About
Mission
St Mary's Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church strives to fulfill the spiritual needs of its members by providing church and related services in a manner consistent with the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church's faith, values and tradition.
Services
Established in 2017, the St. Mary's Ethiopian Orthodox Church has been serving the San Antonio community and surrounding cities for over 15 years. Services include sunday school, religious counseling, marriage, burial rites (Fithat), baptism, visiting and comforting the sick.
Sunday Service
- 6:00 A.M. — Baptism and morning prayer (Kidan)
- 7:00 A.M. — The Divine Liturgy
- 10:15 A.M. — The 6th Century Sacred Music of Saint Yared
- 10:30 A.M. — Preaching
- 11:30 A.M. — Children Choir and Sunday School
Saint Mary's day, on the 21st of every month (according to the Ethiopian Calendar): the service on this day includes prayers, the Divine Liturgy and Sermon by the Clergy.
Church Services
- Sunday school and Bible studies for children and adults
- Holy Eucharist Wedding
- Religious counseling by the Clergy of the Church
- Marriage, burial rites (Fithat), and baptism/christening services
- Confession (Penance)
- Visiting and comforting the sick, the needy and the bereaved
History of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Christianity in Ethiopia dates back to the 4th century. It was brought to the region by a Christian captive, Frumentius, who later became Ethiopia's first bishop. Frumentius was consecrated by Athanasius the Great in Alexandria, an act which placed the Ethiopian church under the jurisdiction of the Coptic Church of Egypt. Monasticism was introduced towards the end of the 5th century by nine monks from Syria who are believed to have translated the Bible into the local language, Ge'ez. From the 7th century Ethiopia was cut off from the rest of the Christian world by the Islamic conquest of North Africa. Chronic skirmishes between Christians and Muslims led to the outbreak of civil war in the 16th century and the sacking of monasteries and the burning of churches. In the 17th century the conversion of the Emperor to Roman Catholicism and the attempt to impose his faith on his subjects produced fierce resistance and the martyrdom of many thousands of Christians. In 1959, the Ethiopian church became independent from Egypt when an Ethiopian patriarch was elected.