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History of St.
Mary Center
Settlers had been
brought to Gambella region by the Mengistu regime to farm cotton on
State Farm and to relieve Population overload in highland areas of
Ethiopia. Shebo Center has five villages where these Settlers are
living from the time of Mengistu Regime. These people were settled in
different villages. Then when the Mengistu regime overthrown there was
conflict and insecurity in most part of the region and as a
consequence most settlers went back to their homeland and the rest
moved to a relatively safe place. They are now living in 5 adjacent
villages of Shebo.
During the down fall of the Derg regime a number of medical and
educational infrastructures, which were built by the resettlement
program, were looted and destroyed. Thus the settlers were lacking
basic medical and educational services. Therefore a number of people
were fleeing to Gambella town and especially to the Missionary of
Charity Sisters seeking for medical and nutritional assistance. The
sisters have responded to their health and nutritional needs. Towards
the end of 1991, a Catholic Priest was sent by the Vicariate of
Nekemte to give service for the Sudanese refugees and to assist
Missionaries of Charity Sisters.
At that time Gambella Region was within the ecclesiastical
jurisdiction of the Nekemte Vicariate. The priest found several
Catholic Communities in the resettlement areas of Abobo district.
These Catholics were Kambata, Hadya, and Welayta in ethnicity and had
been without a Priest for many years. The names of the Catholics were
registered and many of these families returned to their homelands with
assistance of the Church.
Due to visa problems, the priest left Ethiopia and eventually replaced
by a Lazarist Priest in 1992. After almost a year of service, the
Lazarist Priest left Gambella because of health problems. From that
time until the assignment of a diocesan Priest of the newly
established Apostolic Prefecture of Jimma-Bonga, Priests had been
visiting Gambella to pray with the people and the Sisters.
In 1994, a
diocesan Priest was assigned to work in Gambella Region. In 1995,
Jesuit Refugee Service assigned a Priest to do an education survey of
the Region with the intention of starting some educational programs in
the Region. This Priest also began to visit the Catholic Communities
in Shebo villages. The surviving Kambata, Hadya, and Welayta
communities in Shebo villages constructed grass Churches in villages 7
and 9. They then received a plot of land on request from the village
Chairman for the purpose of building chapels and for some agricultural
activities.
Location
St. Mary Center
is located 30 km. south of Gambella town. Around St. Mary Center there
are Five out stations.
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Village 7 St.
Anthony Chapel
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Village 8 Sts,
Peter and Paul Chapel
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Village 9 St.
Francis Chapel
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Villages 11&12
St. Michael Chapel
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Village 13 St.
Estephen Chapel
Besides, around
St. Mary Center there are
Important
Historical Event in Shebo
Inauguration of
the St. Mary Catholic Church with a solemn Eucharist presided by
excellencies Archbishop Berhaneyesus, Apostolic Nuncio Silvano Thomasi,
Msgr. Theo Van Ruyven, Msgr. Angelo Moreschi, priests, sisters and the
community of the prefecture.
Special
activities of the Center
All the
activities of St. Mary Center are being carried out by Fathers,
Sisters, and brothers of the Prefecture sited in Gambella. The main
activities of the Center are:
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Training for
Catechists
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Catechumen ate
courses
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Confirmation
courses
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Youth program
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Agricultural
Project
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