MISSION Magazine Winter 2024

Society of St. Peter:
From petrifying fear to
embracing a vocation
By Deribe Belay*
I come from Ethiopia,
specifically from The
Apostolic Vicariate of Harar
which was erected on May
4th, 1846, by Pope Gregory
XVI. It covers three regional
states of Ethiopia, namely
Oromia, Harari, and Somali.
Most of the inhabitants of this
area are Muslims, but they
have different ties or relations
with Christians. For example,
where I was born and bred,
Ethiopia
With about 123 million people, Ethiopia is the
second most populous nation in Africa after
Nigeria. It is also one of the poorest, with a per
capita gross national income of $1,020.
Ethiopia declared the Catholic faith an official
religion in the fourth century. However, Catholics
are less than 1% of the total population.
Despite their small numbers, Catholics run as
much as 90% of the nation’s social programs.
we have Muslim neighbors who are very respectful towards Christians, and
even when we celebrate a feast related to our faith, they come to celebrate with
us and bring gifts. And we do the same in return when they have a feast.
In contrast, there are some Muslims in other parts of the country who want
to destroy Christians and Christianity, who want to kill others just because they
are Christian. And please know I am not narrating these things from hearsay,
but as an eyewitness.
* The author is a seminarian in Rome’s Urban VIII Seminary, where 166 men from Africa, Asia, Oceania,
and Latin America, are currently preparing for the priesthood thanks to scholarships provided to them by
the Society of St. Peter the Apostle. Following this article is an interview with his bishop, an Italian Capuchin
who was saying Mass at the church where Deribe was held captive.