Archbishop’s arrival commences Ethiopian Orthodox Church activities

Thursday August 28 2008

by Denesha Whyte

Archbishop Abba Thaddeus of the Diocese of the Caribbean and Central American Ethiopian Orthodox Churches and several members of his delegation arrived on island yesterday.
During a brief news conference held in the VIP Lounge at the V.C. Bird International Airport after his arrival, Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the African Union, Bruce Goodwin, on behalf of the government and the people of Antigua and Barbuda, officially welcomed Archbishop Thaddeus and his delegation to the island.

Last evening, the church began its spiritual activities with a lecture at the Bendals Primary School.

Tomorrow, the events will come to an end with an Ethiopian Orthodox baptism at the Hero House Chapel at 7 a.m.

On Sunday, two of the church’s members will be getting married also at the Hero House Chapel and this begins at 11 a.m. Although the wedding is independent of the two days of activities, the public is invited to witness the Ethiopian Orthodox marital traditions.

Twenty members make up the St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Antigua which is one of five of its kind worldwide.

Archbishop Abba Thaddeus is making his second visit to Antiguan and Barbuda, after having visited in February of this year.

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