Geez rite mass in Jaffa

Father Medhin Yohannes arrived in Israel in order to serve the community of Geez rite Catholics. He is a priest from the diocese of Adigarat in Ethiopia. Saturday, October 26, 2013, marked the beginning of his pastoral service in Jaffa.

The more than three hour long liturgy was attended by hundreds of Geez rite Catholics, who are mostly asylum seekers in Israel from Eritrea. The mass was a memorial mass for the hundreds who have drowned in the past few weeks off the coast of Italy.

Saint Anthony’s Church in Jaffa is the vibrant and beating heart of an important pastoral work among migrants. While the Geez rite Catholics chanted their mass, many Indians, Filipinos and Africans were outside waiting their turn to use the church. It is worthwhile noting that whereas the origin of the parents is Asian or African, the children running around outside all speak Hebrew to one another.