On the day a great number of believers from every corner of the country flocked to St. Gabriel Church. More over faithful of other religions as well as members of different nationalities annually flocked to this religious place to give thanks and get blessings at the Church.
The type of pilgrimage made to Kulubi reflects the remarkable diversity and complexity of Ethiopian cultures and religions. As an important centre of faith healing and votive offerings, the Faithful brought with them silet (Vow) to St. Gabriel for his having delivered their Children from afflictions and disabilities. Though the miracles attributed to St. Gabriel of Kulubi are many and varied the largest percentage relates in one way or another to Children. Many factors combine to give the celebration of the feast of St. Gabriel at Kulubi its special character, history, geography, and religious beliefs all play important roles. The site on which the Church is built has been a pivotal spot in the history of the region through peace and war for many years.
{mosimage} Located in an area where Christians and Muslims have long lived together peacefully. The Church has become a focal point for the religious tolerance so characteristic of Ethiopia. The fact that the Saint to whom the Church is dedicated, is regarded as the favoured messenger of God and as a medium of miracles in the sacred writings of Jews, Christians and Muslims. According to the Church leaders and a booklet Festivals in Ethiopia, the Arch was brought to the site and the Church was consecrated on July 26, 1892. The particular honour accorded to St. Gabriel in Ethiopia can be traced in the literature in part to the book of Nature, available in parchment in the archives of the Orthodox Church. In Chapter 21 the names and functions of the seven archangels are given in detail in addition to Gabriel, there are Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Remiel, Phanuel, and Michael. In the book of Enoch he is listed among “the four great archangels Michael, Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel”.
The ancient book reports that Michael, Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel “looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth and all lawlessness being wrought upon earth”. The archangels appealed to God to take action. It was to Gabriel that the Lord then gave strong instructions to act against the wicked of the earth said the Lord. The book of Saints of the Ethiopian Church contains 31 references to the Archangel Gabriel from them we can develop some picture of St Gabriel role in the history of Christianity. It was Gabriel, for example, who with Christ and St Michael appeared to Eusthatius of DebreBizen. Eusthatius, the book of Saints tells us St. Gabriel was chosen by Christ “to become a teacher of many nations from Ethiopia to Armenia” and St. Gabriel played a leading role in the life of one Priest, called Gabre Menfes Kidus, an Egyptian Monk who according to Ethiopic Synaxrium, lived for “300 years” including 100 in Ethiopia.
In the sacred book of Islam, the Holy Koran, St. Gabriel is variously regarded as the angel of death, the prince of fire and thunder and most consistently of all, as one of the deity’s Chief messengers.
My God bless our Brothers and Sisters of Orthodox Church!
