Pascha - Orthodox Easter

May 1, 2000

Source: The Arizona Republic

On May 1, 2000, The Arizona Republic reported that about 150 people celebrated Orthodox Easter at the St. Mary's Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Phoenix, AZ. Many Ethiopian Christians in the area used to worship at a Greek Orthodox church, but now an official Ethiopian Orthodox congregation has formed that meets in the gymnasium of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church. The congregation was formed a year ago with the help of the Lutheran church, which has supported the Ethiopian congregation in offering services that combine Amharic, Ethiopia's official language, and Geez, the church language of Ethiopia. Tad Habetyes, a Phoenix resident and a seminconductor technician, stated: "Here it is in our language, our culture...Now, we are very happy we can pray together."