Ethiopian/Eritrean (Ge’ez or Alexandrian Rite)
Catholics from Eritrea and Ethiopia who have settled in Charlotte form the Eritrean (Ge’ez) Catholic Community of Charlotte and worship at St. Gabriel Church, located on Providence Road in Charlotte.
The Ge’ez Rite is native to Ethiopia and Eritrea and uses the ancient Ge’ez language. This liturgical tradition is shared by the Ethiopian Catholic Church and the Eritrean Catholic Church – two of 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the pope. It is a liturgy rooted in the Church of Alexandria in Egypt, which traces its origin to St. Mark the Evangelist, the first Bishop of Alexandria. Ge’ez is one of the four Semitic language (the other three are Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic). While the Ge’ez language is technically dead, it is still used in this Eastern Catholic liturgy today.
Learn more: “Eritrean Catholics have found a home in Charlotte”