organised for joint wedding ceremonies. This allows for several couples to be validly married at once and therefore be able to receive the Eucharist.

Fr. Kenneth Iwunna ministers to his parishioners. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Young people have been very active in Father Kenneth Iwunna’s parish. Around 250 young people are active on a regular basis in the parish. Father Kenneth has organised a spiritual programme and direction for the young people. This includes Bible study, choral singing, and retreats. By engaging with the young people, it is hoped that Father Kenneth can secure the future of Holy Cross Parish. Part of this engagement includes an annual three-day retreat to the neighbouring diocese. Father Kenneth explains that this is important for the development of the young people: “Most of them have never been anywhere except their own village, so that for them it is an important experience to meet together with young people from other ethnic groups and share their ideas and experiences. These young people are growing in their faith and gaining a new experience of the Church. These days are an advantage not only for themselves, but also benefit the whole community. For when the young people come back they relate their experiences in the church. And even the older people are very interested to hear about them.” Aid to the Church in Need provides support to Fr. Kenneth and his parish in all these activities. This is just one of the many pastoral and evangelical projects that Aid to the Church in Need Supports around the world.