MISSION Magazine Winter 2024

a home for the developmentally disabled. On the outside, the structure was
solid if a bit run down. Nothing could prepare me for the desperation inside.
Sister Miriam and three women care for dozens of babies and infants. They
lack everything that we deem fundamental. Yet, they had an overabundance
of love, which was evident in the tenderness and patience with which they
cared for these babies. As we were about to leave, Sister Miriam’s face changed
and as she clung to my arm, desperately pleaded with me: “Monsignor, I need
milk. These children will die. I have no milk!”
My final night was in the Major Seminary in Addis Ababa. It was modest
but clean. The Seminarians greeted us at the door singing and filled with joy,
despite having waited many hours for our arrival. We immediately sat down
for dinner, and in the Ethiopian style, we all ate with our hands from the
same plate. Interestingly, it is not uncommon for them to feed one another: A
significant gesture in a country that is no stranger to famine.
Bishop Seyoum showed me to the bishop’s suite where I was to stay. A tiny
room, decorated with some small religious articles, a small desk, and a single
bed. He handed me a bottle of water and apologized: “Monsignor you will not
be able to take a shower tomorrow; our well is dry, and we have no water. I
am sorry.”